what time was that though? as the afternoon went on i was getting texts from friends at birchwood and padgate telling horror stories.

I got 11.50 train out and was sometime after 9 back.

No dramas for us. Mini bus last year from the Dog at 1230 back in Warrington for 9pm. Saying that we have done that for that last 8 years regardless of who gets to the final!

went by coach last year was back in warrington half 9 and back in conny club..only snag was with being dropped off near the ground you are limited with the pubs around there..any one recomend any decent pubs within a stones throw from the ground

Tips for getting the train from a regular user of them to attend football/rugby matches:

Unless you're going at the crack of dawn DON'T try and go from Padgate or Birchwood. It will be full from Central and you won't get on. Get a bus or train into town first and have a look at the queue at Central. If it's massive go from Bank Quay.

On the way home DON'T try and avoid central Manchester by going from Trafford Park. The trains will be full from Manchester and you won't get on. Just go to Manchester. The easiest way of getting there is from the MUFC train station behind the South Stand. You'll be at Oxford Road in less than ten minutes.

Once in Manchester DON'T try and get on at Oxford Road or Deansgate. Unless we've lost and you've left a few minutes early to beat the rush, the train will be full from Piccadilly and you won't get on. Go there. If you're at Oxford Road just jump on a Piccadilly bound train - it will take two minutes.

Some sneaky tips to get on at Piccadilly:

If you're approaching Platform 14 and there's a massive queue waiting to go to Warrington, tell the guard you're getting on the next train at Platform 13. Unless they're being ultra vigilant checking tickets (which they weren't last year because they had too many crowds to be bothered) they'll let you go straight past. Walk down the steps to Platform 13 then just turn around when you get down there and cross on to Platform 14, thus skipping the queue.

If it's an absolute nightmare at Piccadilly though, one alternative option is to jump on the next train to Stockport from there. There's loads of them and the journey takes five minutes. Once at Stockport just get on the next East Midlands train to Liverpool. It will stop in Manchester and Warrington on the way, and you'll be sitting comfortably in your seat when the mass pile on at Piccadilly starts.

Have fun!

Don't know what they'd be like on Grand Final day, but there's quite a few to select from. Tollgate, Gorse Hill, The Trafford, Sam Platts, The Quadrant, Railway club, Bishops Blaize, Stretford Ex Servicemans, Trafford Hall Hotel or The Pomana Palace which is a bit further out towards Manchester but could be used if you want to do a pub crawl from Manchester to Old Trafford.

On advice from Man U fan, drove last year and paid £10 to park in industrial estate about 5 minutes walk from ground. Was back home, changed, and 'destressing' in the local by 9pm (and yes, I stayed to clap both teams off, even though the Leeds team looked totally baffled by being applauded by Wire fans).

Mates who insisted they couldn't go the game and not have a drink so went by train, finally got home between midnight and 2am dependent on what train they could squeeze onto.

You'd think, dealing with 75k crowds on at least 20 times a year, the public transport around OT would be geared up for such things ..... but then you'd be assuming they give a how much hassle fans go through to get to / from a match.

They're not used to dealing with thousands of fans all going to to one place though are they? There's four trains an hour from Manchester to Warrington Central and another one or two to Bank Quay, but if there's 10,000 people wanting to board them it's not a normal situation.

That's why if you're one of those 10,000 you need to think outside the box and follow my advice. Just turning up at Birchwood or Trafford Park thinking a train is due so no problem is naivety in the extreme.

Am I right in saying no team has ever won with its fans in the Stretford End?

Last year we left five minutes after the hooter and were in the looking glass a couple of minutes after half 8. Not many people seemed to know about the trains to OT halt.

Back on topic:

Those who bought tickets from RFL last year; where did you end up seated? My understanding was that the club got the pre-printed WU/WL blocks behind the sticks so you could only buy those from the ground when they went on sale on the Sunday. Weren't the RFL ones only for the upper tier or North/South stands?

edit: Just checked RFL site for this year and the WL101-106 & WU201-208 blocks are not available ...... the family area is, but only in the corner bit.

It always amazes me how many people don't know about that. I'm going to Old Trafford tomorrow night and planning to use that station, but still I have mates who have been enough times before to know better talking about the tram.

One year after a United/Liverpool match I was in a pub by Oxford Road and text my mate asking where he was and his response was "In the queue at the tram stop" - he's been there ten times as many times as I have!

After the Grand Final last year we left a couple of minutes before the end and walked straight into the station and on to a train. The rest of those who did the same got straight on a train to Warrington at Oxford Road, but I was in Manchester for a while and saw the chaos that came later both there and Piccadilly.

Even if you're elsewhere in Manchester earlier in the day and get the tram to the ground in the first place, the train is still by far the best way to get back. It'll probably be free (it was last year) but even if you have to pay, you'll be spending about three quid and avoiding a lot of hassle at the tram stops.

Just takes a bit of research, but as you say most arrive like headless chickens then blame Northern Rail/Manchester United/RFL/Richard Lewis/ClubCall/Eddie Hemmings. (Delete as appropriate.

I am lucky in that I am a 15 minute walk from Sankey, so we don't have to worry, although I usually head over to Manchester some time in the morning before there are any crowds. From what I can remember less than 20 people got on the train to OT at Oxford Road, yet by all accounts people were ramming themselves onto the trams.

I guess I am lucky in that I travel to most games on the train so am used to it.

If the hassle is too much for some, stay at home and watch it on the tele.

If you want hassle, try getting from Hull to Featherstone on a Sunday! Nipping down the road to Old Trafford is a breeze.