RTG’s totally and utterly (we hope) indispensable guide to this season’s away grounds.
THE OPPO Leicester City FC
DATE – Saturday 13th November
KO TIME – 3pm
THE GROUND – The Walkers’ Stadium – click here and here for maps of the area – the red circle shows where the ground is.
The Walkers Stadium is south west of Leicester city centre and close to the M1. This brand spanking new stadium seats 32,500 supporters, replacing the old Filbert Street ground which held 21,500. It’s only down the road from the site of the old ground – built on the site of a former power station – and took just over a year to build, with work commencing in June 2001 and the first match in the new ground happening in August 2002. The new ground construction cost £37m.
Up to 3,000 away supporters are accommodated in the North-East corner of the stadium – inbetween the Lineker Stand and the Alliance & Leicester stand.
TICKETS
Tickets are on general sale (subject to availability) priced at £22 for adults. RTG ticket news here.
GOING BY CAR?
Travelling from the north east, get yourself onto the A1/A1M southbound. In south Yorkshire (just after you pass the signs for the A64 on the A1(M), follow the signs onto the M1 southbound. Stay on the M1 until jcn 21. Follow signs for the city centre via the A5460 Narborough Road. After 3 miles turn right onto Upperton Road, go over the bridge and take the first right down Western Boulevard and the stadium is on your right hand side.
There are four large car parks in the immediate vicinity of the stadium, or park in one of the many car parks in Leicester city centre and walk or get a cab to the stadium.
GOING BY TRAIN?
Get yourself to Newcastle central station and onto the 9.25am Virgin service which will get you into Derby at 11.55am – then change platforms for the 12.05am Midland Mainline train which will have you in Leicester at 12.30. Or the
10.25am Virgin service out of Newcastle drops you in Derby just before 1pm then change onto the 1.06pm Midland Mainline service which gets into Leicester at 1.30pm.
It’s a 20 minute walk from the station to the ground.
Coming home, the 18.01 from Leicester gets you to Derby in half an hour, then change for the 6.42 Virgin train which heads up the East Coast line towards Durham and Newcastle. Or the 6.19pm Central Trains service out of Leicester gets you to Peterborough for 7.20pm, then change for the 7.42pm Virgin service heading north.
ALS are, as usual, running their coach service – click here for details.
STOPPING OVER?
– Holiday Inn Express, Filbert Way (next to stadium) – tel 0116-249-4590
– Premier Lodge, Groby Road – tel 0870 990 6398
– Travel Inn, Vaughan Way – tel 0870 191 1755
SCRAN AND BOOZE
There are plenty of pubs and places to eat in Leicester city centre and it’s only a 15 minute-or-so walk from there to the ground, or get a cab or bus.
Pubs to be avoided by away supporters are the Local Hero pub, the Victory and Turnstile pubs, also ‘The Half Time Orange’ – over the road from the away supporters’ end of the stadium. Also worth noting that the ‘Counting House’ pub on Freemens Common Road sometimes doesn’t allow away supporters in if the match is a ‘high profile’ one.
NOTE: Apparently away supporters will not be served alcohol inside the ground.
LEND US A FIVER I’M OUT OF CASH
There’ll be cash machines in Leicester city centre, but closer to the ground try Filbert Groceries on Filbert Street (cash machine charge of £1.50) or inside the Post Office on Walnut Street (cash machine charge of £1.50).
IN THE NEWS
New gaffer Craig Levein has written an ‘open letter’ to fans, urging them to get behind the team.
Director of Football Dave Bassett has left the club following Levein’s recent appointment.
Foxes winger Jason Wilcox will miss the rest of this season after tearing his anterior cruciate knee ligaments.
LAST SEASON
Finished 18th out of 20 in the Premiership with 33 points – relegated.
THIS SEASON
Currently 14th of 24 (at 7/11/04)
P17 W4 D9 L4 F19 A18 Pts 21 GD 1
HOME FORM
P6 W1 D5 L2 F7 A8 Pts 8 GD -1
HEAD TO HEAD
We’ve played the Foxes 74 times in the League in recent years, we’ve won 26, they’ve won 30, and we’ve drawn 18.
LAST 6 MEETINGS
01.04.02 Sunderland 2 Leicester 1 (Reyna 3, 18)
03.11.01 Leicester 1 Sunderland 1
24.02.01 Leicester 2 Sunderland 0
01.10.00 Sunderland 0 Leicester 0
05.03.00 Leicester 5 Sunderland 2 (Phillips 53, Quinn 75)
11.09.99 Sunderland 2 Leicester 0 (P Butler 28, McCann 82)
Credits Leicester City FC, Link, Multimap, Rough Guide to English Football, Soccerbase, streetmap.co.uk, National Rail, BBC, Leicester City Council.
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