Our eagerly-anticipated FA Cup tie at Manchester City is at 2pm on Sunday, and once again we’re live on ESPN.

The City of Manchester stadium is helping to rejuvenate what was once a post-industrial wasteland, about a mile to the east of the city centre. By car you need to take the M60 round the eastern side of the city to junction 23, then the A635 towards the city centre, forking right onto the A662 soon afterwards and following this road for a couple of miles until the stadium looms up in front of you.

City's official website warns that a residents only parking scheme is in force in the streets nearest the stadium which will be strictly enforced, which apparently means that your motor could be clamped or towed away if you dared to leave it here. They have 2,000 parking spaces at the stadium and 8,000 more spaces in officially accredited car parks nearby, at a cost of £10, although there are several unofficial car parks around which are cheaper and quicker to clear after the game.

It's about 20 minute walk from the main Piccadilly railway station, and if you’re heading this way  you need to follow the walking route signposted to "Sportcity". If you can’t raise the energy to walk there are plenty of bus  routes from the city centre, which are the 185, 186, 230, 231, 232, 233, 234, 235, 236, 237, X36 and X37.

A new line of the Metrolink tram system running eastwards from the city centre to Droylesden has finally openend, having originally been planned as long ago as the Commonwealth games in 2002. Still, better late than never. The trams from Piccadilly run every 12 minutes and an adult return to the Ethihad Campus stop costs £2.90.

The nearest railway station is Ashburys, which is just 1 stop from Piccadilly, but trains from Leeds pass though without stopping, so you would need to continue to Piccadilly and get a local train back out again. After the game they try to limit the number of fans using this station to prevent overcrowding.

There aren’t a great deal of pubs around the stadium, and the few that are there look a bit rough and are predominantly for home support. However, 'The Stanley' (aka Sports Bar) pub does let in away fans in small numbers. It is about a ten minute walk away from the stadium, just set back from the main A6010 (Pottery Lane), going towards Ashburys train station.

It might be a better idea to drink in the city centre, although if you want to pay over £3 a pint for fizzy lager you can always get a drink inside the stadium.

During the Commonwealth games the capacity was 38,000, but since the track was removed they have created a new tier of seating by taking the pitch down to a lower level, and have also built a new stand at the northern end. So the stadium now holds 48,000 and is designed so that each and every one of them is within 100m of the centre spot. It was funded by the city council, with the help of a £77m lottery grant from Sport England.

Thankfully adult tickets for this game will cost  a mere £20 as it’s a cup game, as in the league they can cost up to £51 for the big games. Our section is in the north-eastern corner and I'm told that none of the seats have bad or obstructed views.

Away fans are get one side of the South Stand at one end of the ground, in both the upper and lower tiers, where the usual allocation is up to 3,000 for league games, but this rises to 4,500 in the cup. The game is now a complete sell-out for both home and away fans, so clearly We are not famous any more!

The Club have announced ambitious plans in partnership with Manchester City Council and New East Manchester, to re-develop the area around the stadium. Detailed plans have yet to be announced but they hope to increase capacity  by adding an additional tier to both ends.

Many thanks to City fans Phill Gatenby and Phil Holme for their help in compiling this piece, and there is also a bit from www.footballgroundguide.com .

Photo: Action Images

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