MATCH PROGRAMME

40 pages in full colour priced at £2. John Hartson montage on the front cover.

MATCH PROGRAMME

MATCH TICKET

MATCH PROGRAMME

40 pages in full colour priced at £2. Javier Sanchez Broto montage on the front cover.

MATCH PROGRAMME

MATCH TICKET

HOW OTHERS SEE US

The article below is taken from a Web site called "Grounds Tour". The authored by a guy called Steve that travels around every football ground in Britain reviewing the stadiums. The article describes Steve's visit to Rugby Park for the match against Celtic and the decider of the League Championship of 2002/03. Steve's description of his day at Rubgy Park is very interesting and although he offers an insightful view into how people outside of Scotland see the Celtic fans, he makes the mistake of thinking that the sectarian bigots at the match were wearing the green and white. As we all know, the bigots were wearing the blue and white and they were not cheering just as they would have if it had been Rangers they had witnessed losing the league. Anyway, we all know what the Kilmarnock fans are like so read on and see what you make of Steve's report.

Ground 94 - Rugby Park - 24/05/03 Kilmarnock v Celtic

"....the support of the 9000 Celtic fans was breathtaking. The sight of the Moffat and Chadwick Stands, packed with Celtic supporters, nearly all wearing their green and white shirts, will stay in my mind for a long time, as will the fan dressed as a green superhero!"

Although not the final match of the season that I would be attending, the trip to Kilmarnock's Rugby Park ground was significant in that it would be the last "new" stadium visited before the summer break. I'd initially planned to make a weekend of it in Scotland and visit either Hibernian or Motherwell on the Saturday, then Kilmarnock on the Sunday. However, with the matches at Easter Road and Fir Park both meaningless I decided to save those two grounds for next season when more was at stake and travelled down to Cardiff for the Third Division Play-Off Final between Bournemouth and Lincoln City. The following day I was up bright and early again, this time heading north for what promised to be an eventful experience; Rangers and Celtic were neck and neck in the race for the SPL title, with the same points and goal difference going into the final set of fixtures.

Travelling up the motorway there were no delays and I pulled off onto the A71 road leading to Kilmarnock. This was a single-lane road winding its way through countryside and villages and it took a while to travel the remaining 25 miles into Ayrshire. Once I'd reached Kilmarnock, I was just about convinced that I was lost when I caught sight of a sign directing pedestrians to the ground. A local confirmed that the stadium was just around the corner so I parked up in a small long-stay car park, free of charge because it was a Sunday.

It was around 1pm and small groups of Celtic fans were starting to make their way towards the ground. At last there was a hint of spring with warm, bright sunshine bringing a welcome change to the rain that had followed me around the country in recent weeks. As the ground came into view for the first time, I was a little surprised at the size and modern appearance of Rugby Park in the distance. Once outside the ground, gates in the corners between the stands allowed me to view the interior of the venue and once again I was taken aback by the large majestic stands, attractive in design and retaining a sense of character. I had been expecting to find a decent ground at Kilmarnock but not on the scale that the stadium presented itself.

There was a modern hotel next to the stadium, incorporating the club's restaurant, and this appeared to be packed with supporters. The arrival of the Celtic team coach caused a bit of commotion but calm was soon restored. Despite so much resting on the result of the afternoon's game, there was a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere around the stadium and little sign of tension. With the turnstiles opening around 1:45pm, it was possible to get a proper look at the interior of the ground.

When I'd booked my ticket for the game, I had asked for a seat with the home fans. When I received the ticket through the post, however, I noticed "Away Support Only" was printed on the bottom. As it turned out, I was sat with the Celtic supporters, in the West Stand, in a stand running the length of the pitch. Celtic had been allocated both ends of the ground and a small part of the West Stand. Although the West Stand was the only old stand at the stadium, it was in a reasonable condition and my seat was situated in front of the line of posts running the length of the stand. Although smaller than the other sides, there were still around 30 rows of seating, including a small enclosure to the front of the stand comprising six rows. I was on the back row of this front enclosure, very close to the Chadwick Stand, with my seat affording an excellent perspective on the stadium. The toilet facilities in the stand were reasonable, the catering outlets sold a good variety of excellent food at relatively cheap prices, whilst the leg room between the seats was very generous. The main section of the stand had old wooden flooring but the enclosure was concrete.

Opposite was the East stand, essentially an updated version of the West side. This stand did not quite run the full length of the pitch, stopping short of the Chadwick Stand. However, the vacant space had been filled with a line of flags that further added to the ground's excellent appearance. Like the West Stand, the East Stand had unusual clusters of floodlights protruding from its roof. This stand was also identifiable for the lettering "Kilmarnock FC" on the front of the roof and for the fact that it was the only part of the ground entirely allocated to home fans (although a fair number of Celtic fans had bought tickets for the bottom corner by the Moffat Stand). The stands behind either goal were practically identical, with both a good size and with a scoreboard attached to the roofs. The dark blue seats in these stands provided a good contrast to the lighter shade of blue seats in the East and West Stands. The panelling of the roofs in the Moffat and Chadwick Stands looked quite unusual and were another distinctive feature of the ground. Overall, I felt that whilst the stands were not exactly unique in their design, there was something about the ground - that unidentifiable something extra - which transformed it from a decent football venue to a breathtaking one. Few grounds that I have visited created such a positive first impression as Rugby Park.

The ground filled relatively slowly but once the Celtic players had come out to warm up, the noise levels around the stadium were raised. Kilmarnock's squirrel mascot and group of cheerleaders entertained the crowd before kick-off (and again at half time) as the Moffat and Chadwick Stands gradually became a sea of green and white. When I had seen Celtic at Celtic Park and Hampden Park earlier in the season, I had been left a little disappointed by the lack of atmosphere created by their supporters, mainly because of all the positive things that had been written about the club's fans in the past (sectarian issues aside). However, as the kick-off drew closer, at last I was able to see what all the hype was about. Celtic fans at either end of the ground and in part of the West Stand chanted their "If you know your history" song loudly, whilst the rendition of "You'll Never Walk Alone" shortly after the teams emerged was a special moment. Every Celtic fan in the ground was on their feet, thousands holding their green and white scarfs aloft, singing the club's famous anthem.

Whilst there were no goals early on at Rugby Park, news of a Dunfermline equalising goal at Ibrox brought great celebrations from the Celtic fans. As Rangers came back to establish a 3-1 lead, however, quiet fell over Rugby Park. The Kilmarnock fans in the East Stand were lifted by the Celtic supporters and celebrations broke out in the East Stand every time Rangers scored. The antics of the Kilmarnock fans weren't received very well by the Celtic supporters, but I was surprised that the Celtic fans seemed so taken aback by the celebrations of the Kilmarnock followers. I'd imagine that supporters of most teams in the position of Kilmarnock would have goaded the opposition that they were going to end the season winning nothing. Two Celtic goals before half-time lifted the atmosphere amongst the Celtic fans and this improved further as Celtic scored a penalty early in the second half. Delerium broke out amongst the away fans as Alan Thompson's penalty hit the back of the net. For a ten minute spell it looked like I would be witnessing championship celebrations at Rugby Park, but two more Rangers goals at Ibrox brought an eerie quiet to the stadium once again. When Celtic missed a late penalty the title seemed to have been lost and a late Rangers goal at Ibrox meant it was all over.

As Kilmarnock fans jumped around celebrating Rangers' sixth goal, the Celtic fans (many listening to the action at Ibrox on radios) reacted quite angrily. As the game entered stoppage time, however, the Celtic fans raised their voices in defiance, with another deafening rendition of "You'll Never Walk Alone", scarves aloft once more. The Celtic players received a standing ovation as they left the field. As the Kilmarnock fans headed for the exits, the Celtic supporters stayed in the ground, many quietly reflecting on the bitter disappointment that their side's 4-0 win had not been enough. Some fans, however, were clearly angry at Rangers' success and the hatred between the Old Firm sides and bigoted rivalry was all too apparent in the behaviour of a minority of Celtic followers. The mood outside the stadium had changed and Kilmarnock fans received verbal abuse as they walked away from the ground. When girls in their early teens are being targeted with shouts of various obscenities, it is worth remembering that football is after all only a game.

There was no traffic to contend with leaving the ground and I was able to make the journey back to North West England in good time. Whilst the day had been very enjoyable, there was a sense of disappointment that I hadn't been able to see Celtic triumph as I'm sure the scenes at the final whistle would have been memorable. There was also disappointment at the realisation that this would be the last ground I would be visiting for the first time for seven weeks or so. My travels would continue for a little while, however, with the Scottish Cup Final next on my itinerary. The friendly matches in July would bring the chance to make a first trip to a few lower league venues, such as Accrington Stanley and AFC Wimbledon, before I continued my tour of English and Scottish league clubs in August.

Overall, Rugby Park was a fantastic setting for the last visit of the 2002/03 season. The ground was attractive, charismatic, inspiring and imposing in equal measure. The Kilmarnock fans in the East Stand generated a good atmosphere whilst the support of the 9000 Celtic fans was breathtaking. With the game attracting comfortably Rugby Park's biggest crowd of the season, only a couple of thousand off triple the average league gate, I'm aware that I probably saw Rugby Park at its best, but I would certainly not hesitate about making a return trip in the future. The sight of the Moffat and Chadwick Stands, packed with Celtic supporters, nearly all wearing their green and white shirts, will stay in my mind for a long time, as will the fan dressed as a green superhero! There are so many memorable sights I have seen over the course of the season - mid-July and the resumption of the Grounds Tour can't come quickly enough!

You can visit Steve's Web site at this address http://www.groundstour.freeserve.co.uk/groundstour/kilmarnock.html.