Our first round Carabao Cup cup tie at Salford City kicks off at 7.45 on Tuesday evening, and it’s being televised live by our very good friends at Sky Sports.
Although you can enter the city of Salford by going just a few hundred yards from Manchester city centre, to get to the Peninsular stadium you need to travel a lot further than that. It’s in a remote residential district called Kersal, and if you went a short distance further north you’d be in the borough of Bury rather than Salford.
At least that means it’s quite accessible if you’re coming from Leeds by car. Leave the M60 at junction 17 and take the A56 towards Manchester city centre. After two miles look out for a Lidl stare on the left and a Carphone Warehouse on the opposite side of the road, then take the third turning on the right (at the traffic lights and signposted Oaklands Hall/St Pauls Church) into Moor Lane.
There is a limited amount of parking on Moor Lane itself (the main road past the stadium) but the side streets are mostly for residents only. To avoid some unwelcome attention from the traffic wardens you need to look out for the signs on lampposts that advertise these restrictions, as they haven’t bothered to put clear markings on all of the roads.
There are no railway stations close to the Peninsular, and the nearest Metrolink tram stop (Crumpsall) is still one and three-quarter miles away. So the best option for public transport is to get a number 97 or 98 from Manchester Victoria railway station. These routes go up Bury New Road towards Bury, and you need to get off just after the Hazeldean Hotel and then walk down Moor Lane.
There are no pubs immediately by the ground, and the nearest is the Fairways Lodge on George Street, which is one of the roads off the A56 to the north of Moor Lane. The quickest route from there to the ground is along footpaths across the moor, but given the amount of rain they’ve had recently in these parts that’s probably not recommended. To go the long way round by road is about a mile.
Though Salford City have risen to prominence in recent years, the club can trace it’s history back to 1940, when it was formed as Salford Central. They spent their first seven decades moving round various regional divisions, and as recently as 2007/8 were plying their trade in the North West Trains league, the 5th tier of non-league football.
But everything changed in 2014 when 6 members of Man United’s much-hyped ‘class of 92’ started to invest in the club, backed by businessman Peter Lim. Their subsequent rise in status has gone hand in hand with the transformation of their Moor Lane ground. It has been their home since 1978, but all four sides were rebuilt to meet the standard needed for League football, complete with a new name as part of a sponsorship deal.
Leeds have been given approximately 1,400 tickets out of a total capacity of 5,106, comprising the whole of the covered east stand terrace, which is double the normal away allocation. The price is £10 for adults and £5 for commissions, which is the same price as tickets for the seats. There are a couple of vans to provide refreshments, while for toilets we have the luxury of a couple of Portaloos.
Leeds sold the tickets through the ‘Attendance Tracker’ loyalty scheme, and inevitably they have now sold out. Salford’s website says that they currently have 50 seat tickets left, so it’s probable that the home stands will also be completely full on the night. Since home tickets went on general sale they have only been available to those with a Greater Manchester address, but it’s still possible that some Leeds fans will have got tickets via this route.
No doubt there will be a bit of spice to this occasion, given the Man U connections of many of those involved with Salford City, but who knows, we might even enjoy it.
Some of this stuff came from www.footballgroundguide.com .