Travel hints and tips, where to drink and ticket details for the final game of the regular season at Barnsley in May.
Ground Name: Oakwell
Capacity: 23 009 (all seated)
Address: Grove Street , Barnsley , S71 1ET
Main Telephone No: 01226 211 211
Fax No: 01226 211 444
Very easy on paper — all the way up the M1 from London before leaving at junction 37. Take the A628 towards Barnsley and eventually the ground appears on the right (it's well signposted as well). It's 176 miles and just over three hours at the speed limit from Loftus Road.
There's more than enough parking at the Metrodome Leisure Centre and in the adjacent field (although that can be quite tricky in wet weather) - these are both within spitting distance of the away end turnstiles. The leisure centre is well signposted as you come into town.
Two ways to do it from London — either St Pancras to Sheffield and change there, or from Kings Cross via Doncaster and Meadowhall. Be aware, it's an early 12.15 kick off so that limits your options somewhat.
On East Midlands Trains from St Pancras try the 07.56 in the morning (arrives Sheffield 09.58) and then the 17.29 coming back (arrives 19.32) for a £56 return fare. The little hop to Barnsley will cost you a couple of quid on top of that.
The ground is a five minute walk from the station — come off the north bound platform and cross the tracks via the level crossing at the bottom. Walk straight on under the flyover and then straight on again over the brow of the hill to the ground on the other side.
The LSA coach is leaving the Springbok at the ungodly hour of 07.00 and is charging £30 full fare, £20 concessions. Call Gary on 07506 028 189 to book your place.
The official coach is going even earlier — 06.30 from Loftus Road , 07.00 from the Target Roundabout. The price is £32 adults, £21 seniors and young adults, £19 for under 16s, and the usual tiny discount for season ticket holders.
Barnsley can be quite tasty when it wants to be although there has rarely been a problem on our visits since the late 1990s. Still it's advisable to avoid the pubs in the town centre around the bus station and train station if you're an away fan. Everybody I know has used the bar in the Metrodome leisure centre which is a five minute walk from the ground and the station and offers crap food and parking. It's not going to win any pub of the year awards - it overlooks a swimming pool for heaven's sake - but it's safe and normally there's a good load of Rangers in there. Expect plastic glasses and even worse burgers. Chips to be avoided.
Rangers can have all the tickets they'd ever possibly need for this fixture, which makes it rather a shame that the automatic promotion push died a death because this would be the perfect venue for a mass celebration on the road. At the moment they have 1,554 tickets remaining from an initial allocation of 2,149 and these are priced £23 adults, £16 seniors, under 18s and students, and £5 for under 12s.
Links >>> Official website >>> Detailed fans' guide to Oakwell
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Pictures — Action Images