PHOTO: Peanut04 / Wikipedia

Mansfield Town will enjoy trips to many different stadiums this season, all of a varying standard and with different experiences for Stags’ fans to enjoy.

They’ll be visiting new grounds such as Moor Lane, Salford. There will also be trips to local grounds which have become familiar over the years; Glanford Park and Blundell Park of Scunthorpe and Grimsby both instantly recognisable.

So we’ve put together a list of the four best grounds that they will visit this season.

Credit – David Ingham

Valley Parade – Bradford City

Arguably the best stadium in the division, Valley Parade has hosted Premier League football and is well-equipped to do so again, should the opportunity ever arise.

Its 25,000 capacity is far in excess of the other grounds in this division, with an average attendance of around 14,000 so far this season. Bantams manager Gary Bowyer recently told the Telegraph and Argus he feels the ground is too big for some referees to cope with.

In terms of grandeur, this is surely the best venue the Stags will visit. It’s the sort of stage pre-season opponents Nottingham Forest and Blackburn are more accustomed to performing on.

Credit – Wikipedia

The New Lawn – Forest Green Rovers

Forest Green are known as ‘the little club on the hill’, but they’re far more than just that.

A feature by Coral on football clubs who are currently breaking the mould, detail how Forest Green became the world’s first vegan football club in 2010. This change in ethos seems to have worked as in 2017 they were promoted to League Two.

Their ground might not be the biggest, but it’s carbon neutral. They have an organic pitch, solar panels in the stands and only serve vegan food to supporters.

Credit – Wikipedia / Chris Eason

Brisbane Road – Leyton Orient

Brisbane Road might not be the largest stadium the Stags will visit, it might not be the newest, but it is steeped in history, nonetheless.

An article on the East London Advertiser explains how it opened its doors this summer for fans to leave tributes to manager Justin Edinburgh, who sadly passed away after guiding his side out of the National League.

Since 1937 it’s been the home to Orient but since 2007 it’s also played host to Tottenham Hotspur Reserves. The likes of Harry Winks and Harry Kane have played at this ground, making it relatively unique.

Credit – Wikipedia / Paul Farmer

Colchester Community Stadium – Colchester United

Colchester left their old Layer Road ground in 2008, moving into the new Colchester Community Stadium. The old ground had been mainly made from timber and following the ‘Bradford Fire’ in 1985 the club identified a need to relocate.

It is unique in that it’s played host to England Under-21 matches, as well as some Under-19 internationals. It saw a hattrick by current England international Marcus Rashford as the Under-21 side beat Norway in 2016, and it won an RICS award in 2009 for the benefits it has had within the community.

These days it only plays host to Colchester United matches and has a capacity of 10,105. The record attendance came in 2010 when the club played Norwich City, with 10,064 fans watching the game.