FA cup fourth round
 

We are ball number 31 in the draw to places at 7:10pm on monday

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Just wish we didn't have to wait till Monday

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My preference would be another Div 2 (or Div 1) team at home. Save the big match til we've made history and made it to the last 16.
Then, big giant killing act into the quarter final - actually I won't care by then.

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Who cares who we draw. With Holly Willoughby behind us we could make it all the way!

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Would love a trip to Newcastle tbh

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I'd like a trip to Wigan meself.

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From here on in, Any team is a good payday, especially if we win. it would be nice to get through to round 5. I watched the goals on M.O.D the fog was bad at the end of the match, the player was sent off and the camera couldn't pick up what happened. I was surprised they didn't call the match off as it looked really bad on TV.

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Ideally a tie north of London

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ideal tie some little club in manchester. knowing stanley it,ll be oxford or wycombe away.

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Be good to get a big boy at home get some coppers in the pot

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Wycombe? :rolleyes:

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With you know who waiting to pounce!
FA Cup: Stourbridge concede late goal against Wycombe Wanderers - BBC Sport :eek:

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I don't know about a "small" team at home. We could come unstuck. I'd like Blackburn or Bolton at home. A full house and a tv possibility because of the Lancashire derby aspect. Both are beatable as well!

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I hope Manchester away ,gate money a bonus.

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One of the big 4 at home take it to a replay, love to see the overpaid premaddonas struggle with the pitch and facilities

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City or United? Either would do :)

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The big spoiler was the low crowd numbers, less than1800, would a reduced price have helped increase the numbers? We should be pulling 3000+ for a 3rd round game against anybody. I hope we get another home draw against a beatable team just to see if we can increase the crowd numbers. Maybe a printed questionnaire handed to all home people who come through the turnstiles simply asking why they don't attend their local club more often, Let the people tell the club what they want or don't want. is it the price or the facilities which we are improving with the fanzone. This is a great information gathering opportunity. Make sure people have pencils to use and put the paper back in a box. I know this issue has been discussed but it must not be allowed to simply drop of the agenda.

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Apart from it not being very practical, you'd be preaching to the converted handing a questionnaire out to people going into a game - they're mostly the ones who are there rain, hail or shine.
I thought the gate was quite decent given it was the week after Christmas/New Year - really didn't think there's be more than 1400, it just wasn't a very attractive fixture even if it was round 3 of the FA cup, I only made my mind up on the day to go & I'm so glad I did or I'd have kicked myself given the atmosphere & of course the result, not to mention one of the best goals scored in the whole competition yesterday

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The sad reality is that we could barely fill the ground even for a 'local derby' cup game against Premiership Burnley earlier this season.
Truth is, more Stanley (so-called) fans would travel to an away fixture against one of the big boys than would be bothered to attend a home game against the same team.

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Thats probably as bang on as yeh can get imho.;)

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No point debating whether £20 is too much. It's clearly a reasonable price for comparable entertainment and the club are not stupid - they want more fans but need to pay the wages.

Anyway, I really would prefer a good chance of getting through to the last 16 rather than drawing a big club but either way I will be delighted. Probably means I concur with whoever said any draw is a good un at this point.

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Not as a minimum price in the FA Cup it isn't, especially as most fans will be behind the goals and the facilities are not great. West Ham v Manchester City was £10/£15 behind the goals. Sunderland v Burnley was £10 a ticket.

Norwich fans protested at the £25 they were charged v Soton and lost half of their gate.

Stanley's cup pricing is economically myopic, as it won't attract new fans to grow the fan base. They should have learnt from the Burnley farce.

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seems silly to me, but then nowt shocks me wi yon lot running the show.

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What they did probably brought in as much gate money as charging a tenner with double the crowd but it's not just gate money that matters. If we want to build decent crowds then we have to attract people in the first place. Then there is the spin off of people spending money at the game on food, drink, programmes, merchandise etc

One thing that may also hit crowds in general is the fact that we have been in this league so long that it's the same old teams we are playing so neutrals don't have the same attraction of watching somebody different so other ways of attracting pople are required.

I gave it a miss yesterday for various reasons including that I wasn't going to pay £20 to watch Luton again. Instead I went to the Sunderland v Burnley game at the stadium of light partly because It was a new ground, it was a tenner to watch two almost full strength Premiership teams, It cost about half as much as getting to Accy and was easier to get to and I knew there was no chance of it being called off.

On the whole it was a decent game for 0-0 and a good day out to somewhere different. Would I go there again next year under the same circumstances? Probably not because now I've been and the novelty has worn off. That's what we need to avoid at Accy when trying to get more people in.

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The club have got to be realistic. The town of Accrington is dying a slow death and local people are strapped for cash.
You only have to watch televised FA Cup games to see that even non-league teams have better stadia than us.
It's commonly accepted that visiting supporters view our ground as a right s***hole, and who can blame them?
Uncovered terracing open to hail, rain & snow, with only a small basic covered area, aptly described as the 'cowshed'.
Never mind electric scoreboards, I submit that it should be a priority to improve the facilities for away fans, starting with a roof over the Coppice end.
After all, we need as many away fans to attend as much as we need our own.

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The owners more or less have a duty to make the club a success for the town. That means pricing wisely based on being able to pay wages. It's a shame, but it has to be run as a business.

Pricing is more than fair. prices for a season ticket are £200. That's unbelievable value. (How much do Take That charge to watch 90 mins of **** singing. £60? They sell out the Ethiad night after night).

Come on - no point comparing the Luton game with a tenner for, say, Sunderland/Burnley (reserves) - that was more or less meaningless cup match - this was an historic game. How often have we been in round 4? Crewe away, County away - pretty sure we shelled out more than £20 for them.

Drop the prices too much, too often and expectations are reset. Harder to raise them again. And if it has no long term effect then it's counterproductive. How much did the gates swell by when prices were slashed to £15 last Xmas? I don't believe it made any difference did it ?

Stanley invite kids in, there's lots of the usual concessions. I just cannot see in any way whatsoever that they can be accused of stupidity or ripping fans off. Yes, getting the average attendance to rise is a conundrum but I think it's pretty clear from all clubs that the best way to do this is through success on the pitch? It dwarfs all else.

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Lord Stiffupperlip - is Burnley thriving economically compared to Accrington? (I don't know the answer but suspect not much difference?) they don't have a problem getting fans...but they did in the 80s.

Ground improvements are being made: fanzone, new seats, better clubhouse and bogs and a big screen in the offing. Imagine seeing Sean's wonder goal on it. I bet even the freezing Luton fans would have liked that.

I've nowt but admiration for Andy Holt - things are going in the right direction and that's not always a given in football.

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But the poor away facilities also work in our favour, we don't want thier fans to be comfy as they can help give the away team a boost, we need it to be as bad as we can legally get it for away fans

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Away fans reading their forums come to stanley (1) cos its a new ground, then reading the forums, when weathers bad seems the die hards come, others give us a miss when they have been before, that says to anyone reading em our facilities for em aint the best, which we all know is fact, its common sense to me to improve facilities cos with 1200 or so home fans regular we sure as hell need Away support?

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That's a bit short sighted IMHO.
How many away fans decide not to bother forking out on travel expenses, admission prices etc. because they know they're going to get soaked to the skin or frozen to death at the Wham?
We're talking about the type of basic standards available to all fans, even those in non-league.
Put it this way, there's no way I'd spend 90 minutes supporting Stanley in mid winter if the Clayton end had no roof.

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nail on the head.

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We haven't always had the luxury of a roof on the Clayton End, in fact it's relatively recent & plenty of us saw the games through frozen to the marrow - it's just how it was

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4th round will be played 28th Jan meaning our away match with Morecambe will be moved to midweek

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Yeh and some owd farts were getting to the stage were they weren't going to come if the weather was real bad, the roof came at a damn good time in my view. yeh can tolerate crap much better when yer younger.;)

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Lord D. The entire East Lancs area is economically depressed, but comparing Burnley to Stanley is rather unfair.
If Stanley had Chelsea, Man U & Arsenal visiting the Wham, the ground would be full.
Of course, the improvements made by Andy Holt for home fans have been much needed & appreciated, particularly the Clayton end fanzone.
However, facilities for away fans are well below football league standards.
I know we survive on a shoestring budget, but it annoys me when we prioritise flashy electronic scoreboards before basic facilities every fan deserves. And that must include away fans.

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Some of us dos support Stanley in winter with no roof on clay ton end and I still would whatever the conditions I'll support my team, it could be a mound of manure i would still stand there and support them

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And that tells me yer young n stupid, like i once was.:rolleyes:

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That's the only downside to getting through - had looked up train times & planned the journey, was really looking forward to a good day out at the seaside with some football thrown in for good measure - it'd better be a damn good draw to make up for having to visit the Globe on a Tuesday night :rolleyes::)

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and I will damn well miss it, I away on holiday returning 30th.******

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I'm lucky goin away Feb 2nd:)

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The price alone is not the issue, the away end facilities are awful. We should have a sound base of 2000+ for the length of time we have been in the league. I am delighted we have got through to the next round and hopefully, our league form will pick up. Last season we did not fill the stadium at any point despite the club saying it was sold out at certain games. There were plenty of gaps to be seen. However, we can't keep going over the same old ground. The only language the club understands is low crowds and then it is why is this happening. The idea of handing out questionnaires is that you will reach people who may not make the effort other times. Failing that try using the power of social media. We all know our club could not have survived without Andy Holt stepping in. The club started to progress last season and we all know what has happened this season. I used to follow Stanley home and away but not now. if the facilities are as bad as we have then I would not go. If a club want's my money then they have to make it good value in return. Stanley at this point are doing some things like the fanzone quite well but an ariel view of the ground shows where we are lacking. A good cup run would do a great deal to put this club on the right path to division one. If we can't achieve division one status by the end of next season then we will always be also rans. We have to progress on all fronts and there is little or no reason why we can't.

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If we ever get outa the bottom tier it will create History, NEVER in Stanleys lifetime as a founding club have we been outa it, hope we can achieve but not holding me breath,:)

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Cashy, let's face it! It's a bleedin miracle our little club is still playing league football, considering all the problems we have to contend with.
That's what so marvellous about the FA Cup. For once we can dream the dream. To reach round 4 is something we can all celebrate and I intend to celebrate with Holly Willoughby when we meet at Old Trafford.
:D:D:D

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I have always looked at it like that, how the hell we survive defies logic to me.:confused:

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That is the point Cashy, People look at us as a second rate fourth tier club. We need an image makeover. I have said this for quite some time. Where are the brains that be who could develop the image. Oh maybe trying to make the scanners work, They didn't have much luck with the tannoy speakers in the main stand. but small details.

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meanwhile I pray for a draw , then I can go to the rematch

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While we all know our facilities for away fans aren't great but I've been to worse grounds & I definitely wouldn't not go to an away game because I might be a bit uncomfortable for 90 minutes - I go to support my team, end of! If I wanted comfort I'd stay in or go to the pub.

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We're a football league team. I'd like to know which ground in the football league, including the Vanarama National League, is worse than ours for away fans?
Also, we are talking mainly above southern softies who have to make long journeys to support their team at the Wham.
If we were playing Bury or Rochdale, nobody would give a damn.
If we can't afford a roof, perhaps we should 'hire' umbrella's.

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Fans look at the Gene Kelly and the forecast and the away turn-out suffers like yesterday compared to the previous August game.

I have not been to any worse than Stanley that are in league 2 now, pound for pound Pompey is a shocker but it still has a roof. As Stanley are more reliant than any other league club on away fans there should at least be a roof they can all fit under.

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I certainly aint been to any ground worse than ours in league2. so would love to know were they are? have been to worse pre-season, but they sure aint league grounds.

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Ok, for one I know York are now in the conference but were up until last season in League 2 & their away terrace is open to the elements & don't even get me started on their toilet facilities! Stockport were in the league with us not that long ago, they also have no cover over the away end

P.s. - forgot Exeter, open terrace :)

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barrow, is very dire for away fans

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The simple point is this. If I knew a ground was open to the elements then I would look at the forecast and make a decision. It is a choice. But we need to entice customers to the wham and then convert them to fans. I believe that Wycombe actually charge away fans extra to go undercover in bad weather, I would simply not go to Wycombe. The question still remains as to what more can we do at Stanley to build up our support base.

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I know we now have excellent toilet facilities behind the Clayton end, but aren't the away fans still having to use Portaloos at the Coppice end?

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No idea but even Portaloos would be a big step up from the facilities at York, believe me - makes me shudder to think of them, never stopped me going to KitKat Crescent though (they just stopped me going AT KitKat Crescent) sorry, too much information :o

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there are half a dozen different tangents being gone off onto within this thread but this post needs picking up on Chris. For one thing we absolutely are a 2nd rate 4th tier club and we thank our lucky stars for it. That's not being defeatist but its celebrating the fact that a few generous people have ploughed their small fortunes into keeping our club going. Even if we doubled our home crowds we would still be the poorest club in the division. Practically every club in the division has double our crowd and practically every club has a stadium that earns income from avenues other than the gate money and FL money

1 Portsmouth 16,682
2 Plymouth Argyle 8,988
3 Luton Town 8,047
4 Doncaster Rovers 5,412
5 Grimsby Town 5,320
6 Carlisle United 5,178
7 Notts County 4,663
8 Cambridge United 4,621
9 Leyton Orient 4,506
10 Crewe Alexandra 3,905
11 Exeter City 3,886
12 Yeovil Town 3,667
13 Colchester United 3,662
14 Hartlepool United 3,535
15 Blackpool 3,513
16 Wycombe Wanderers 3,420
17 Mansfield Town 3,369
18 Cheltenham Town 3,196
19 Stevenage 2,719
20 Newport County 2,596
21 Crawley Town 2,243
22 Barnet 1,982
23 Morecambe 1,833
24 Accrington Stanley 1,721

~You wrote in your post "where are the brains that be that can develop the image" and it was written in a sarcastic manner. I find that highly insulting to the present Chairman who is trying his damndest to make the club self sufficient. I know you took umbrage at his right hand man over the disable concessions, and that's another discussion entirely. The fact remains that we have a skeleton staff doing their utmost to develop the stadium into something remotely resembling a FL stadium.

Another post mentions the away end and the appalling facilities. Quite correct to mention it, but until we have hundreds of thousands of pounds to spend then it just sits on the list of things to do.

Andy Holt stated that the first lot of ground work HAD to go on the Clayton End and upgrading the facilities for those that may come back. TICK

He has stated that the next lot of ground work will be done this summer on redeveloping the main stand concourse. Quite what this entails is anybodies guess but I would imagine something very similar to the Clayton End. Remedial work has been done in clearing the car park and additional land to make space, and also in securing the alternative shop and office facilities to the rear of the clayton end car park. So half a TICK

It is also blatantly obvious that work has been ongoing in tidying up the Accy Endm, maybe in readiness for some work?

We have also got the Whinney Hill side ready for work to begin. Groundwork is done, plans drawn up and permissions granted. This work WOULD HAVE been done had we got promotion last season, but in not doing there was little point.

A lot of the little quibbles we have here and there are just that, little quibbles. Hopefully it means that any problems are ironed out in readiness for some sort of bigger push off the field.

The Clayton End development means that particular stand is now earning money for the first time ever. They would love the other stands to join in but we/they have to walk before they can run.

Had one of our long standing fans come in with a Euromillions jackpot behind them I'm quite sure we'd have footed the bill all in one fell swoop and the ground would be running tickety boo by now. But that didnt happen and AH has come in with finite funds that he is trying to stretch as far as possible.

It was little over 12 months ago that he took over and we have moved on immeasurably since then, but when he first sat in the Big Chair he had a 3rd tie against Man Utd to look forward to and 2 big assets in Josh and Crooksy. The money earned from those three things was earmarked to do the things that we all want doing - but never came.

I love a moan when things are hitting the fan, but for now let's just trust the big mans plan and let it pan out. My biggest criticism so far would be the failure to announce what the plan is. Firstly it helps to build hype and secure the fans belief that all is good, but secondly it helps to head off unnecessary criticism as we can see that we are heading towards the things we are complaining about.

We all know that kids are the future, and so does Andy. IF we knew that a family stand was being built on the Whinney Hill side then we'd knock off the comments as we would know it was all in hand

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:) Man Utd away will do on a sunday afternoon in front of the tv camaras :)

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Comparing us to York and Stockport is valid - look where they are now.

The fact Stanley are not looking for other income streams and have the lowest crowds after 11 years in the league isn't an excuse, it is a manifestation of missed opportunities and amateur running of the club.

Agreed that it is a vicious circle, clubs with less fans find it harder to make the improvements to attract more fans, but it seems this is slowly happening now and the future could be brighter if we stay up.

The win over Luton provides a big chance to turn the season around with more money for a few decent loan players. I hope it is a fork in the road in the history of the club.

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I very much doubt that any money made on fa cup at the mo will go on loan players .Mr Holt stated before that any money made would be put in to ground improvements. I thought this thread was about the 4th rd any way !!

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I agree with macca always enjoy reading his long posts on subjects, speaks the truth and like what he says. I just thank Andy holt for coming in and getting the club running the way we have all wanted it to run for a long time, I have every faith that he will. Not everyone agrees with everything he does like the disable concession but you can't please everyone. I think with the subject on the crowd that boat sailed 11 years ago when we entered the FL we didn't jump fast enough with the crowds we was getting and it fizzled away until like the promotion run in, cup games. People say ticket prices too high etc. But we have tried giving free tickets away, cheap prices and we still couldn't fill the stadium. We are on the right path with Andy holt at the helm and coley and Jimmy. Keep the faith.

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Folks as good as all this stuff is; the thread title is the FA Cup.

I'm only closing so if required we can start one on the Wham Stadium.