How Did We Score Each Ground?
Raith Rovers F.C. – Starks Park
Total: 27
Meal 4/5
A 3 course from The Dean Park, possibly soup, a good portion of steak pie and a nice dessert.
Hosting 5/5
Excellent hosting from Graeme. From his emails beforehand, to greeting us at the stadium, regular check ins and constant enthusiasm, he was a top host. Staff in the lounge also very friendly and chatty.
Entertainment 3/5
A good pre match chat from Gordon Dalziel and a post-match Q&A with the captain and man of the match but other than the 50/50 draw no other entertainment.
Seating 3/5
Not much you can say about a plastic seat. No back on it but at least it wasn’t the wooden bench like some of the stand has. Decent enough view.
Half Time refreshments 4/5
A choice of macaroni or steak pie as well as several Raith Rovers empire biscuits. Choice of coffee or tea.
Drinks 3/5
A few bottles of beer in the middle of the table as well as wine. Spirits and other beers on request.
Value for money 5/5
Great hosting, free flowing drink and quality of food was good. A ‘hot off the press’ team sheet and programme also provided.
Dunfermline F.C. – East End Park
Total: 18
Hosting 1/5
That’s for the man at the door who smiled and marked off our name.
Entertainment 2/5
A generous score for the 50/50 draw
Meal 3/5
Very similar to Starks Park, 3 course pub grub.
Seating 3/5
Similar set up to Raith. Standard seats in an old stand
Half time refreshment 4/5
Highlight of the evening, A really good steak pie
Drinks 3/5
Asked for a drink and you got it. Not too pricey
Value for Money 2/5
If we had paid for this, I’d no be happy!
Dunfermline F.C. – East End Park #2
Total: 24
Hosting 3
Previous score was a 1. Nobody seemed to talk to us at all. Tonight, the host talked the room through the evening, spoke with us at the table and sold the half time 50/50 tickets. He also interviewed a current Dunfermline player as well as former player of both clubs, Joe Cardle prior to the match. Nice, friendly host and a step up from the non-existent host of 2 years ago. Although he wasn’t hosting, we also had a visit from Mr Dunfermline, Jim Leishman, who welcomed us to the ground.
Entertainment 3
A low 2 from season 24/25. This time around, we had two player interviews pre match as well as a raffle and the standard 50/50 halftime draw. Live football was also on the TVs. On our last visit, the 2 seemed generous as the 50/50 draw was the only entertainment and the club was slated for no question and answer session before hand. We turned up at 5:20 this time round and caught the last question of an interview with a current player. Previously we turned up at 5:45. Turns out that if you’re not seated sharpish by 5:00, chances are you won’t witness any question and answer session at all. My bad! Team sheet supplied which is always handy. The entertainment this time round, seemed even sweeter with my brother in laws mate, claiming the £700 50/50 prize money and I can confirm it was wired into his account on the Monday.
Meal 4
Last visit, I called the food a 3-course meal of pub grub. This time, the menu read like a Michelin Star restaurant but to help, I’ll translate into pub grub terms.
Pea and chorizo velouté with a selection of house breads = Pea and ham soup and different bread rolls.
Braised beef blade, smoked mash potatoes, roasted roots & bone marrow jus = beef, mashed potato and carrots with gravy.
White chocolate and berry panna cotta = there’s no way of translating white chocolate and berry panna cotta but it did come in an arsey wee jar that made it tricky to scoop out every last bit.
Food was great and only just missed out on a 5 with the silly wee dessert jar and the velouté which was nice but more of a soup than a velouté. Just saying!
Seating 4
I don’t know how we missed it before but the seats had padding on them. I don’t know if it was because we turned right this time instead of left but both the backing and the seat itself were slightly padded. Same pole as last time which was just blocking our view from a different angle than before.
Half time 4
Same as last time. The steak pie didn’t seem as memorable but still very good. Sausage rolls were also on offer along with tea and coffee if needed. Before kick-off we were able to put an order in for an alcoholic beverage so a beer Moretti, pint of Guinness and a morgans and coke along with a soda and lime was waiting for us. The only problem is you only have 15 minutes to drink it, factor in a trip to the toilet and the time to walk up and down to your seat, you’re talking a quick 6-minute drink!
Drinks 3
Plenty of selection when it comes to the drinks. A full bar and a range of beers to pick from. My father in-law was on the soft drinks and again plenty to pick from for that. Tea and coffee at half time was fine, just a standard tea and coffee.
Value for money 3
I feel this is a tough one to call as we don’t pay for hospitality at East End. I just ken a guy that kens a guy. £95 for the occasion but that doesn’t include drink. The 3-course meal was good and the service was better than our first experience. Although we had to pay for drink however, it was reasonably priced. I paid £20 for my share of the rounds and that was at least 4 drinks. You’d struggle to find cheaper in a pub in town.
Arbroath F.C – Gayfield Park Total: 26
Hosting 5/5
It would take a lot to top Raith’s Graeme but the hosting here was great. Personal welcomes for all that attended and good ‘banter’ and humour from Brian.
Entertainment 5/5
Top entertainment from start to finish, games for everyone, prizes, and a fun raffle. Player and manager interviews too.
Meal 3/5
A nice 3 course meal. Soup and what now seems like a standard steak pie. Dessert too
Seating 2/5
Not a great view and very cold plastic seats.
Half time refreshments 3/5
Standard pie and tea, not a patch on the Dunfermline steak pie but enough to keep us ticking over from the 3-course meal from earlier.
Drinks 4/5
Free flowing anything you want drinks and great service.
Value for money 4/5
Number of drinks and quality of food, along with entertainment and enjoyment of the whole day, definitely provided value for money. Team sheet and programme also provided.
Brechin City F.C. – Glebe Park
Total: 23
Hosting 4/5
Darren was a great host. Very welcoming from the start. Clearly made the effort to remember people’s names before they visited and referred to people who have attended before. Kept the day going before the walk to the stadium.
Entertainment 4/5
Raffles and heads or tails game were good at the hotel, but the live band was the highlight. This probably doesn’t happen every week, but the club did well to take advantage of the weather and set up the outside area for the post-match experience. Pre match interview with former player was also good.
Meal 3/5
2 courses were fine. Another steak pie, pretty much the same as every other stadium so far.
Seating 3/5
Standard plastic seat with a good view
Half time refreshment 2/5
Not great. We had to get people’s attention for the tea and coffee and only a few chocolate bars to choose from. Sandwiches had already been touched before we arrived.
Drinks 3/5
Drinks were readily available and free flowing. Wine also on the table. The cranberry juice mission and warm beer at full time, knocked it down a point.
Value for money 4/5
A good day, not too expensive
Montrose F.C. – Links Park
Total: 22
Hosting 4/5
Ross was great from start to finish. He’s firmly invested in Montrose Fc and seemed genuinely appreciative of everyone who was in the lounge. He made the effort to go round and check on everyone and had a charismatic style without being arrogant. Interviewed the guests well and made everyone feel welcome.
Entertainment 2/5
Other than the guess the nearest time to the first goal there was no other games. Three post-match speakers though.
Meal 2/5
Nice soup but a disappointing chicken and stuffing. Not sure I would have that with a Yorkshire pudding either. Stick with Steak Pie
Seating 4/5
Cushioned seats. Enough said!
Half time refreshments 3/5
The pies were nice but very small and only one each. Needed a bar of chocolate to keep us ticking over. Tea and coffee readily available.
Drinks 4/5
Wine on the table and every drink we asked for is available. First time I’ve been able to get a Bier Moretti which was much appreciated. Service was also quick.
Value for money 3/5
Tough one to call as we had a really good day but a low score for the food and entertainment. The lower of the prices so far though and still open bar for 2 hours before kick-off. Only half an hour bar after puts it down a little too. High score for the hosting though as Ross was really good. We also got our picture on the clubs’ social media.
Kelty Hearts F.C -New Central Park Total: 22
Hosting 4/5
Ian was great. Welcoming, friendly and attentive. He had a very light-hearted approach about the whole day and was very much just wanting everyone to be enjoying themselves and have a good time. He constantly came round having wee chats and offering banter. Staff at the bar and in and around the ground were also very friendly.
Entertainment 2/5
A low score for the entertainment. Compared to other grounds, where there have been games etc. The only thing on offer was the 50/50. Football was on the TV, pre and post-match though.
Meal 3/5
A good selection of food. Stovies didn’t look great but tasted ok and there were no complaints about the chilli or curry. Extras of pitta bread, cheese and nachos also helped. As many helpings as you can, meant you could really take advantage of the food if you wanted.
Seating 3/5
Standard plastic, foldy down seats but due to the front row being free, the leg room was outstanding.
Half time refreshments 2/5
This seems harsh as the pies are genuinely award winning but it was cold.
Drinks 4/5
A big selection of drinks and the Heverlee lager on draft was nice. Tony got his Malibu and coke without any issues and there were plenty of other spirits as well as wine on offer. When the tokens are done, the drink is also cheap.
Value for money 4/5
This is the cheapest hospitality yet and was good value for money. 4 drink tokens don’t seem much but there was a good selection of drink available and realistically you could eat until you burst. The set-up of football constantly on the telly was appealing. We were able to sit and watch the old firm game without struggling to get a seat like you would in a busy pub. Low scoring for the entertainment and half-time food but the general atmosphere in the lounge was brilliant. People were friendly and the whole day was very laid back. Great value for money and you know that the club benefit from the income.
Alloa F.C. – Recreation Park
Total: 26
Hosting 5/5
Best yet. From Jane’s pre-visit emails, to Chelsea and Lesley’s constant check-ins, the hosting was brilliant. The private room was a first and slightly surreal but added to the experience. Everyone was really friendly and the staff were helpful and chatty. Nobody walked past our room without checking we were ok. I feel without a doubt, Lesley would have sourced anything that we asked for on the day.
Entertainment 3/5
A low score for the entertainment. A raffle and standard 50/50 draw. Although Homes Under the Hammer was available along with a choice of FreeView channels, a bit of football or at least some kind of sport to choose from on our private TV would have been nice. Pre-match chat with the manager was good.
Meal 3/5
Basic but did the job. Lentil soup and a standard steak pie. Followed pie an apple pie (potentially shop bought) and ice cream.
Seating 2/5
Worse seats we’ve had. No backs on them and there was a giant pole blocking most of the view. Chose to stand in the terraces instead.
Half time refreshments 4/5
One of the best selections of half-time refreshments available. A choice of sausage rolls and pies along with ham, cheese and egg mayo sandwiches. Plenty to go around with some still left over even though they were shared between 6.
Drinks 4/5
A bucket of Peoni that seemed like it would never end and a full JD bottle popped into an optic. There was plenty of drink available. We were given a choice of a few different beers and pretty much any spirit available. Lots of soft drink in the 80s corner cabinet too.
Value for money 5/5
This has been our most enjoyable hospitality so far and definitely good value for money. As well as the great hosting from the friendly staff, the 3 course meal, the abundance of drink readily available and of course the table for 2 private dining, little touches like our name on the door, the Alloa napkins and free WIFI added to the experience. Alloa staff got the vibe perfectly right. Not too overly friendly but also not being too formal and treating you like a boardroom exec who has paid hundreds for their seat. Cheaper than Brechin and Arbroath and offered more.
