Bristol City escape bubble for Cardiff City trip
Unpopular "bubble" restrictions have been relaxed for Bristol City's FA Cup third-round replay visit to Cardiff City next week.
Fans will be able to travel independently to the match on Tuesday, January 19.
However, fans must still purchase match vouchers in advance, which must be exchanged for tickets at Cardiff West Services (Junction 33, M4) between 6.15pm and 7pm on the day of the game.
All coaches and minibuses that arrive at Cardiff West services will then be escorted to Cardiff City Stadium by South Wales Police. Fans travelling by car will travel to Cardiff independently once they have collected their tickets.
Fans are advised against using the train, as they will still be required to get to Cardiff West Services between 6.15pm and 7pm – and Cardiff Central station is a 13-mile round trip.
City, Cardiff and Swansea supporters have been subjected to travelling restrictions in games between the clubs for several seasons and the decision to relax these will prove popular.
Bristol City group managing director Doug Harman said: "It's a step in the right direction and we welcome this initiative from Cardiff City. If everything goes smoothly then we can certainly use it as a precedent going forwards. I think we accept that the league game against Cardiff (on January 26) will be bubble for their supporters, but certainly from next season onwards we are hopeful of being able to get away from the bubble.
"If you don't make steps to break the cycle, we'll never get the restrictions lifted, so I would urge fans heading over for the replay next week to act responsibly – as I am sure they would anyway."
City have been allocated 2,000 tickets for the replay. These are priced £20 (adults), £15 (OAPs/students) and £5 (Under-16s). Disabled supporter tickets are priced £20 (carer free). CATS coaches will depart Ashton Gate at 5pm, with seats costing £13.
Match vouchers will be available to season-card holders and members from 9am today. Memberships can still be purchased from the ticket office, priced £20.
City's ticket office will be open after Saturday's game with Preston.
14 Comments
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by The Hedgehog, Horfield
Friday, January 15 2010, 12:44AM
“Jack, given that one of my best mates is a friend of Steve Landsdown and a fervent Gashead, I'd agree with both parts of what you said.
Oh dear, I've dropped myself in the fertiliser again...”
by Jack, Swansea
Thursday, January 14 2010, 11:04PM
“Neath is no part of Swansea....we don't want them!! By the way Rovers fans are better than City fans, sorry. Rovers could learn a thing or two from the City board and you Robins could learn from the Rovers fans”
by michael, southville near neath (the nice side)
Thursday, January 14 2010, 10:53PM
“alright”
by Blooobird, Neath
Thursday, January 14 2010, 10:30PM
“There's no need to bitchy just because I pointed out the fact Rovers got a bigger and more loyal away following. :)”
by michael, pound shop southville
Thursday, January 14 2010, 10:24PM
“Yeah...just as I said...you prove my point. The Jacks will always have just a tad more class. But you will never really understand that, will you!!”
by Blooobird, Neath
Thursday, January 14 2010, 9:30PM
“Ha Ha! Wind St. is a chavs paradise full of plastic chain pubs and Swansea is a semi derelict, poverty stricken dump full of pound shops and charity stores, Southville must be a right slum.
You carrot crunchers must be as jealous of Cardiff as the peg selling Jacks.”
by michael, southville similar to bits of swansea
Thursday, January 14 2010, 9:00PM
“Hedgehog say¿¿Neath? Isn't that a suburb of Swansea¿
Yeah¿bet he doesn¿t go down Castle Bailey Street and Wind Street in Swansea on a Friday night with his Blooobirds shirt on singing that now famous ytube song ¿I¿m a w****er, I¿m a w****er. Must say that Swansea FC just seems to have a bit more class about them. Nice place too.”
by The Hedgehog, Horfield
Thursday, January 14 2010, 8:43PM
“Neath? Isn't that a suburb of Swansea?”
by Blooobird, Neath
Thursday, January 14 2010, 8:26PM
“You never bring as many as Rovers to Cardiff ever, you couldn't even sell out your allocation for the play-off semi.”
by michael, still slippery southville
Thursday, January 14 2010, 6:51PM
“I have not, and never will, go on a bubble trip. Neither will I go to any game with this relatively new way of restricting the movement of football fans. This system was introduced by the West Yorkshire Police Force as a way of restricting Millwall fans travelling to watch their team play at Leeds, and has been used elsewhere since. I believe it will be used more and more in the future. It¿s stated that match tickets can be collected between 6.15pm and 7.00pm. from Cardiff West Services. From past experience elsewhere, this means from 7.00pm onwards, to give fans as little time as possible to get to the game and have to park in the club car park. Absolutely no chance of going to a pub for a pint. City fans must make their own choices, but I say, boycott.”