Portsmouth
Monday August 25, 8pm
Fratton Park, PortsmouthTicketsThe ground holds 20,288.
United have 2,500 tickets in the Milton End of the ground, priced £35 adults, £26 over 65's and £15 under 16's.
All tickets have been allocated and applicants can check if they've got one through the usual channels.
Home-end tickets are now available to Portsmouth members. You can buy a membership via
Ticketmaster for £40 and adult match tickets can cost anything from £35 to £42.
But any member buying a ticket for the United match must also buy a ticket for the Portsmouth v Hull match, so you'd be looking at £120 for a home-end ticket and a lot of hassle. According to some websites, the going rate for touted tickets is £140.
TravelIf you want to do it in a day, the only way is to get the coach or drive.
In a day
Coach - £30The club is running a coach which leaves the N2 car park at Old Trafford at 1pm and is due to return at about 2.30am. Tickets cost £30. Go
here for booking info.
Car - £55.28The journey will take about four hours each way and will cost £30.68 each way in petrol.
You can save £4.11 if you're prepared to go a slightly longer way around that takes half an hour longer.
Go
here to get a routeplanner for your journey and use the destination postcode PO4 8RA. Click on 'economical' if you want the cheaper, indirect route.
ParkingAvailable spaces are mostly on-street around the ground. There are usually spots on right hand side of the A2030 before you reach the Good Companion pub.
In two days
Train - £88.40If you take the train back after the game you won't get back into Piccadilly until 9.20am on Tuesday.
If you're doing a two-day trip, travel both ways after 10am else tickets will cost far too much.
A one-way ticket down costs £33.50 (though there are limited tickets) or a return costs £88.40.
Best train is:
Manchester Piccadilly to Southampton Central: Leave 11:24, arrive 15:40
Southampton Central to Fratton: Leave 16:03, arrive 16:47
Search for your ideal train times and buy any tickets
here.
Directions from the station to the stadiumIt's ten-minute walk. On arrival at Fratton by train you pass the ground on the left. Fratton station has a footbridge as the only way out.
At the top of the stairs from the platform turn left onto the footbridge (from which you can see the floodlights of Fratton Park) and exit into Goldsmith Avenue.
(Note that if the gate on the footbridge is closed you need to turn right on the footbridge and exit via Platform 1, turn left as you exit the station, walk 30 metres and go back over the footbridge to Goldsmith Avenue.)
Turn left along Goldsmith Avenue and walk about half a mile passing straight around a small roundabout (by the Pompey Centre).
Then turn Left into Frogmore Road and the entrance to the Ty and South stands is 100m ahead.For the Milton End stay on Goldsmith Avenue for another 100m and turn left into Apsley Road. The entrances to the Milton End are 100m ahead.
Bus and Train- £29Megabus does not run a direct service from Manchester to Portsmouth on the day of the game, so the best way to do it is:
On the way there
Manchester Chorlton Street to London Victoria, leave 08:45, arrive 13:30, price £10
London Victoria to Hard Stop A in Portsmouth , leave 15:30, arrive 18:45, price £4.
Portsmouth and Southsea to Fratton Station, leave 18:53, arrive 18:50 (trains leave ever 10 minutes), price £3.40 return (but it's a three-minute journey...so I doubt you'll need one).
Then on the way back
Hard Stop A in Portsmouth to Manchester Chorlton Street, leave 09:40, arrive 16.30, price £15.
National Express is not running any service that would be worthwhile.
Plane and train - £144.98Flybe operate a route between Manchester and Southampton, then its an onward train from Southampton to Fratton.
Best flights:
Leaves Manchester on Monday at 17:10 and arrives Southampton at 18:10 and costs £53.99 one way.
Leaves Southampton on Tuesday at 11:15 and arrives Manchester at 12.15 and costs £74.99 one way.
It would take about 15 minutes to clear security and customs. The airport has its own train station - Southampton Airport Parkway.
Best train to the ground is:
Southampton Airport Parkway to Southampton Central: Leave 18:42, arrive 18:49. Southampton Central to Fratton: Leave 19:03 arrive 19:41. A return train fare is £16.
It's high risk though - one delay and you miss kick off.Search for your ideal flights here and your ideal train times
here.
Accommodation
Hostels - £17 pp pnThere's only really one -
the Portsmouth and Southsea Backpackers Lodge. It's £17 pp pn to share room with up to 10 others or £18 pp pn four a four-bed room if four people book at once.
Hotels - £20.33 pp pnTravelodge Portsmouth is three miles from Portsmouth train station and costs £61 pn for a three-person room.
A few people from Red Issue have already booked this hotel. The other hotels start at £47.50 for a single room or £59.40 for a twin room.
The best of these deals is at the Best Western Royal Beach Hotel in Southsea booked via
Expedia. It works out as £59.40 for a twin room - that's £29.70pp pn.
Other than that,
Ibis Portsmouth , which is three minutes' walk from the train
station, works out at £65 pn for a twin room, so that's £32.50 pp pn.
Bed and breakfasts (£25.00)Best place to stay - the
Market House Tavern in Portsmouth city centre. Perfect location, great price. £25 pr pn.
Another decent bet is the
Birchwood Guest House £27.50 pr pn and the
Esk Vale Guest House is good value too at £30 pr pn.
A pub guide is coming soon.
