Cardiff returned to the Ricoh Arena last night and the contrast between the two trips couldn't have been much more marked for City fans. After consultations between the South Wales Police, the West Midlands Police and the two clubs, it was decided that the fixture should be a steward-only, police-free game. There was no rendezvous point for coaches and no police presence inside or outside the ground. There were plenty of stewards, but the police were nowhere to be seen.
Last night's match was the first time in many years (if ever) that a Cardiff City away game has been police-free, and I'm pleased to say it appears to have passed without incident.
I travelled up to Coventry on Tony Jeffries' coach. Fans of both teams were mixing in the pub we stopped at before the game without any problems. We walked from there to the ground with a group of Coventry supporters and there was no sign of trouble anywhere en route. There was also no hint of any problems at the stadium before, during or after the game, so all the indications are that the police-free experiment was a success.
I'm reliably informed that there were eight police-free games at the Cardiff City Stadium last season, and a total of nine are planned for this season. Apparently, the only police-free games ever staged at Ninian Park were minor fixtures in the early rounds of the Carling Cup, so that gives an indication of how the times are changing.
The fact that we've now had a police-free away game is a huge step forward in my opinion, and such an event taking place at a venue where we were subjected to a voucher exchange in 2006 gives a clear indication of how far our support has come in a relatively short space of time.