As part of the Everything Orient series 'Away Days', @QuaneRoman reviews his adventures at football grounds across the country and takes a look at everything from the best ground, the best food and most importantly, the best pubs. Next up, Maidstone United.
Gallagher Stadium
Capacity: 4,200 (750 seated)
Occupant: Maidstone United
Town/City: Maidstone, Kent
1. The Journey - 6/10
Mid-week away games are back. A trip to Kent beckoned for O's fans and it was quite a straight forward but yet awkward trip to Maidstone in my opinion. As I couldn't make it in time to get the train from Stratford International or Victoria and were unsure about the return train times, we drove to Maidstone over the bridge. It wasn't a bad journey, it took over an hour and we travelled far into Kent going passed areas like Gravesend, Greenhithe and Gillingham on the way.
2. The Area - 6/10
After walking out the car park at Maidstone East we walked up to the roundabout and found the ground. We walked down a path and we saw a large amount of food stalls and bars that looked nice, however, it was home supporters only so we were denied entry by stewards. Around the ground it was nice and clean, a few modern developments nearby but I didn't really see the town centre, but from what I saw Maidstone looked a decent place.
3. The Pubs - 5/10
As we had driven, we didn't have a chance to go to a pub. However, there was one nearby the ground and the Miller and Carter looked a great place to stop-off. Despite this, we decided to get into the ground early and see what's there, avoiding the ques which I experienced at Bromley this time last year. Once we got in the ground, there was a massive que for the food and there was a bar at the opposite end of the concourse which looked nice and modern.
4. The Ground - 8/10 I really liked this stadium, not the biggest and definitely not the most spacious but it was tight and neat, which I liked. I think that helps the home side and good supported away sides with atmosphere - I remember watching the Maidstone v Gillingham game online and the atmosphere was rocking. I liked the terrace, especially up the top in the corner where the segregation was, very tight and when we scored we saw around seven people go up in the air or flying over the mesh but I liked that.
5. Food and Drink - 5/10
In the home game against Maidstone this time last year, me and my mate talked to a few Maidstone fans and they said that their burgers were 'the best in Kent', so I was quite disappointed to turn up to find all they sold were Pies and Sausage roles. To be fair, they had a lot of variety. I hadn't seen so many different pies in my life - chicken balti, stake and ale, stake and kidney to name just a few. I like a pie now and again, I didn't particularly fancy it that night but it was definitely a good option.
However, I was also tempted by a sausage roll. As we were in the que, news broke out they ran out of pies for the time being, then I was told about a chippy not too far from the ground so we decided after the game we'd go there. A decision that backfired as it didn't look to good, nor busy and was in a backstreet across the roundabout from the ground. We ended up stopping off at a service station on the way home for a McDonald's.
6. The View - 9/10
Where I was against the terrace in the first half, I had quite a good view compared to others around me. It seemed like everyone in the top two rows got squashed or floored during the goal celebrations but still a great moment. In the second half, I stood on the ramp at the back with my shoes sticking to the ramp right at the top. I had a great view of all the Orient and a good view of the action on the pitch, however I had a slightly restricted view to my right (where the Maidstone were).
7. The Programme - 7/10
I got a programme from when we ended up near the home section earlier, a good programme with the basic information on our club about players, management and a brief section on the club's past.
8. The Atmosphere - 9/10
Fantastic atmosphere throughout the game, at times it was just non stop singing. Where I stood on the ramp in the second half I was at the height of the atmosphere, so loud the noise echoed. Respect to the new Orient drummer, from the South Stand he has brought it to every home and away game so far this season and worked hard to generate noise all night. Orient fans were bouncing at the end, singing the Josh Coulson song on a loop.
On Instagram, Stones TV (Maidstone United page) captioned a photo of us, "fair play to the @leytonorientfc supporters last night- they were fantastic". The first two away days this season have been really good in terms of atmosphere, from the limbs and the mini pitch invasion at Salford to the noise and the limbs at Maidstone, long may it continue.
9. Away Support - 10/10
O's sold out their away allocation at Maidstone, I don't think you could fit another person in the away end, it was that tight. Great turnout for the O's, hopefully we can keep up the support at Gateshead.
10. The Performance - 8/10
A good showing from the O's, we looked shaky in a nervy final 5 minutes as the home side attacked but a good solid performance by Orient.
Overall - 7.3/10
AWAY DAYS STANDINGS
1. Maidstone United 7.3/10
2. Salford City 6.9/10
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