We now that Saturday’s fourth round FA Cup tie will involve a trip to Accrington Stanley. The kick-off has been brought forward to 12.30 so that the BBC can delight the nation with live coverage, and I will watching from behind the sofa.

Stanley’s home is about a mile to the north of the town centre and used to be known as the Crown Ground, but now goes under the delightful name of the ‘Wham Stadium’. Despite the inevitable 80s pop jokes now popping up on social media it has nothing to do with George Michael et al, having been renamed thanks to a three-year £200,000 sponsorship deal with What More UK Ltd.

The quickest way to drive will be to take the M62 as far as junction 18, then head north on the M66. Two miles north of the point where this becomes the A56 you need to be ready to take the slip road off to the left, else you’ll end up in Rawenstall. After another three miles a roundabout gives you the chance to take the direct route on the A680, skirting the town centre following signs to Clitheroe (still on the A680). There is also one of those brown signs with a football on it if you need extra help.

The alternative avoids driving right across the town, but it’s a bit of a long way round. Stay on the A56 till it meets the M65, then go west along the motorway for one junction. At the roundabout at the end of the slip road take the third exit (s/p Clitheroe) and go right at the next set of lights towards Padiham.

It’s right again at the next lights, and you’ll have gone round in a circle when you pass over the motorway, but it’s only another half a mile down this road. If I was going to be modern and give you the postcode for Sat Nav purposes I would tell you that it’s BB5 5BX. There aren’t too many options for parking, as the club car park at the ground will soon fill up, otherwise there is just street parking.

On one occasion I was passing through on a train (heading for one of our games at Blackburn, I think) and the guard said “put your watches back to 1963, we are now approaching Accrington”. At least it has a direct service from Leeds, leaving at 08.57 or 09.57 and taking about an hour and a quarter. On the way back there is one at 15.13 and every hour after that.

Once you leave the station you need to walk down the slope and head for the big roundabout beneath the viaduct, then head over to Milnshaw Lane exit on the opposite side. The next section is a bit of a climb, but you’ll make it. At the top of this road turn left onto the main Whalley Road. After nearly a mile you need to cross a mini roundabout and take the next right into Livingstone Road to get to the away end.

Drinking options at the ground are the Club Sports Bar, called Redz, and the Crown pub, which is practically next door. Both usually admit visiting fans, but it remains to be seen if they will do so when we’re in town. And for big games they provide the extra excitement of a fan zone at the ground. Another option if you’re coming up from the town centre is the Grey Horse Hotel on Whalley Road, with the Whalley Road fish bar opposite if you need a pre-match takeaway.

The original Accrington Stanley played about a mile away at Peel Park near the Burnley Road, but r they went bust in 1962, and the reformed club had to seek new premises once they were able to start playing again in August 1970. For the first couple of decades the Crown Ground was rather primitive, but when local businessman Eric Whalley bought the club in 1995 he began to make improvements, and all four sides of the current ground have been rebuilt since then.

The usual away allocation is 1,800 on the open Coppice Terrace at one end (don’t worry, the forecast is cloudy but not raining) and 500 covered seats in the Eric Whalley Stand to the side. But we’ve been given 2,632 tickets in total (out of an overall capacity of 5,450) so we might be getting all of this stand rather than just half of it. They cost £25 for adults, with concessions from £5 to £20, and you’ll have needed to have been to at least 15 away games last season to have much chance of getting one.

They normally sell home tickets on line, but aren’t doing so for this game, presumably to minimise the risk of us sneaking into the wrong part of the ground. So if you’re desperate to see the game this way you will need to visit their ticket office in person and try to persuade them to sell you one. Though it probably isn’t worth it now the match is on telly.

Enjoy!

Some of this stuff came from www.footballgroundguide.com .

Photo: Action Images

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