SC Paderborn 3 FC St Pauli 0 - 2 Bundesliga

                                                                   
I haven't done this for a long time. Just found a random fixture to go to and well, went.

So I bought a ticket for this top of the 2 Bundesliga fixture. I had attended the previous fixture a few years ago, when Paderborn played in their dilapidated
Hermann-Löns-Stadion. But if I went into the tale of that particular day, well that would take an extra blog to explain it all. 

So it was off to the Benteler Arena, home of 3rd placed SC Paderborn 07. Opened in 2008 and with a contsruction cost of 25,000,000€, the Benteler Arena has a capacity of 15,300,  more than enough for the average crowd of 9,477.

Benteler Arena from the car park

 Let's not beat around the bush...I am no lover of the modern stadium. Yes, I know it makes the whole "football experience" a thousand times more pleasureable, but give me a crumbling terrace, or a pigeon poo stained seat in an aspestos roofed stand anyday. 

Having said that, Paderborn have got it right...almost!

The only gripe I have, is that there are no refreshments or toilet opportunities outside the ground.

 I popped into the club shop and picked up a programme. They were free. Not a bad start. A glossy 68 page affair with 28 pages of ads. But for the  grand price of zilch, I wasn't complaining.

Programme

 The ground is enclosed all the way round, with terracing at both ends. I was sat to the left of the home terracing. 

Home terrace (Finke fan terrace)

 On both sides there are seats running the whole length of the pitch

East Stand

 I was sat right at the front of the stand, next to a gangway, my preferred place, but there was ample legroom in front of me so I needn't have worried.

West stand

View of the North terrace

 One thing I also liked about the ground was that Paderborn had introduced this novel system to buying refreshments inside the ground. You went up to the counter, asked for whatever, and then handed over something called cash. If you didn't have the right money, don't worry, they gave you the balance in return, also in cash. None of this fuddy duddy old system increasingly favoured by other clubs, where you have to purchase a stadium card if you want a Mars Bar.

View from my seat

 Going into the game, Paderborn were in 3rd place in the league, whilst their opponents, St Pauli were in 4th. But Paderborn boasted two of the divisions top scorers in their ranks, namely Mahir Saglik (10) and Alban Meha (9). Add into the mix that St Pauli were the 2nd best away team in the division and I was looking foward to a humdinger.

Call the grammar police!

Paderborn play lovely free flowing football, and it really was a pleausre on the eye. A brace from Saglik, including this penalty...

...and another from Meha sealed a 3-0 win for the home side.