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Gresty Road
(Crewe Alexandra)
Address: Gresty Road,
Crewe,
Cheshire,
England,
CW2 6EB
Capacity: 10,153 (All-Seater)
There are nicely balanced football grounds, and then there is Gresty Road.
Three of the stands here are reasonably-sized and feel right being next to one another. The fourth stand, not so much.
Also known as the Alexandra Stadium or Mornflake Stadium, Gresty Road takes it name from the street that runs right outside its West Stand.
It was first built back in 1906, and has been the home of Crewe Alexandra Football Club ever since. Crewe originally played at the Alexandra Recreation Ground just north of the current site but moved out towards the end of the 1895-96 season.
The Railwayman played at a variety of venues both inside and near to Crewe before moving to the original Gresty Road in 1897. That ground was demolished in 1906 in order to allow railway lines to be built, and the current Gresty Road Stadium was built directly to the west of that old site.
Location and Getting There
The Stadium is well placed within Crewe, around one mile south of the Town Centre. There is a large industrial park east of the ground and on the other side of the very close-by railway tracks. One of Cheshire College’s Campuses is due west of the stadium, and the Crewe Heritage Centre is due north.
You can certainly get to Gresty Road by car and finding free parking spaces nearby isn’t too much of a challenge, but the stadium is so well placed next to the rail tracks that it would be hard to turn the opportunity down.
Crewe Station is just five minutes walk from Gresty Road, across the A534 bridge and down to the stadium’s northern side.
It’s a very conveniently placed station for those getting to the game close to kick-off or for those wanted to catch a train quickly after full time.
Outside the Ground
The most dominant side of Gresty Road is the Main Stand to the south, dwarfing the rest of the football ground. Its exterior uses a brickwork base with light grey corrugated iron higher up and cantilever coming down from the top.
At its easternmost end is the Family Lounge Entrance, followed by a turnstile block with a triangular roof. Turnstiles 18-22 are located here.
Turnstiles 14-17 are located further west along the Main Stand exterior, and further along from there is a tall glass porch which holds the Main Reception Entrance inside. Turnstiles 10-13 are towards the western end of the Main Stand.
The southwest corner of Gresty Road houses the Club Shop and Main Ticket Office. The Club Shop Entrance faces out to the south, the Main Ticket Office Entrance faces out to the west.
Two rows of private car parking spaces are immediately outside of the Main Stand. Beyond here is the Gresty Road Long Stay Car Park.
Continuing round in a clockwise direction brings you to the West Stand, known through sponsorship as the Rhino Safety Stand. It has otherwise been known however as the Gresty Road End.
Its simple brick and corrugated iron exterior is in line with the meeting point of Gresty Road and the B5071. Trees and bushes in turn affect how much of the stand's exterior that you are able to see.
At the stand's southern end is a narrow door which leads to an old programme and badge shop.
There is nothing of major note along the exterior of the Gresty Road End. To gain entrance inside, you will need to head to the stand's northern end and use Turnstiles 8-9, right by the road called Gresty Road.
The North Stand at Gresty Road is the superbly named Whitby Morrison Ice Cream Van Stand.
The majority of the stand is fenced off and accessible for those with the tickets in the North and East Stands. What you can freely reach however is the Alexandra Suite, a grey brick building next to Turnstiles 8-9 which has a small pay and display car park immediately in front of it. The Away Match Day Ticket Office is immediately to the left of the Alexandra Suite, and upon being let through past the Railwaymen Lounge & Bar, you can head to the northern turnstiles (2-7).
The East Stand is known through sponsorship as the Andrew Connolly Family Stand. It has also been known as the Railway End as the railway tracks pass by outside.
Because of its location right by the rail tracks, this is the one side of Gresty Road that you are not able to walk along the exterior of.
For fans based inside here, you will make use of Turnstile 1 at the northern end of the stand. Head up to the northern end of the ground, pass by the Alexandra Suite and Railwaymen Lounge & Bar, then pass by the away turnstiles until you reach the single turnstile down the end of the fenced access path.
Inside the Ground
The Main Stand completely towers over the rest of Gresty Road.
It is a single tier of red seating with its executive seating blocks down towards the front. Crewe’s changing rooms and tunnel are based in this stand, and the dugouts are right down at the front, made up of blue seating.
The cantilever roof above means that there are no supporting pillars coming down and so your view is fantastic from any seat.
Large windshields are in place but they only cover the top half of the seating area. There are just small walls in place to offer protection to the lower half of the stand.
The Gresty Road End is made up of a single tier of red seating.
The stand’s interior design is very good and practical, with no supporting pillars coming down from the roof and windshields covering every row of seats on either side.
The concourse holding refreshments is outside in the northwest corner though, and you will get wet waiting for food and drink here if it is raining during the match.
The Whitby Morrison Ice Cream Van Stand is made up of a single tier of red seating with the letters CAFC spelt out in black across the central blocks. The seating area is accessed from the back via the outer concourse. Gresty Road’s Stadium Control Box is at the back of this stand by the northwest corner, and there is an iron building on top of the roof that holds the matchday camera.
There are two red pillars coming down towards the centre of the stand and these will restrict your view if you behind him. A large supporting bar running across the ceiling can affect your upward view slightly if you are sat up at the back, but the view of the pitch is not affected by it. Generally, though, most of the seats in the Whitby Morrison Ice Cream Van Stand have a clear view, but there are no windshields for protection at either end.
The Railway End is also made up of a single tier of red seats and is a very similar height to the Gresty Road End opposite.
There are pillars coming down regularly from the roof, but they are at the back of each seating block and shouldn’t restrict your view of the action.
A brick building which holds some of the stand’s executive boxes acts as the windshield down in the southeast corner and there is a small iron windshield in place over by the northeast corner. Next to this is a large analogue clock which can be seen by most fans in the stadium.
Away Fans
Away fans are housed in the Whitby Morrison Ice Cream Van Stand.
Only a couple of blocks are used for small crowds, and the biggest crowds will take up every single seat in here.
They are already segregated from the rest of the stadium and most of them will have a very clear view of the action as there are only two pillars in the way.
It is very good sight when that stand is full to brim with away supporters, as it was for my first trip to Gresty Road when Oldham Athletic came to town.
Matchday Pubs
Pubs available to supporters on a matchday include:
-The Borough Arms (33 Earle Street, CW1 2BG) (Home and Away Supporters) (Located further north of Crewe Station than others)
-The Brocklebank Brewers Fayre (Weston Road, CW16FX) (Home and Away Supporters) (Located southeast of Crewe Station)
-The Cheshire Inn (37 Nantwich Road, CW2 6AF) (Popular with Away Supporters) (Located near to Crewe Station and Gresty Road itself)
-The Corner Bar (7 Nantwich Road, CW2 6AG) (Away Supporters Welcome) (Excellent Location near to Crewe Station and Gresty Road itself)
-The Royal Hotel (7 Nantwich Road, CW2 6AG) (Away Supporters Welcome) (Excellent Location near to Crewe Station and Gresty Road itself)
Overview
There really isn’t anything seriously wrong with Gresty Road. It is superbly placed within reach of the town’s main railway station, and the ground’s design is very practical on all four sides.
Its Main Stand is very impressive but does admittedly feel out of place when next to the other three sides.
Certainly worth coming to nonetheless.
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