There are contrasting fortunes for Charlton and Millwall in a survey to discover which Championship ground offers the best facilities.
BuildingMaterials.co.uk collaborated with ToThe92.co.uk to look at the state of the 24 grounds in English football’s second tier.
And just like matters on the field, it is the Addicks who find themselves respectfully in the top half of the table while the Lions struggle in the bottom three.
The findings were based on a number of factors which enhance the matchday experience who sells the best pies, how long it takes to get from the gate to the boozer, which has the best leg room and views and which offers the best facilities for the disabled.
Charlton placed eighth overall with Millwall 22nd.
A spokesman said: “We found The Valley to be one of our favourite grounds - it’s been modernised in recent times but it’s situated right in the middle of a housing estate and if you drove up and down a number of the ladder roads close by you'd still have no idea it was there.
“The stadium is overlooked by a block of flats beyond the South Stand and it’s not uncommon to see fans out on their balconies watching most of the game for nothing and others hanging flags from their balconies in support of other teams.
“Outside the ground there is a statue of Charlton's legendary former goalkeeper Sam Bartram.
“All of the stands have reasonable leg room and facilities.
“Food outlets are good whilst the only stand in the ground with supporting pillars is given over to the away fans behind one of the goals.”
Although BuildingMaterials.co.uk and ToThe92.co.uk were generally positive about The Den, it wasn’t enough to lift the ground out of the relegation zone.
The spokesman explained: “We rated The Den stadium as the 22nd best stadium in the Championship.
“The Lions’ Den is one of the very first new builds – in fact, it was the first new major football ground to be constructed in London since before the Second World War.
“It has two tiers all the way round but still a gap on each corner that allows atmosphere to be lost to the winds.
“Facilities are very good however and toilets are more than capable of handling the through traffic of a match day.
“Leg room is fine for someone over 6ft, so should be fine for everyone else and the views are unobstructed from all areas without a single supporting pillar in the whole ground.
“Transport-wise, there’s an overground stop close by and the buses run frequently past the ground.
“It’s minimal in the way of parking, however.
“Although it was one of the earliest rebuilds dating back to the early 1990's, it still looks and feels very modern.”
Full table
1) Derby County - iPro Stadium
2) Rotherham United - New York Stadium
3) Brighton and Hove Albion - American Express Stadium
4) Watford - Vicarage Road
5) Middlesbrough - Riverside Stadium
6) Reading - Madejski Stadium
7) Cardiff City - Cardiff City Stadium
8) Charlton Athletic - The Valley
9) Leeds United - Elland Road
10) Wolverhampton Wanderers – Molineux
11) Nottingham Forest - The City Ground
12) Fulham - Craven Cottage
13) Bournemouth - Dean Court
14) Norwich City - Carrow Road
15) Birmingham City - St Andrews
16) Blackburn Rovers - Ewood Park
17) Bolton Wanderers - Macron Stadium
18) Blackpool - Bloomfield Road
19) Huddersfield Town - John Smith's Stadium
20) Ipswich Town - Portman Road
21) Sheffield Wednesday - Hillsborough
22) - Millwall - The Den
23) Brentford - Griffin Park
24) Wigan Athletic - DW Stadium
What do you make of the survey? Leave your comments below.Â
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