Bolton ticket, travel and pub guide

Bolton Wanderers
Reebok Stadium
Premier League
Saturday March 27, kick off 17.30pm

Tickets
Executive members and season ticket holders who can find out now if they have them.

United have got 2,800 tickets in the South Stand lower tier.

They cost the same as they did last season £27 for adults, £21 for over 65s and £13 for under 16s.

When Liverpool played at the Reebok Stadium in August, they got 4,635 tickets.

Home-end tickets are now on sale to anyone with a booking history with Bolton.

TV
ESPN and ESPN will show the match live. The show starts at 16:45 and ends at 19:45.

Weather

Saturdays' game between Bolton and United will be played in light rain in temperatures of 9C48F, according to the BBC.

But despite the forecast, the Wanderers' stadium in Horwich is on high ground and it is renowned for a biting wind to whip around the stands.

Another plus is that heavy rain is predicted for Sunday and Monday, but only light rain is forecast for Saturday during the match.


Travel
Yes, it’s only up the road, so it won’t be a long guide, but some people may wish to know train times and where to park for free.

Car - £5.20
It’s very simple from Manchester. Take the M61 to junction 6, do a right at the roundabout and you’ll see the stadium in front of you.

Do a right at the next roundabout for Lostock Lane. For the Beehive, go straight on at that roundabout and you’ll see it right in front of you at the next roundabout.

If you’re using a satnav or a routeplanner, key in the postcode BL6 6JS. It’s 20 miles away and will cost £5.20 in petrol.

Parking
A space on the stadium car park costs £6 and there are a few industrial estates dotted nearby, like off Lostock Lane, with spaces for £3.

There’s an Asda supermarket adjacent to the ground. Non-customer parking is banned on matchdays, but there’s nothing to stop you going in to buy a newspaper before the game. Putting your receipt on the dashboard also helps.

Depending on how far you want to walk, there are free spaces further down Lostock Lane and past the Beehive Pub. You can park at the Beehive for £5.

Train - £3.30
Get an off-peak return ticket to Horwich Parkway, which is a two-minute walk to the stadium.

To the match
Direct trains leave Piccadilly at 10:46, 10:54 and then at 46 and 54 past each hour after that.

All those trains call at Oxford Road three minutes later and Deansgate three minutes after that.

The journey takes roughly 30 minutes from Piccadilly.

At 16 past each hour starting at 10:16, you can get a train from Piccadilly to Bolton and then change for Horwich Parkway. The whole journey takes 40 minutes.

All of these trains leave from Platform 14 at Piccadilly.

Don't leave Piccadilly after 16:54 else you'll miss kick off.

Direct trains leave Victoria at 10:22 and then at 22 minutes past the hour up to and including 15:22 and then the final one leaves at 16:20. They all leave from Platform 6. The journey takes 27 minutes.

There are trains every 15 minutes or so that take you to Salford Crescent where you can change for Horwich Parkway. The full journey takes 40 minutes.

Don't leave Victoria after 16:22 else you'll miss kick off.

From the match
Trains leave Horwich Parkway to Manchester at:

19:14V, 19:27P, 20:14V, 20:27P, 20:39P (change at Chorley), 20:39P, 21:14V, 21:27P, 22:14V, 22:27P, 23:14V, 23:27P, 23:56V. The journey takes roughly 30 minutes.

The first few trains after the game will probably run differently and more frequently to the timetable and will go to Victoria non stop.

Bus - £1.50
Bolton runs 13 bus services to and from the stadium on matchdays for £1 single and £1.50 return.

They start from Bury, Radcliffe, Swinton, Leigh, Farnworth, Bolton, Bromley Cross, Darcy Lever, Chorley, Wigan and Egerton. Timetable information is here.

You could, for example, catch the Metrolink to Radcliffe (on the Bury Line) and walk two minutes to Radcliffe bus station and catch the number 3 bus, listed above.

Coach - £13
United are running coaches to the game with places costing £14 per person.

The coaches leave the Old Trafford N2 car park at 15:30pm and are expected to return at 20:45. Call United on 0161 868 800 or go here to book.

The Betty Bus is running to this game. Details to follow shortly.

You can book by emailing your name, number of places needed and a contact number to redsaway@hotmail.co.uk

Red Army Travel is running a coach to this game with places costing £15 per person. Call 0161 998 4455 or 07545 39 1999 to book.

Pubs
Scotts, in between the train station and the ground, is only open to fans showing home end tickets on the door. There’s usually a fair bit of a room there on match days and you can get served quicker than you’d expect.

My favourite when visiting the Reebok is The Bromilow Arms in Lostock Lane. You can park there for £3 and they do brilliant food.

It can get quite packed pretty early and it can sometimes take 15/20 minutes to get served.

It’s technically a home fans’ pub but you won’t get any trouble from the locals, mainly because it’s popular with older fans who come for the real ales and with families who come for the decent food, especially the curry.

You can also park on the car park outside The Beehive (pictured) in Chorley New Road.

Believe it or not, it’s a Grade Two listed building. It’s much bigger than the Bromilow, has an outdoor seating area at the front and is pretty much the main away fans’ pub for this ground. It opens at 11am.

But because of that, you tend to get lots of police and the (albeit small) chance of trouble. But it’s only a five-minute walk to the ground, as is the Bromilow.

If you’re after something a bit quieter, you’ll have to venture a bit further from the stadium, but it’s worth it.

Head towards the motorway roundabout and turn left at the next roundabout onto Chorley Road. At number 480, you’ll find The Royal Oak, which is a great little place for a pre-match pint.

And further down that road, you’ll find The Wagon and Horses, which is a decent little boozer.