The Football Association has come under criticism for scheduling two of its FA Cup quarter-final ties this month at kick-off times that make it impossible for fans of the away clubs involved – Chelsea and Everton – to travel to the match by train.
Train timetables and engineering work mean that Everton fans cannot get to Selhurst Park on time for their lunchtime kick-off in London on March 20. Chelsea fans will not be able to get back from Middlesbrough the previous day when their late kick-off at the Riverside is concluded.
There will also be travel problems for Liverpool and Manchester City fans returning to the northwest by train after their ties, respectively against Nottingham Forest and Southampton.
Only one of the four ties scheduled across the weekend of March 19-20 – City’s visit to Southampton – kicks off at 3pm, and that is on the Sunday which means that City’s travelling support from the north-west face a long journey home if the game goes to extra-time.
Chelsea fans have reacted in disbelief to the 5.15pm kick-off time away at Middlesbrough on Saturday March 19, broadcast live on the BBC, which means that no away fans will be able to travel back from the match by train on the same day. The last train from Middlesbrough back to London’s King’s Cross – via Leeds – leaves at 6.21pm, shortly after the start of the second half.
On the following day, March 20, there are no trains scheduled to leave Liverpool’s Lime Street station in time for Everton fans to reach Selhurst Park for the 12.30pm kick-off that day, broadcast live on ITV. The train service run by Avanti West Coast is advertising its first train into London’s Euston station as arriving at 12.11pm, which will not give Everton fans the hour needed to make their way to Selhurst Park in south-east London.
The journey time from Lime Street to Euston is more than four hours on that day because of planned engineering work by Network Rail. Avanti West Coast has had to reroute services via Manchester that day because of the work, that was scheduled some time ago.
The latest Cup schedule was announced on Monday evening before Nottingham Forest’s tie with Huddersfield Town that completed the fifth-round fixtures – even though the teams in other ties were played around one week ago.
The Chelsea Supporters’ Trust criticised the decision by the FA and the broadcasters to take so long over the scheduling of the ties.
The CST board member Dan Silver said there had been “zero consideration for fans”. “Broadcasters are so slow to publicise the dates and kick-off times of games. It doesn’t leave anyone much time to organise special train services for the fans. They [broadcasters and FA] say they love the fans but they don’t seem to care.”
For many years, Chelsea have helped their own travelling fans by organising cut-price coach travel to away games for season ticket holders and members for £10 per person.
Manchester City play away at Southampton in their FA Cup fifth round tie on March 20 with a 3pm kick-off meaning that they too could be at the mercy of train timetables if the game goes to extra-time and penalties. So too Liverpool fans leaving Nottingham where their tie against Forest on the same day kicks off at 6pm.
The last train back to Liverpool’s Lime Street that day departs Nottingham at 8.24pm, giving fans around half an hour to get to the railway station – providing the tie is settled within 90 minutes.
A FA spokesperson said: ‘All televised Emirates FA Cup matches are scheduled in collaboration with the clubs, the local authorities, the police and the host broadcasters.”
It is understood that Everton’s tie with Palace had to be scheduled on Sunday March 20 because of Everton’s Premier League game against Newcastle United three days earlier. It was scheduled at 12.30pm so as not to clash with the tie between Southampton and Man City.
