RTG’s totally and utterly (we hope) indispensable guide to this season’s away grounds.
THE OPPO – Millwall
VENUE – Old Trafford, Manchester
DATE – Sunday 4th April
KO TIME – 1.00pm
THE GROUND – Old Trafford – click here and here for maps of the area – the circle/arrow near the middle shows where the ground is.
Old Trafford is about two miles south-west of Manchester city centre, close to the ring road and handy for the M62 and its connection to the M6. The stadium itself is the largest league ground in England, holding just over 67,000 people.
Up to 3,000 visiting supporters can be accommodated in one corner of the ground.
Ticket information still to be confirmed by SAFC – details will be posted on our ticket news page as soon as we get the details.
GOING BY CAR?
Travelling from the north east, get yourself onto the A1/A1M southbound; just after you pass junction 45 (for the A64 Leeds/York road) you’ll see signs for the M1 – so take the M1 southbound.
You join the M1 at jcn 48 and you need to stay on it until you reach jcn 42.
Then leave the M1 for the M62 westbound, signposted ‘Manchester’.
At M62 jcn 18 (just after Birch Service Area) go straight ahead at the interchange onto the M60 westbound.
Leave the M60 at Junction 9 and join Parkway (A5081) towards Trafford Park.
At the first island take the 3rd exit onto Village Way and remain on this road until the next island (controlled by traffic lights).
At this island take the second exit and then join Wharfside Way.
The right-turn into Sir Matt Busby Way will be closed on the day but you should already have seen signs for car parking by this point, and the stadium is off to your right.
PARKING
– There are lots of officially-run, secure car parks close to the ground – you’ll see the brown direction signs on all approaches to the ground.
– As for street parking, it’s risky – on matchdays there are “Residents Only” and “No Waiting” schemes in force on most roads in the immediate vicinity of the ground, and you run the risk of being fined, clamped or towed away if you take the risk.
– You can park at Old Trafford Cricket Ground which will set you back £5
– or even drive to nearby Altrincham town centre – park there and get the Metrolink to the ground (the ground has its own railway and Metrolink stations).
– Some pubs in Altrincham will let you use their car park for free, providing you have a pre-match drink with them.
– You can also take the Metrolink Park & Ride service from Ladywell Halt in Eccles to the stadium, with the added benefit of secure free parking at the station, the Metrolink return fare is £1.20.
GOING BY TRAIN?
Old Trafford stadium has its own railway station behind the south stand. The stop is only open on matchdays, for trains arriving before the match from Manchester, Crewe and Macclesfield, and for the return trains after the final whistle.
The 8am GNER service from Newcastle Central Station will get you to York one hour later then change for the 9.15am Transpennine Express which gets you to Manchester Picadilly at 10.43am – ample time for a bit of food and drink before you catch a connection to Old Trafford.
Going back to the North East, the 4.13pm Transpennine Express gets you to Newcastle at 7pm, the 5.15pm service gets you back at 8pm or the 5.40pm service gets you back at 8.33pm.
A ‘Saver Return’ ticket for that journey will set you back just under £50.
For train times for that day, check the National Rail website.
”I’M A MACKEM, FLY ME!”
London and South-East based Mackems can take one of the following British Airways flights:
6.15am from Gatwick – £15 (excluding taxes)
7.40am from Heathrow
9.00am from Gatwick
9.50am from Heathrow
Going back to London there are BA flights from Manchester as follows:
4.15pm to Gatwick
4.30pm to Heathrow
6.25pm to Heathrow
(Details, prices and online booking at www.britishairways.co.uk).
The airport’s proximity to the M56 provides an easy route by road to Old Trafford and the city centre. The average journey time is between 20 and 30 minutes. Or passengers can travel by train from the airport to the city’s main railway station Piccadilly (20 minutes) and then by tram to Old Trafford on Metrolink’s Manchester to Altrincham service (further 20 minutes).
OR EVEN……
Not so flush?
The National Express coach service leaving Sunderland Park Lane at 7.30am on the day will get you to central Manchester at 11.35 (includes a 35min stop at Leeds). Returning, the 4.05pm coach out of Manchester gets you back to Sunderland at 8.15pm (incl 50 min break at Leeds) or the 5pm coach goes direct to Sunderland, arriving at 9.20pm. And it’ll only cost you £17 total.
Take the ALS coach and tell them they owe the Angels several pints for all these links this season…
STOPPING OVER?
Golden Tulip Hotel, opposite stadium – tel 0161 873 8899 – from £65 per room per night (double/twin rooms)
Travelodge Manchester Central (2 miles away) – tel 0870 191 1659.
Travel Inn Salford Quays (1 mile away) – tel 08701 977 176
Express by Holiday Inn, Salford Quays (1 mile away) – tel 0161 868 1000
SCRAN AND BOOZE
Potentially a problem finding time for a pre-match drink with Sunday boozing legislation dictating that pubs don’t open until noon….and kick off’s at 1pm. Alcohol is usually sold in the stadium itself but the Red Café is closed for all but hospitality package clients on matchdays.
The Bishop Blaize on Chester Road is a typical Wetherspoons and over the road to that is The Trafford, the closest pub to the stadium.
LEND US A FIVER I’M OUT OF CASH
Nee probs – there are two ATMs actually at the stadium (HSBC and Halifax) , and another at Chester Road News, a a short walk away.
Credits: Manchester United FC, United We Stand, Link, Soccerbase, Yellow Pages, The AA, BBC, Streetmap, Multimap, National Rail, National Express.
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