British Transport Police have announced that all Virgin services heading north from London Euston on Sunday from 4.37pm onwards will be 'dry'.
Kick-off at Wembley is scheduled for 2pm.
A statement on the BTP website read: "Officers, together with our partners in the rail industry, will focus on ensuring the safe travel of Sunderland and Manchester City fans, together with other passengers, on the rail network into and out of London, and to Wembley Stadium station.
"Around 40,000 fans are expected to make their way to Wembley to watch the game on Sunday 2 March, with a significant number of them using trains to reach the venue for the 2pm kick off.
"Officers will be at stations and on board trains alongside travelling fans on the way to and from London to answer any questions passengers may have and to provide up-to-the-minute information and general safety and travel advice.
"All fans should be aware of the following travel advice and information provided by train operators."
WEMBLEY STADIUM
What Is It Like For Supporters?
Seeing Wembley for the first time, you can't help but be impressed with the sheer quality of the place. From escalators to transport fans up to the top tier to the 'landscaped concourse, you can see that no expense has been spared. Although not the most generous of leg room that I have come across, it is still more than adequate and there is good height between rows. Add to this that there literally is not a bad seat in the house (even seats at the very top of the upper tier have excellent views) and with the roofs of the stadium being situated very close to the crowd, then a full house should generate an excellent atmosphere. The top tier (Level 5) is particularly steep, which may cause a few to be a bit short of breadth as they reach the top, but at least this angle ensures that the spectators are kept as close to the playing action as they possibly can be.
Whereas most concourses in new stadiums so far built in this country are normally rather drab affairs, with a combination of breeze blocks and cladded piping, being predominantly on view, at Wembley it is different. For once someone has had the vision to hide these ugly features, with timber rafting and well positioned lighting, giving a modern stylish look. Apparently there is one refreshment till per 100 spectators in the stadium. Whether that is a good or bad ratio, in terms of queuing times, remains to be seen. The catering is provided by the same American company who also supply and run the catering at Arsenal. Prices have always been historically expensive at Wembley and the new stadium certainly follows in the tradition here; Various pies £4.50 (which although expensive are excellent), Stonebaked Pizza (£4.30), Foot Long Hot Dog (£5.40), Mexican style Nachos (£4.50), Chicken Dippers (£6), plus you can have a Pie & Pint for £8.30. The concourses themselves are mostly fairly spacious, have betting facilities provided by BetFred, a number of flat screened televisions, as well as a programme (nicely put in a carrier bag for you to carry home) and merchandise outlets.
Where To Drink?
There are not many pubs located close to the stadium. The few pubs that are close by such as; J.J. Moons (Wetherspsoon), the Green Man (both near Wembley Stadium station) and the Torch (near Wembley Park tube station), are usually heaving many hours before kick off. On the nearby Wembley Retail Park there is Moore Spice 1966, which although being primarily a restaurant has a large separate drinking area which admits fans on matchday. I should point out that most of the pubs mentioned above will designate themselves as only allowing entrance to their premises for fans of one club or another who are playing at Wembley on that day. So if you intend going early and intend visiting one of these pubs, I would recommend telephoning them in advance to check whether your team's supporters are being allowed admittance.
Most fans tend to either drink in the centre of London before the game, or have drink near one of the London Underground stations located north of the stadium such as Harrow on the Hill or further afield such as Watford Junction or Ruislip. I have tended to drink in Harrow on the Hill, which is three stops away from Wembley Park on the tube and has a handy Wetherspoons and an O'Neills outlet, plus a number of other pubs and eating outlets. The good thing too is that if you park out in this direction, then after the game you are heading way from the masses who are normally heading back in the direction of Central London. Alternatively, alcohol is sold within the stadium in the form of; Carling, Carlsberg, Tetley's (all £4.70 a pint), Red & White wine (187ml bottle £4.50), Smirnoff Ice (275ml bottle £4.80) and various spirits (pre-mixed £5.50).
How To Get There And Where To Park
The stadium has been labelled as a 'public transport' destination, meaning that there is limited parking available at the stadium itself and there is also a residents only parking scheme in operation in the local area. The pricing and availability of stadium parking varies per event. More information and bookings can be made on the CSP website.
The stadium is well signposted from the end of the M1 & M40. Basically the stadium is just off the A406 North Circular Road.
From the M1:
At the roundabout at the end of the M1, tirn rigght onto the A406 (North Circular/West Wembley). Continue along the A406 for a couple of miles and then after crossing a metal suspended bridge, you will pass a McDonalds on your left. At the traffic lights with an Ikea Store on one corner bear left onto Drury Way. Keeping the Ikea store on your right go straight across the next two roundabouts. You will pass a Tesco petrol station on your right and then at the traffic lights turn left into Grand Central Avenue (B4557). The stadium is at the end of this road.
I would recommend parking at one of the tube stations at the end of the Metropolitan line such as Uxbridge, Hillingdon or Ruislip or at Stanmore on the Jubilee line and then take the tube to Wembley Park.
By Train/Tube
The nearest underground station is Wembley Park which is around a ten minute walk from the stadium. This is served by both the Jubilee & Metropolitan lines, although it is best to take the latter as it has less stops. Wembley Central is slightly further away from the stadium and has both rail & underground connections. This underground station is served by the Bakerloo line, whilst the railway station is on the London Euston-Milton Keynes line. The nearest train station is Wembley Stadium which is on the London Marylebone-Birmingham line.
MANCHESTER CITY-MAD
Are regular daily updates on MC-Mad have given us high attendance figures in recent weeks, with as many as 10,000 fans using this website on good days.
But it has been a one-way street, with very little activity on our message board.
We are desperate to read what YOU have to say about YOUR club; and perhaps get a good community going.
PLEASE will you register - get things off your chest - and help us build this website up to the level the fans deserve.
http://boards.footymad.net/forum.php?tno=355
It won't happen overnight, we understand that, but let's give it a go.
Our thanks to you.
From the City-Mad team - Kev, Richie and Julia.
