Can Saints win at Old Trafford for a third year in a row ? all the info you need if you are going up there for the Friday night fixture.
Saints are again taking a full contingent up to Old Trafford, helped by Saints shirt sponsor Virgin Media doing their bit for our supporters in the Twenty's Plenty campaign by not only replicating what they are doing for visiting supporters to St Mary's and knocking £10 off the price of a ticket, but going one better and laying on free coaches as well.
The Ground.
Even the most anti Manchester United man in the land cant help but admire Old Trafford, it is the most spectacular club ground in the country and not only that but it is a showcase of all that this country has to offer in the way of multiculturalism, in all of the home areas you will find all sort of people joining together in their love of backing a winner, sorry supporting Manchester United.
I would advise any Saints supporter to take a walk around the stadium before the game and soak in the atmosphere, a visit to the Manchester United megastore is a must, forget the bearpits of the London or New york Stock exchanges, this is where the real money changes hands, marvel at some of the biggest industrial strength cash tills in the World as they kerching their way through the hour or so before the match, as an army of United followers show their devotion by spending the gross national income of a small country in this emporium of all things United, it truly is a sight as shirts are purchased and rows of embossing machines emblaze the names of Rooney, Ibramovic and perhaps even the odd Schneiderlin et al across the backs of the shirts soon to be admired in places as exotic as Tokyo, Stockholm, Oslo, Dublin, Guildford and even the odd part of Manchester.
Then stroll around what is the Epcot (They sell United shirts in Epcot in Florida too) of the Premier league with all nationalities as well as all counties in Britain represented, have your picture taken with some Torquay reds or chat to some Japanese United fanatics and if your lucky you might meet Fred The Red.
Getting There
By car its simple, take the A34 up to Oxford and then join the M40, from then on you wont be short of United supporters to follow up to the Theatre Of Dreams, just in case you dont spot any though, follow signs to the North and the M6, stay on it northbound till junction 19 and take the A556, which leads into the A56 at Altrincham you can then follow this road right the way through to the gates of hell itself, or Old Trafford as its signposted.
Getting away might be more difficult, as you can imagine with a large proportion of the crowd coming from South of manchester the roads back to the M6 may be congested.
Parking
The Old Trafford Cricket ground is well signposted from the A56 and has ample parking, however Im told that they now charge a whopping £10 to park, however it does have the advantage of being relatively safe and enclosed not to mention a short walk, there will also be many other car parks near the ground offering parking at similar rates.
Salford Quays the other side of the ground offers cheaper parking but you will need to get there early.
Alternatively, park in Altrincham town centre and take the metrolink (tram) to the ground its about 20 minutes and cheap.
By Train
You are likely to arrive in Manchester Piccadilly Station, from there hop on a tram, there are two lines, the first to Altrincham and you alight at Old Trafford cricket ground, or the second to Eccles where you get off at Pomoma or even the next stop Salford Quays, or get on one of the buses from Piccadilly Gardens, the station is approximately 2.5 miles from the Ground.
The away section
Saints supporters are in the South East corner of the ground and offers a great view even if it is a little cramped and dwarfed by the stands around it, the concourses arent that big but serve the usual fare as well as alcohol etc.
Eating Drinking Etc
As you would expect Old Trafford has plenty of takeaway, chip shops and stalls etc surrounding the ground, although strangely not many pubs within a ten minute walk, those that are though are usually home fans only, although given the plethora of southern accents about the place, if you aren't wearing colours you should get in ok.
Salford Quays a short walk from the ground has a few bars as well as restaurants etc so might be a better bet than the throngs in the nearest pubs to the ground.
Otherwise you might be better served having a drink in the City Centre and then hopping on one of the trams as detailed, one trick might be to alight at an earlier station along the route where the pubs although still busy are less hectic.
If you have any tips to share with us about where to go etc at Old Trafford feel free to leave a comment in the section below.
Address: Sir Matt Busby Way, Manchester, M16 0RAOfficial Web Sites: www.manutd.com
Main Telephone No: 0161 868 8000
Fax No: 0161 868 8804
Ticket Office: 0161 868 8000
Stadium Tours: 0161 868 8000
Ground Capacity: 76,100 (all seated)
Club Nickname: The Red Devils
Year Ground Opened: 1910
Pitch Size: 116 x 76 yards
Shirt Sponsors: Chevrolet
Kit Manufacturer: Adidas
Home Kit Colours: Red, White & Black
Away Kit Colours: White & Black