United fixtures changed for TV

The reds' trip to Middlesboro will now be at 16:00 on May 3 after Sky announced which games it would be showing in May.

It was originally due to take place 25 hours earlier, but, as this blog said last week, it was always a strong contender to be changed.

United's home derby clash with Manchester City will take place on May 10 at 13:30 and the last home game of the season, against Arsenal, will now start at 12:45 on May 16.

Remaining fixtures:

April

11 Sunderland, 15:00

15 PORTO (CLQF2), 19:45

19 Everton (FACSF) 16:00

22 PORTSMOUTH 20:00

25 TOTTENHAM 15:00

28 POSSIBLE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SEMI FINAL FIRST LEG19:45

May

3 Middlesboro 16:00

6 Possible Champions League semi final second leg 19:45

10 MANCHESTER CITY 13:30

13 Wigan 20:00

16 ARSENAL 20:45

24 Hull 16:00

30 Possible FA Cup final 15:00

One day left for Boro applications

Executive members and season ticket holders have until 8am tomorrow to apply for tickets for the league match at Middlesboro on Saturday May 3, kick off 15:00.

United have got 3,148 tickets, costing £32 for adults, £19 for over 65s and £17 for under 18s.

Apply online or by calling 0161 868 8000.

Fans are being warned the date and kick-off time of the match could change if Sky or Setanta choose to show the game - a real possibility.

Readers' questions - Porto

Q. In Porto. will they have buses provided to take us from the city centre to the stadium?

Also, I am considering booking flights with bmibaby.

Will it be possible to dive on a coach or will it have to be a taxi. I take it bmibaby aren't including transfers? Martin.

A. Police won't lay coaches on from Porto city centre to the stadium simply because it's not needed, as you can get there easily by Metro.

But it's easier to answer your second question first.

One of the best things about Porto is the brilliant public transport network.

Conveniently, the Metro Do Porto runs right from Aeroporto Francisco Sá Carneiro through the city city to Porto's stadium.

It takes 35 minutes on the Violet Line and runs from 06:00 to 01:30 and costs e1.35 each way.

Services run every half hour between midnight and 7am and every 20 minutes at all other times.

And it's pretty much impossible to miss your stop, as the stadium is at one end of the line and the airport is at the other.

So if you were to book the bmibaby flights, you would land in Porto at 11.05 and, once clearing passport control, you could be near the ground by noon.

But if you fancy soaking up some of the city-centre atmosphere beforehand. get off at Trindade and take the Yellow Line south two stops to Sao Bento.

Then walk down R. de Mousinho de Silveria and turn right onto R. do Infante do Infante Dom Jenrique, where you'll find Ryan's Irish Bar at number 18.

When you're ready for the match, take the Yellow Line back up to Trindade and then take the Violent Line south to the stadium.

Even if the match were to go to extra time and penalties - and if the police keep away fans in for half an hour - you'll be out of the stadium for 11pm. That gives you plenty of time to get to the airport by Metro in time for your 01:15 flight back to Manchester.

bmibaby aren't providing transfers, but they have factored in all possibilities of the match ending late and Metro delays in planning their flight time.

However, I would definitely recommend checking in online beforehand, so the latest you could arrive is 00:45.

Here's a Metro map. It's probably the simplest one in Europe.

Sunderland travel and pub guide

Sunderland
Stadium of Light
Premier League
Saturday April 11, kick off 15:00

Tickets

Out of a capacity of 49,000, United have 1,700 tickets, priced at £33 for adults, £22 for over 65s and £12 for under 16s. All tickets have been sold and posted out.

World Ticket Shop, an internet touting agency is charging £179.10 for home-end tickets and £211.50 for away-end tickets.

Home-end tickets have been on general sale for a month and continue to be so.
But only members who have bought tickets before can buy them, and Sunderland are warning buyers they will be responsible for the behaviour of ticket users.

TV
The match will not be shown on TV in the UK, but you can watch streams at MyP2P. Links will be go online five hours before kick off.

We recommend downloading Sopcast or Veetle for the best quality.

Travel

Car - £36.30
If you are using a sat nav or an internet routeplanner, use the destination postcode SR5 1SU.

The journey takes about two-and-half hours each way and petrol will be roughly £18 each way.

The basic route is: Take the M62 to J29 and join the M1 northbound. Get off at J62 and follow the A690 and signs for Sunderland city centre.

Parking – free
Because the ground is so close to the city centre, it is hard to find spots nearby for cheap and that won't have you queuing to leave for ages.

We recommend you use the free park-and-ride service. You park at Sunderland Enterprise Park and then buses leave every five minutes from 1.30pm.

To reach Sunderland Enterprise Park, leave the M1 at J65 and take the second exit onto the A1231.

Keep going for six miles over five roundabouts and the enterprise park is signposted.

Train - £62.10
It will take you about four hours and probably require four different trains to get there and the same on the way back, though if you go at the right time, it should be more straightforward. Get an off-peak return ticket on the day for £62.10.

Manchester to Sunderland

Option A – Journey time: 3:59
Leave Piccadilly: 07:10
Arrive York: 09:06
Leave: 09:34
Arrive Newcastle: 10:33
Leave: 10:35
Arrive Newcastle Central Metro: 10:43
Leave: 10:45
Arrive Sunderland: 11:00

Option B – Journey time: 3:44
Leave Piccadilly: 07:26
Arrive Leeds: 08:23
Leave: 08:35
Arrive York: 09:25
The rest of the journey is the same as Option A

Option C – Journey time: 4.15
Leave Piccadilly: 07:35
Arrive Selby: 08:58
Leave: 09:15
Arrive York: 09:45
Leave: 10:00
Arrive Sunderland: 11:50

Option D – Journey time: 3:50
Leave Piccadilly: 07:55
Arrive Leeds: 08:54
Leave: 09:05
Arrive York: 09:55
Leave: 10:03
Arrive Newcastle: 11:04
Leave: 11:06
Arrive Newcastle Central Metro: 11:14
Leave: 11:18
Arrive Sunderland: 11:45

Option E – Journey time: 3:59
Leave Piccadilly: 08:10
Arrive York: 10:06
Leave: 10:34
Arrive Newcastle: 11:32
Leave: 11:34
Arrive Newcastle Central Metro: 11:42
Leave: 11:44
Arrive Sunderland: 12:09

Option F – Journey time: 3:43
Leave Piccadilly: 08:26
Arrive Leeds: 09:23
Leave: 09:35
Arrive York: 10:25
Leave: 10:34
Arrive Newcastle (pictured right): 11:32
Leave: 11:34
Arrive Newcastle Central Metro: 11:42
Leave: 11:42
Arrive Sunderland: 12:09

Option G – Journey time: 3:48
Leave Piccadilly: 08:57
Arrive Leeds: 09:52
Leave: 10:05
Arrive York: 10:55
Leave: 11:04
Arrive Newcastle: 12:02
Leave: 12:04
Arrive Newcastle Central Metro: 12:12
Leave: 12:18
Arrive Sunderland: 12:45

Option H – Journey time: 3:44
Leave Piccadilly: 09:26
Arrive Leeds: 10:23
Leave: 10:35
Arrive York: 11:25
Leave: 11:34
Arrive Newcastle: 12:32
Leave: 12:34
Arrive Newcastle Central Metro: 12:42
Leave: 12:44
Arrive Sunderland: 13:10

Option I – Journey time 3:58
Leave Piccadilly: 10:11
Arrive York (pictured right): 12:06
Leave: 12:29
Arrive Newcastle: 13:25
Leave: 13:27
Arrive Newcastle Central Metro: 13:35
Leave: 13:42
Arrive Sunderland: 14:09

There are two later journeys, but we would not recommend them because one delay would mean you miss the match.

The ground is a 15 minute walk from the station.

Leave the station by WH Smith, turn left and walk down High Street West.
Turn left again into Fawcett Street. This leads to the Wear Bridge.
Cross the bridge, and turn left into Millennium Way.

Sunderland to Manchester

Option A – Journey time: 4:03
Leave Sunderland: 17:30
Arrive York: 19:13
Leave: 19:55
Arrive Piccadilly: 21:33

Option B – Journey time: 3:31
Leave Sunderland: 19:02
Arrive Newcastle Central Metro: 19:30
Leave: 19:32
Arrive Newcastle: 19:40
Leave: 19:44
Arrive York: 20:41
Leave: 20:54
Arrive Piccadilly: 22:33

Option C – Journey time: 3:46
Leave Sunderland (pictured right): 19:50
Arrive: Thornaby: 20:39
Leave: 20:55
Arrive Leeds: 22:30
Leave: 22:40
Arrive Piccadilly: 23:37
Option D – Journey time: 4:46

Leave Sunderland: 20:02
Arrive Newcastle Central Metro: 20:30
Leave: 20:32
Arrive Newcastle: 20:40
Leave: 20:47
Arrive York: 21:51
Leave: 23:07
Arrive Piccadilly: 00:48

Coach - £21
United are running coaches from Old Trafford to the game for £21 per person. Book here.

National Express is running a coach from Manchester to Sunderland on the day of the game for £19.50 one way, but none on the way back.

It leaves Chorlton Street at 08:30 and arrives at 14:30.

Sunderland Coach Station is on Park Lane, which is a two-minute walk from Sunderland Train Station and a 15-minute walk to the ground.

Walk up Park Lane, turn right onto Holmeside and then a left onto Fawcett Street. Keep going up and cross the bridge. The ground is on your left.

Megabus does not run coaches between Manchester and Sunderland.

Pubs
The ground is a 15-minute walk from the city centre and there are no bars next to the ground, so all our chosen pubs are in town.
Probably, the meeting place for reds will be The William Jameson (pictured above), a Wetherspoons pub a stone's throw away from the train station at 30 Fawcett Street.

It's been open for 12 years now and has decent service and, of course 99p bottles of San Miguel and a cheap food menu.

And, fingers crossed, if the weather is good, there is an outside drinking area at the front.

The WJ doesn't have live football though, but you can go to another Spoons bar a couple of streets away in Low Road to watch the Liverpool v Blackburn 12:45 kick off at The Lambton Worm (pictured above).

A good place to try is The Borough at 1 Vine Place. 'Quirky' doesn't begin to describe this joint.

There are always a few odd-but-friendly characters dotted about the place and there is a fantastic jukebox if you like your rock tunes.

Drink prices are about average (£2.50 for most pints of lager), but you can warm up your belly with a Borough Bomb cocktail, which costs £3.50 and is made up absinthe, Red Bull and Aftershock – served on fire.

It also has a big screen so you can watch the Liverpool v Blackburn 12:45 kick off.

Another decent boozer is Sinatras at 31 Holmeside right near the train station, though it is quite near to Yates, which is firmly a home-fans' pub on matchdays.

But by far our favourite pre-match watering hole in this part of the North East is Laings (pictured right) at 26 Olive Street.

The prices are low, the Guinness is good and even the Stella goes down well.

It's named after a local shipping dynasty and, while it's not massive, it is big enough for you not to be too crammed in on matchdays and get served quite quickly.

Reds receive Middlesboro allocation

United have got 3,148 tickets for the May 3 league game at Middlesboro.

Tickets are priced at £32 for adults, £19 for over 65s and £17 for under 18s.

Executive members and season ticket holders can apply from at 8am on Monday for five day online or by calling 0161 868 8000.

Fans are being warned the date and kick-off time of the match could change if Sky or Setanta choose to show the game - a real possibility.

Ryanair cuts Porto flight price

Ryanair is cutting the price of its Porto flights on April 15, returning April 16, to £139 return.

The airline was offering return flights for £199, but the announcement that bmibaby was offering a day trip from Manchester to Porto for £149.88 forced their hand.

Ryanair's outbound flights leave Liverpool Airport on the day of the game at 07:00, arriving in Porto at 09:20.

The following day, you can either return at 09:45 or 13:45, arriving into Liverpool at 12:05 and 16:05 respectively.

Book with a Visa Electron card to avoid a £9.50 card charge, which would take the total fee up £9.50.

Also remember Ryanair's new compulsory check-in online system, which carries a £5 each way fee. So that would add another tenner on to the fee.

There are also other optional things to buy, like luggage space, priority boarding and insurance.

Terravision runs coaches from Chorlton Street in Manchester to Liverpool Airport. It costs £6 one way and £8 return. Get times and book tickets here.

ShuttleDirect runs coaches from Porto Airport to Porto centre. Prices vary. Book here click here.

bmibaby to run direct flights to Porto

bmibaby will run a direct flight to and from Manchester to Porto as part of a day trip to the Champions League quarter final second leg.

This is the cheapest way of getting from Manchester to Porto on the day - or the week - of the game.

The outbound flight leaves Manchester at 08:30 on the day of the game and lands in Porto at 11:05.

The inbound flight leaves Porto at 01:15 and lands at 03:55. A return right now is £149.88 plus extras.

Book here.

Reds can email redsaway@hotmail.co.uk with any questions about flights, trains, accommodation, pubs or other related issues about Porto or any other United away game.