Over the course of this season’s home fixtures there has been a recurring theme of away supporters throwing objects down to the home fans below. Now we are finally doing something to hopefully deter this troubling trend.
In a statement posted earlier today the club announced that they have made several changes that will come into effect for Saturday’s game against Cardiff. Now, all away fans will be subject to a search - something that I thought would have happened anyway, more stewards will be situated in the North Stand and the CCTV network will be enhanced.
Furthermore, the EFL have agreed that coins and vapes will no longer be permitted inside the away section of the North Stand. The vapes will be discarded meanwhile the coins will be donated to a charity of the away club’s choosing.
One of the most commonly requested change to the away section was to put a net up, and in their statement they addressed the netting proposals with this:
The introduction of netting was also discussed with Supporters’ Groups, but it was agreed that netting by itself would not prevent the full range of missiles that have been thrown this season.
We will therefore be launching an engagement programme in November to ensure we work hand-in-hand with supporters to identify the best possible long-term solutions to protect supporters.
This will consider all aspects of the stadium configuration, including away fan location and the family zone, and continue to explore the viability of the installation of protective netting.
