Cardiff City FC: Away supporters' guide
RTG’s totally and utterly (we hope) indispensable guide to this season’s away grounds.
THE OPPO Cardiff City
DATE – Saturday 21st February
KO TIME – 3pm
THE GROUND – , Ninian Park, Cardiff – click here and here for maps of the area - the arrow/red circle show where the ground is. Not to be confused with either Cardiff Arms Park or the Millennium Stadium!
Cardiff is in south-east Wales, 150 miles west of London. The ground is just south-west of Cardiff city centre close to the Grangetown area and conveniently close to Ninian Park railway station with a direct link to Cardiff Central then onwards to London Paddington.
AWAY SUPPORTERS
Up to 2,000 away supporters are housed on one side of the John Smiths Grange Terrace – a mix of seating towards the front, but terracing towards the rear of the stand.
TICKETS
Currently on general sale (standing tickets only still available) priced at £17 for adults, £12 for juniors and senior citizens.
GOING BY CAR?
If you want a route that’s almost exclusively motorway, then it’s A1 then M1 then M25 then M4 – but it’s not the most direct route – the most direct route involves a few A-roads:
From the north east, take the A1 southbound to jcn 35 Doncaster then M18 westbound. Follow signs for ‘M1 South’, and you’ll join the M1 southbound at jcn 32 Stay on the M1 until you get to jcn 23A – branch left and join A42 – after 18 miles join the M42 motorway.
Stay on the M42 all the way to the M5 south. At jcn 8 take the M50 signposted “S. Wales, Ross”
At the end of the motorway the road turns into the A40. After you pass Monmouth Travelodge on the opposite side of the road turn onto the A449 signposted ‘Newport’
After 10 miles join the M4 signposted ‘Cardiff’ leaving the motorway at jcn 29 for the A48M signposted ‘Cardiff E & S’.
After 13 miles take the A4119 signposted ‘City Centre’ then half a mile later straight forward at the lights onto Llandaff Road. At ‘The Corporation’ pub turn left then sharp right. At the next lights straight forward onto B4267 signposted ‘Penarth, Dinas Powys’.
At the next lights turn left into Sloper Road and you’re there!
Parking in Cardiff city centre may be problematic (and it’ll be busy on a Saturday with shoppers and tourists) but there’s a large-ish car park at the ground.
GOING BY TRAIN?
You’re looking at a fairly mammoth journey of at least 5 – 6 hours with at least a couple of changes and quite pricey AND it’s a nightmare to get back to the north-east afterwards if you want to go back on the same night – you could go via Cheltenham or Derby but probably the simplest way is GNER from Newcastle to London Kings Cross, Tube to Paddington, then onto Cardiff.
The 6.35 GNER out of Newcastle gets you to Kings Cross at 10.04am – across to Paddington using cab or Tube, then the 11am First Great Western service out of Paddington which gets you to Cardiff at 1pm.
Or the 7.54am GNER gets you to Kings Cross at 11.09am, then the 12 noon First Great Western from Paddington gets you to Cardiff at 2pm. From there, there are regular services to Ninian Park station or take a cab.
Coming home you need the 5.25pm First Great Western service out of Cardiff which gets you to Paddington at 7.27pm, scoot across town sharpish to Kings Cross, then the 8.15 GNER gets you into Newcastle at 0.20am. Miss that, and you’re looking at not getting back to the north-east until Sunday lunchtime!
You’re looking at £35 for the Paddington to Cardiff return journey and £48 for the Newcastle to Kings Cross return journey - £83 all in all.
For full timing details, fares and to book, go to National Rail’s website.
Ninian Park is a mile west of Cardiff Central Station but if you’re walking be VERY careful – like Millwall, Cardiff seems to have a reputation as far as bovver’s concerned.
ALTERNATIVELY....
You could fly to Cardiff from Newcastle with Air Wales. They don't fly that route on Saturdays but if you go the night before (2 flights a day Mon-Fri) and return on the Sunday (1 flight a day) it'll cost £122 including all taxes, per adult. Expensive yes, but if you can afford it, possibly better than a twelve hour round trip.
Or jump on the ALS coach and tell them RTG sent you.
STOPPING OVER?
Cardiff Backpacker, Neville St, Cardiff – tel 029 2034 5577
Crowndale Bed & Breakfast, Cathedral Rd, Cardiff, tel 029 2034 4060
Travelodge Cardiff Central – tel 0870 191 1723
Travel Inn Cardiff Bay – tel 08701 977 050
Holiday Inn Express, Cardiff Bay – tel 02920-449000
If you fancy really pushing the boat out, stay at the St David’s Hotel and Spa in Cardiff Bay, one of the most distinctive buildings in Cardiff (pic here). If you book on Friday 13th or Saturday 14th February (Valentine’s Day) you can stay there for one night until 27th Feb for £99 per room; call 0870 4606040 and quote the reference ‘Simply Valentine’ – otherwise you’re looking at about £200 per room per night
SCRAN AND BOOZE
You’ll have absolutely no problem finding somewhere in Cardiff city centre to eat – it’s a busy area, with lots of choice. If you get there in plenty of time, there are some nice cafes and restaurants down in the Cardiff Bay area (infact if you’ve got time and it’s not chucking with rain, it’s nice for a look round that area anyway). Click here for a guide to the city’s eating places.
Like Millwall you’re advised to be very careful where you drink, and either don’t wear your colours at all or keep them under wraps. Most pubs in the city centre are fine for visiting supporters, with the notable exception of ‘The Borough’.
‘The Lansdowne’ on Lansdowne Road is run by a Cardiff City supporter, wall-to-wall with Bluebirds memorabilia, but visiting fans are apparently safe to drink in there and is only a few minutes’ walk from the ground. There’s also the Cornwall Hotel , another which welcomes away fans. Avoid the ‘Ninian Park’ and ‘Royal Exchange’ though.
LEND US A FIVER I’M OUT OF CASH
There are plenty of cash machines in Cardiff city centre.
IN THE NEWS
CCFC gaffer Lennie Lawrence is considering moving for York City midfielder Lee Bullock – the player’s had a trial at Ninian Park.
They’re trying to get highly-rated striker Peter Thorne to commit to a new contract.
Our match against the Bluebirds in October was the first time we’ve played them in 23 years, and the first time they’ve travelled to Sunderland since December 1979.
LAST SEASON
Finished 6th out of 24 with 81 points
THIS SEASON
Currently 12th of 24 with 43 points:
P30 W11 D10 L9 F48 A39 Pts 43 GD 9
HOME FORM
P15 W6 D5 L4 F27 A16 Pts 23 GD 11
HEAD TO HEAD
We’ve played Cardiff 51 times in the League in recent years; we’ve won 16, they’ve won 21, and we’ve drawn 14.
LAST 6 LEAGUE MEETINGS
14/10/03 Sunderland 0 Cardiff 0
03/05/80 Cardiff 1 Sunderland 1
08/12/79 Cardiff 2 Sunderland 1
28/04/79 Sunderland 1 Cardiff 2
09/12/78 Cardiff 1 Sunderland 1
28/01/78 Cardiff 5 Sunderland 2
TRIVIA
- Record transfer fee rcvd: £0.5m from Cov for Simon Haworth (June 97)
- Record transfer fee paid: £1.7m to Stoke for Peter Thorne (Sept 01)
If you decide to make a weekend of it and stay over in Cardiff or nearby, there’s loads to do. In the city centre you can get on one of those sightseeing bus tours where you pay one fee and ‘hop on/hop off’ as many times as you want in a day – they’re brilliant for helping you get your bearings.
The Cardiff Bay area has been vastly improved in recent years and now has some nice café’s, bars and restaurants. If you’ve got nippers, they might appreciate the Techniquest centre - a hands-on centre where kids can explore science experiments and have fun doing it; there’s an exhibition on there called ‘The Secret Life of Stars’ which ends the day after the match.
The Millennium Stadium is slap bang in the middle of the city centre (you can’t miss it). Tours cost £3 for adults and £2.50 for children, call 02920 822 228 to pre-book a tour.
If you fancy a bit of culture go to Cardiff Castle (again, right in the middle of the city centre) or the National Museum & Gallery at Cathays Park (city centre).
If you’re taking the missus, there’s also plenty of shops for credit card bashing.
Credits Cardiff City FC, Cardiff City Council, Multimap, Rough Guide to English Football, National Rail, GNER, London Clarets, Soccerbase, streetmap.co.uk, The AA, HairFlick, BBC.
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TICKET NEWS: Cardiff (A), Walsall (A), Wimbledon (A), Reading (A)
Cardiff City
Ninian Park
Saturday 21st February 2004
Kick Off 3.00pm
Tickets are on general sale now - subject to availability.
Prices:
Standing
Adults £17
OAP £12
Junior £12
Walsall
Bescot Stadium
Tuesday 2nd March 2004
Kick Off 7.45pm
Season ticket holders can apply until 3.00pm Saturday 14th February 2004 - Voucher 46 required.
Tickets will go on general sale from 10.00am Thursday 19th February 2004 - subject to availability.
Adults £16
OAP £12
Junior £12
Wimbledon
The National Hockey Stadium
Saturday 6th March 2004
Kick Off 3.00pm
Season ticket holders can apply until 5.30pm Tuesday 17th February 2004 - Voucher 47 required.
Tickets will go on general sale from 10.00am Friday 20th February 2004 - subject to availability.
Adults £20
Senior Citizens £10
Junior £10
PLEASE NOTE: We have extended the priority period and amended the
general sale date due to our involvement in the FA Cup. However if the
fixture is re-arranged, you will be entitled to a refund on production
of your tickets.
Reading
The Madejski Stadium
Saturday 20th March 2004
Kick Off 3.00pm
Season ticket holders can apply until 3.00pm Saturday 28th February 2004 - Voucher 48 required.
Tickets will go on general sale from 10.00am Wednesday 3rd March 2004 - subject to availability.
Adults £18
Senior Citizens £10
Junior £10
