Football fans from up and down the country have ranked Sheffield United's Bramall Lane among the best.

The Blades are rightly proud of their home stadium and it has numerous 'firsts' attached to it.

Apart from being the oldest professional football ground in the world, it was also the first stadium to host a floodlit football match and the scene of the first Premier League goal. However, it has also hosted Ashes test cricket and FA Cup finals.

In terms of a sporting venue, there is no denying it's place in world football.

John Garrett, of Sheffield United's Legends of the Lane, explains how the stadium came to be so popular.

"Bramall Lane was never an afterthought, it was always designed to be a major sporting stadium," he said.

“The football club was only ever put together to be a major football club.

"It was the first self-enclosed sporting ground in the country. By 1862 there was a 10ft boundary wall around the perimeter. No other club thought of doing that.

“It was the first all-concrete football stadium and the first stadium to have pneumatic turnstiles.

"So there’s a natural progression here. They realised that if they had a boundary around it and put these turnstiles in, they can charge people for coming in.

"Then it becomes the first sporting enclosure to have refreshment booths, so some bright spark has realised you have got all these punters coming in to watch cricket, football, athletics etc and if you sell them food and drink while they are in then you can make more money.

"The John Street stand was the third stand to be built at Bramall Lane but the first outside of Glasgow to be commissioned by the firm Leitch and Davies.

"“Now, if you get a Leitch and Davies stand these days it’s a listed building. Archibald Leitch is regarded as the Godfather of modern football stadiums.

“So this gives you an example of the size of Bramall Lane and its importance.

"In 1900 Sheffield United go to Leitch, who has built Hampden Park, Ibrox and Celtic Park and they say to him we want the absolute Dog’s ******** of a stand at this football ground.

"We want to make a statement about what this club is all about. When that stand eventually opened in 1901 it was the absolute last name in everything football has to offer.

"Every club in the country came to visit Bramall Lane to see what Sheffield United were doing. It was that important.

"It was world-changing. Never accept that this club was an after-thought. We didn’t move here just because it was a field. It was all planned."

But while Sheffield United fans know how special Bramall Lane is, what do fans of other clubs think?

This week, popular social media page Football Away Days @footyawayday is running a series on each ground and the huge response to their post about Sheffield United revealed just how highly regarded Bramall Lane is by those outside of S2.

Its post read: "Today’s ground is Bramall Lane, home of @ SheffieldUnited . How do you rate it as an away day? Pubs, ease to get to, atmosphere, the football, anything. Comment your best/worst experiences at this ground.

And the replies were overwhelming.

Stephen @st3phensays: "Great away day. One of the best around. Proper stadium. Loads of boozers and the train station nearby."

DanielD: "Easy walk from the station, couple of away friendly pubs. Old school ground. Decent day out."

Sharon Jackson: "Nice ground, decent atmosphere apart from very annoying home fans constantly goading away fans not even watching game. And not a good selection of pies."

Stuart Cole: "Always a great away day, real fans, before and after the game... just a shame we don't get upstairs anymore as view not great downstairs."

Jimmy The Northumbrian Mag said: "Canny away section, good atmosphere."

Stephen Johnson: "Most away fans love it, city centre ground 10 minutes from train station. I just love it every other Saturday."

Paul @ptwfc said: "May 1981, we (Walsall) needed a win to stay up and send Sheff Utd down. Draw good enough for them. 10 mins to go we go 1-0 up through a pen. Last minute, Sheff Utd get a pen. Don Givens meekly strikes it, saved, full-time we stay up, they go down then absolute pandemonium."

Peter J Whalen: "Decent ground. Won there 1-0 in the Carabao Cup, a screamer from Max Power. Some decent pubs as well. Probably my best away day to date."