Why I don't like Racecourse Stewards

Andrew Morris gets something off his chest

Over the years of attending matches at the Racecourse, one thing has continually annoyed me, so much so this season that I feel I must write about it or I'll crack. The stewards. I realise that these flourescent-clad police wannabes have a job to do, but the way they go about it is very half-soaked and unfair. 

My dislike for stewards first came about five or six years ago when myself, my father and grandad used to stand in the Yale Paddock. At one evening match, my dad was getting behind the team (as he always does) and was using NO foul language or shouting abuse at anyone; a steward came up to him and said: "Carry on shouting and I'll throw you out."

Now, I realise the last trace of noise coming from the Yale Stand was in 1928 - but this is ridiculous. Incidentally, the said steward was playing a steward-like role at Wrexham's Odeon cinema a few months ago - and he was just as useless then, trying to impress his girlfriend by sitting with her at the back, shining a torch in people's faces during the film.

For around the last three years, though, I have been in the Kop and I would like to say the stewarding was good - but that would be a lie. I'll take the recent Wigan game as an example. The stewards at the front of the Kop are useless. About four of them stand hiding behind the PGS wall talking, while the female one just smokes. They then have one lad just in front of the first row of bars who just watches the match and talks to his friends until the 85th minute, when he starts asking young children to "get out of the gangways". The threat is that he will "eject" those who don't from the ground. He soon disappears when some big lads from the back of the Kop come down.

And, after Dennis Lawrence scored against Wigan, about 30 stewards choked on their ego and ran over to hold back about 10-20 fans celebrating the goal. The stewards treated the fans as they were lowlife. I'm sure their hostile attitude isn't doing the club's image any favours, is it? Improvements please!