Chelsea fans face nightmare Man City situation as train cancellations cause havoc

Chelsea fans could be stranded in Manchester on Saturday night after their team face off against the Premier League champions. The Blues visit the Etihad Stadium for the late kick-off at 5:30pm but supporters could be left without a way home following the match.

Just over 24 hours before the game was due to start the plans of thousands of fans were thrown into doubt. Shortly after Mauricio Pochettino finished his pre-match press conference it was announced by the Met Police Football Unit on Twitter that the 8:15pm train from Manchester Piccadilly to Euston was likely to be cancelled.

The specified train was the last one making the journey back to London for travelling supporters heading back to the capital. The tweet added that Avanti West Coast, the operator, have advised those planning on using the service, to «travel via alternative means.»

The train was later confirmed as being cancelled due to illness and staff on annual leave. An Avanti West Coast response to fan queries then stated, «It seems like this may be cancelled tomorrow due to a shortage of train crew unfortunately, our team are looking into alternative options at the moment and we should have an update shortly.» The train before that has also been cancelled.

It leaves fans without a clear way back from the game. Rough timings will see the game finish at around 7:45pm (stoppage time depending). The journey to Manchester Piccadilly is around 30 minutes to walk or 10 minutes on the tram.

Even in this scenario, it would have been a push to make the 8:15pm train on time with over 50,000 supporters leaving the ground at the same time. However, the only way now to get back would involve leaving shortly after half-time.

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