Upton Park abused him, St. James’ Park was tough, but Aston Villa legend Gabby Agbonlahor ranks warlike St. Andrew’s as most hostile ground

English football hosts some of the sport’s largest and most iconic grounds, with passionate crowds backing their team across the country.

talkSPORT’s Gabby Agbonlahor made 391 appearances at Aston Villa, and was made to feel very uncomfortable in some of them when travelling with his boyhood club.

It comes with the territory as the ’12th man’ as fans are often referred to as, do everything they can to give their team an advantage.

Being a former Villa player, it may come as no surprise that St. Andrew’s ranks as Agbonlahor’s most hostile ground.

The Second City Derby between Villa and Birmingham City is one of the most vicious in the country, and Gabby told talkSPORT how his side certainly did not feel welcome on their visits.

“St. Andrew’s would be top for me because when you’re going there, it just felt like you’re on the side of town you shouldn’t be on. You’re at a stadium where even fans felt nervous going to, no one really wore a Villa top.

“Getting out of that ground was a bit dangerous getting back to the city centre. I just felt when I went there, the bus journey in you just felt like ‘this is a war, you’re going to war’. No other game felt like that.”

Agbonlahor also has the home of Premier League and European giants Liverpool in his list.

Top sides found it tough at the east London ground, and Agbonlahor has revealed how it was one of the toughest to go to.

“Fans on two of the sides were very close to the pitch. The West Ham crowd were very loud and abusive, to be fair though they didn’t take it over the line.

“Their abuse was what made you as a player want to score even more. I remember getting the winner there the last time Aston Villa won there at Upton Park and celebrating in front of their fans.”

Two other big grounds missed out on spots in his top three, but they earned special mentions from Agbonlahor.

He made only six trips to play Newcastle, but St. James’ Park is a ground that he reveals was ‘definitely hostile’.

“I just remember it being like a place like, when you come out of the tunnel and you look left, they’ve got that big stand.

“The away fans are up there so they’re not helping you, they’re up there in the sky, they’re not helping you. It felt like a hard place to go, Newcastle fans on side with their team and they made it very hostile.”

‘Can they do it on a wet and windy night in Stoke?’ is a popular question in football folklore, and Agbonlahor certainly found it tough on his trips to the then named Britannia Stadium.

“I remember playing Stoke sometimes and it was like there were blizzards every time we played Stoke.

“You always felt like Stoke away was like windy, cold, wet, Ryan Shawcross kicking you, Glen Whelan kicking you. It just felt like that horrible, horrible game where you just think to yourself, ‘we can get a draw out of here’.”

Other fanbases may claim that they produce the most warlike atmospheres, but Gabby has named his clear top three.

Ranked: Gabby’s top three most hostile grounds

1. St. Andrew’s – Birmingham City

“Number one, St. Andrew’s for me. Sometimes as a young player it wasn’t a game that was for you.

“You could be a young player whose played three, four, five, six, seven games, this game was like, ‘guys, you’re ready for war’.”

2. Anfield – Liverpool

“Number two, I’d probably go Anfield. That was very hostile.

“Obviously when I fell over into the stands, the guy taking the photo, I was in need of medical attention and he was taking photos!”

3. Upton Park – West Ham

“Number three, Upton Park. It was a hostile game, you knew when you were going to Upton Park that this was a hostile ground.

“I don’t think the London Stadium now is as hostile as Upton Park was. Playing at Upton Park for me was one of the hardest places to go.”