Leeds Utd: away supporters' guide
RTG’s totally and utterly (we hope) indispensable guide to this season’s away grounds.
THE OPPO – Leeds United FC
DATE – Wednesday 13 September
KO TIME – 7.45pm
THE GROUND – Elland Road, Leeds – click here and here for maps of the area - the arrow points to where the ground is.
Away supporters are accommodated in the South Stand, with a maximum allocation of around 5,000 seats.
Tickets now on general sale: £26 adults, £15 senior citizens, £15 U16s.
GOING BY CAR?
· Travelling from the north east, get yourself onto the A1/A1M southbound;
- just after you pass A1(M) junction 45 (for the A64 Leeds/York road) you’ll see signs for the M1 – so take the M1 south. You join the M1 at jcn 48 and you need to stay on it until you reach jcn 43.
· Leave the M1 at jcn 43 and join the M621 westbound.
- Leave the M621 at jcn 1, turn left onto the Beeston Ring Road then left onto Elland Road and follow the signs for the car parks.
There are several huge car parks near the stadium you can use that’ll set you back about £3 - £5 a car.
As far as street parking’s concerned, Leeds fanzine “To Elland Back” tell us: “The Heath Estate is a no-no, this is a residents only zone and the traffic wardens do marshall it with the meaness of a stingy back-four, so you have been warned. Lowfields/Gelderd Road- okay, but gets busy after the match. Holbeck- loads of free-street parking. Windmill Hill/Beeston- just outside the residents only zone, pretty good”.
GOING BY TRAIN?
Although the main railway line runs only 200 yards away from Elland Road stadium, the nearest station is Leeds Central, about 1.5 miles away. It takes about 30 - 40 minutes to walk it, but you'd probably be better off either getting a cab or using the shuttle buses that are usually laid on, on match days.
The 1627 GNER from Newcastle gets you to York for 1719, then the 1737 Transpenning Express gets in to Leeds just after 6pm. OR the 1640 Virgin Trains service from Newcastle goes direct to Leeds, also arriving just after 6pm.
Going back to the north east, the first train after the final whistle is the 2242 Transpennine Express which arrives in Newcastle just after 0100.
See National Rail's website for more times and to book tickets.
STOPPING OVER?
Travel Inn Leeds city centre – tel 08701 977 150
Premier Lodge Leeds city west (close to Elland Rd) – tel 0870 990 6448
Travelodge Leeds Central – tel 0870 191 1655
Holiday Inn Express Leeds Central – tel 0113 242 6200
SCRAN AND BOOZE
Leeds city centre will probably have anything you could think of as far as food’s concerned.
For fish and chips, ‘United Fisheries’ is directly opposite the ground on Elland Road, and always popular – as is ‘The Cracked Egg Café’, next door. If you’re easily pleased there’s a McDonald’s behind the East Stand. Otherwise, food and drink are served inside the stadium.
Away supporters should avoid ‘The Old Peacock’ pub behind the south stand on Elland Road as it’s predominantly home supporters only. But the ‘Dry Salters’ pub serves both home and away supporters and is only a short walk away.
LEND US A FIVER I’M OUT OF CASH
Loads of cash machines in Leeds city centre – otherwise there’s a cash machine in The Old White Hart on Town Street, half a mile from the ground (from Elland Road turn right onto Wesley Street and after about 500 metres turn left onto Town Street).
LAST MEETINGS
26-12-04 Sunderland 2 Leeds 3 (Lawrence 43(p), Arca 90)
24-09-04 Leeds 0 Sunderland 1 (Robinson 65)
26-12-02 Sunderland 1 Leeds 2 (Proctor 34)
28-08-02 Leeds 0 Sunderland 1 (McAteer 46)
07-04-02 Leeds 2 Sunderland 0
18-11-01 Sunderland 2 Leeds 0 (Arca 48, Phillips 55)
31-03-01 Sunderland 0 Leeds 2
16-12-00 Leeds 2 Sunderland 0
Credits: LUFC, To Elland Back, Link, Rough Guide to English Football, Soccerbase, streetmap.co.uk, RAC, BBC, National Rail, www.stadionwelt.de.
