THE Reebok has been voted the best new stadium in Britain.

Wanderers' magnificent £35 million show home is tipped to win a succession of design and architectural awards.

But the first national recognition of the ground's splendour and facilities comes in an annual poll of football fans.

The impressive Reebok - in the planning for a decade and built in just 11 months - edged Derby's Pride Park into second place in a survey of 100,000 readers of Match Magazine, the top football weekly.

Glasgow's Celtic Park, Sunderland's Stadium of Light and Stoke's Britannia trailed well behind.

The Reebok gained 33 per cent of the votes against 32 for Pride Park. Celtic were third with 18 pc, Sunderland fourth with 14 pc and Stoke polled just 1 pc.

Results of the Match poll will be published in the December 30 issue but Wanderers have already been told they have topped the charts.

"We're thrilled and excited," was the reaction of chief executive Des McBain.

"We set out to design a stadium with supporters in mind as well as providing the town with a facility of which it could be rightly proud. That was why our directors and officials visited grounds all over Europe in an attempt to clone the best features and designs to incorporate into our plans.

"It seems to have paid off."

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