Well we didn’t have the best result for our first away match, but it is fair to say that we were a little unlucky against Chelsea. We have another tough match up next, against Manchester City. Manchester City have had good start to their season with two convincing wins, but as we know from last season, anything can happen. With nearly 3000 hardcore West Ham fans cheering the team on, to quote a Will Young song – Anything Is Possible! (I know I am really showing my age and the fact I am female with that reference).

General Information:

Capacity:

55,097

Address:

Ashton New Road, Manchester M11 3FF

 Seating

Away fans are located in one central block of the South Stand behind the goal. The views are pretty good as there are no support beams and leg room isn’t too bad either…. although I’m sure most of you will be standing! Home and away fans are pretty close to each other, so if you are near the away fans, expect a lot of ‘banter’.

Travel

Directions/Parking

From Stratford it takes approximately four hours by car.

The Stadium is extremely accessible from all major highways. As you reach Manchester, follow the signs for SportCity. The postcode for your sat nav is: M11 3FF.

Leave the M6 at Junction 19 and take the A556 towards Stockport and then join the M56 going towards Stockport. Keep right at the fork to stay on M56, follow signs for A5103/City Centre/M60 N & W/M62 W/M61. At the roundabout, take the third exit onto Mancunian Way/A5103. At the next roundabout, take the second exit onto the A57(M) slip road to Ring Road/Ashton-u-Lyne/A635/Sheffield/A57/Piccadilly. Merge onto A57(M). Follow Mancunian Way/A635, Every St and Ashton New Rd/A662 to Rowsley St.

Parking is available at the ground at £10.00 per car or £20.00 for a minibus, but this can be a bit of nightmare when leaving. A cheaper and most probably quicker option is to park in one of the number of unofficial carparks along the main roads, this will cost you around £5.00 – £7.00 per vehicle.

Parking spaces also available here: https://www.justpark.com/uk/parking/etihad-stadium

Train/Taxi/Walking

The best option is to board the Metrolink from Manchester Piccadilly, take G tram to Etihad Campus, Joe Mercer Way, Sportcity. This takes just over five minutes and is then only another five-minute walk to the away section. A return ticket costs £3 for adults and £1.40 for children.

Plan your journey by train here – https://my.tfgm.com/#/planner/ or https://www.thetrainline.com

There is also a regular bus service or you can take a taxi direct to the stadium, which again is only five minutes away.

You can also walk to the ground from Manchester Piccadilly, there is a safe, well-lit and signposted route. Just follow the ‘City Link’ signs, it will take approximately half an hour to walk and the same route will be operational at the end of the match, with stewards on hand to direct you.

Food/Drink

There aren’t many options to drink near the stadium, as most are for home fans only. It is best to avoid these altogether and a better option is to drink near Piccadilly or Victoria.

The Printworks is near Victoria and is quite a popular drinking place for away fans. There is also The Green, The Waldorf and Wetherspoons right near Piccadilly station. In fact, you shouldn’t find it difficult to find anywhere to eat and drink in this area.

Outside the ground is the Summerbee Bar, it is family-friendly and offers a selection of food and drink, including burgers, pizza, curry, rice and steaks.

If you are one of the brilliantly dedicated fans travelling up to Manchester this weekend, then make sure you try and find our West Ham Way TV presenter Baz – hopefully you and Baz will have something to cheer about this time!

@flump9 – Twitter

 

*Details correct at the time of writing this article.