"Got no Gigg issue with Gigg Lane"

Gigg Lane is a very smart ground that has had a major overhaul since the mid-1990s. The capacity of just over 11,000 is ideal for Bury as it comfortably fits in their current crowds without the ground looking deserted, yet is large enough to cope with larger crowds should Bury rise up the leagues again.

The South and East stands wrap around one half of the pitch which help Gigg Lane feel enclosed and the low roofs on these and the West stand help keep in the atmosphere. The Main stand, although the oldest looking stand, is actually relatively new as the stand was stripped to its shell and rebuilt in the mid-1990s. Because of this the Main stand has a number of supporting pillars along the front. More disappointing are the pillars in the completely rebuilt South and west stands. But these are not too much of a negative as they help give the ground a bit of character.

Location

Relatively straight forward to get to - just exit the M66 at junction 3 and follow the road signs to the ground.

View

Blades fans were given 2 and a bit stands when we went to Gigg Lane 14/01/2012. The East Stand that I was is in is normally the home end, but is given over to large away followings. Although the stand was set a surprisingly large distance away from the touchline the combination of a relatively steep stand and no view obstructing pillars (the only stand at Gigg Lane that is pillar-free) meant the view of the action was good.

The ground itself has had a complete makeover since the mid-1990s. And is now a very smart all-seater stadium. The only real negative was the amount of pillars on 3 sides of the ground - particularly disappointing with the South and West stands been complete rebuilds.

Facilities

Facilities in the away end were quite basic for a new-ish stand, but were in good condition, but seemed to struggle to cope with the 2,000 or so Blades in that stand.

Food & Drink

Your standard hole-in-the-wall with standard football food i.e burgers, hotdogs, soft drinks et al.

Police & Stewards

Never noticed them, so can only be a good thing.

Atmosphere

With Blades fans outnumbering Bury fans and having more of the ground than the home fans meant the atmosphere was a lot like a home game. The Blades fans were quite subdued in the first half but made quite a racket after taking the lead early in the second half.

A small pocket of Bury fans in the South stand, complete with drum were the only vocal home fans, but they kept up a steady stream of songs and encouragement for their team.

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