RTG’s totally and utterly (we hope) indispensable guide to this season’s away grounds.
THE OPPO Cardiff City
DATE – Saturday 11th December
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 the 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, see RTG’s ticket news page for details.
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, especially this close to Christmas) 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 7.12am GNER out of Durham gets you to Kings Cross at 10.10am – get 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 another service leaves Paddington at 12 noon, arriving at Cardiff at 2pm.
Coming home, trains leave Cardiff Central for Paddington at 5.25pm, arriving back in London two hours later. Scoot across town sharpish to Kings Cross, then the 8.30pm GNER gets you into Durham three hours later. Miss that, and you’re looking at not getting back to the north-east until Sunday lunchtime!
For full timing details, fares and to book, go to Qjump.co.uk.
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 day before (2 flights a day Mon-Fri) and return on the Sunday (1 flight a day) it’ll cost £155 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).
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.
LAST SEASON
Finished 13th out of 24 with 22 points
THIS SEASON
Currently 21st of 24 with 43 points:
P22 W5 D7 L10 F24 A29 Pts 22 GD -5
HOME FORM
P11 W4 D2 L5 F11 A11 Pts 14 GD 0
LAST 6 LEAGUE MEETINGS
21/02/04 Cardiff 4 Sunderland 0
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
TRIVIA
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).
Credits Cardiff City FC, Cardiff City Council, Multimap, Rough Guide to English Football, Qjump, London Clarets, Soccerbase, streetmap.co.uk, The AA, HairFlick, BBC.
Feedback on this article? Spotted a mistake? Something we’ve missed? Did you find this guide useful? Or as useful as a chocolate fireguard? Email and tell us! [email protected].
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