THE REDEVELOPMENT OF Ashton Gate has been a project in the pipeline for some time and Bristol City fan Ben Swift would be forgiven for wishing the construction work continues for a while yet.
That’s because the destruction of the ground’s East Stand in the summer has given him a perfect view of the pitch from the roof of his garden shed.
With the help of a stepladder, Swift has been able to watch all the club’s home games from the comfort of his own back garden, free of charge.
Swift is already achieving cult status, nicknaming himself as the Eastend Shedman.
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The sales manager has been supporting The Robins since the 1980s and attended all of their home games (properly) until the first stage of the club’s multi-million pound redevelopment began in June.
“It was when they were first demolishing it and I thought: ‘If that’s going to down to ground zero, I’m going to get a good view of this,’” he told the BBC.
“I realised from July that I could do it and I thought it might be fun to watch a few games from the bottom of my garden.
“My first game was at night and I think people noticed me because the light was reflecting off my beer can,” he joked. “A small group of people spotted me and it’s built from there.”
“The volume of noise you hear is incredible. You can hear each individual stand. I guess if you’re sat in the stands, the noise just cancels out from the other stands. But being by yourself you get the full volume from every single direction.”
It’s not going to last for much longer, however.
Swift gives regular updates on the ground’s redevelopment on Twitter and as the new East Stand begins to take shape, his view will be blocked sooner rather than later.
However, the club have, rather commendably, offered Swift a ticket for all home games for the remainder of the season.
