As part of my birthday celebrations the day before I attended the Brentford v Gillingham League Cup tie on Tuesday 8 November and which means I have, again, (I first completed the 92 in 1989) been on all current 92 Premier/Football League grounds.
The game produced a shock as Gillingham, 20th in the fourth tier, knocked out Premier League side Brentford on penalties. This followed a 1-1 draw.
I had suggested to some Gillingham fans who I walked to the ground with from the tube station (which for some unfathomable reason is closed in the hour after the game ends - so much for the much vaunted please use public transport appeal of Brentford in its various publications) that their side might cause a shock and was laughed at. I guess they are happy to have been proved wrong. Gillingham scored from their only shot and hung on to record a draw.
The Brentford ground was full, and I was able stand throughout the match as there is a safe standing area. I was next to a Nottingham Forest fan who was, like myself, making his first visit to GTech Community Stadium, opened on 1 September 2020, and who had also in the past visited The Bees previous ground, Griffin Park, that opened in 1904. The Forest fan estimated that he had watched football on around 130 league grounds which is a good total.
According to my own figures the GTech Stadium was the 160th League ground I have visited. I will list all these grounds very soon, but I think it is unlikely that anyone can beat this figure. I believe that in lifetime there has been a total of 164 league grounds - I was unable to do Gateshead before they departed the Football League in 1960, Accrington Stanley (went out of business in 1962), Bradford Park Avenue (voted out of Football League in 1970) and Southport. (1978)
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