Walsall: Away Day Guide for Bradford City fans

Bantams fans will be nervous and excited for their crunch relegation clash at Walsall, knowing a victory could pull them above their hosts and possibly out of the mire - at least for the time being.

With much riding on the tie, you can bet there will be plenty of City fans making the trip to the midlands to watch it.

Here at the T&A, we've got you covered.

From travel times and routes, to the best boozers - this Away Day guide will give you everything you need and we'll be doing this for every forthcoming Bantams trip.

We've even got a handy interactive map which incorporates everything we mention including routes (trains and car), parking spots, and drinking holes for away fans (see further below).

GROUND

Venue: Banks's Stadium

Capacity: 11,300

Address: Bescot Crescent, Walsall, WS1 4SA

TICKETS

Prices: £20.50 for adults, £15.50 for over 60s and under 18s and a family ticket is £22.50 (one adult and one junior).

One extra junior ticket can be bought as part of the family ticket for £11.

Tickets can be purchased at Valley Parade or online, other than family tickets which must be purchased directly from Walsall's ticket office.

Any tickets not collected from Valley Parade by Friday, February 22 can be collected at Banks's Stadium.

Tickets bought on the day can cost up to £2 more.

Away fans are situated in the University of Wolverhampton stand behind one goal and around 2,000 fans can fit in there.

TRAVEL

The main concern for the big day is how to get there, how long it will take to get there, and where on earth you're going to park.

Train:

This one couldn't be easier.

The Bescot Stadium (the ground's traditional name) Railway Station is only a two minute walk away from the gates.

As is usually the case, you'll need to get to Leeds Railway Station first of all.

From here, you'll want a train to Birmingham New Street which takes just under two hours (if you get one without any changes).

Then from Birmingham New Street it's as simple as hopping on the line for Walsall, before getting off after 23 minutes and 7 stops at the Bescot Stadium stop.

A one-way adult ticket costs £3.50 for that part of the journey.

The walk from the station to the ground involves crossing over the River Tame and under the M6 onto Bescot Crescent where you'll see the ground.

By car:

There's a few options with this trip, depending on what suits you best.

Banks's Stadium is only a mile from Junction 9 of the M6, so pretty accessible.

You could go for the M1 then onto either the A38 and then the M6 southbound, or the A42 then onto the M42 before joining the M6 northbound.

But the quickest (and probably easiest) route, at least from T&A Towers, is to use the M62 to get onto the M6 southbound.

It's a journey that will roughly take two hours and 17 minutes.

From the M606, you'll want to merge onto the M62 which will then eventually turn into the M60.

You'll want to stay on here until Junction 12 where you use the left two lanes to exit towards Birmingham/Chester/M6/M62.

Then continue on the M62 until Junction 10 where you'll need to use the left two lanes to take the M6 southbound exit to Birmingham.

After around 60 miles you'll need to take the M6 exit to Birmingham/M5 at Junction 11A - careful here, because you could quite easily carry on the same road and not know any different.

Then at Junction 9 take the A461 exit to Wednesbury.

At the big roundabout, take the first exit onto Bescot Road (A461) and at the second it's the third exit onto Wallows Lane (A4148).

It's a right onto Bescot Crescent from there and then your second left (after Matalan and Tubs & Tiles) where the stadium will be on your right.

PARKING

There is parking at the stadium, with green, red and blue zone.

It's important to note though that the green zone car park is locked for two hours after the final whistle.

It costs £4 per car, £6 per minibus and £12 per coach and there are free parking facilities for cyclists.

Parking is also available at the nearby Bescot Stadium Railway Station and costs £2 (see below for walking directions from there).

PUBS

There's a few options in and around the ground, as well as the usual facilities in the stadium itself.

Two names in particular kept cropping up when researching this guide.

King George V: This one is around 14 minutes from the ground, situated on Wallows Lane (the road you use to get in by car). It's said that this drinking hole can get quite busy but has a decent atmosphere.

Park Inn Hotel: Not exactly a pub but it's basically right outside the away end and has a bar with Sky Sports on offer.

Sir Charles Napier: A 12 minute walk from the stadium, you'll want to head north on Bescot Crescent and carry on straight and then a slight right onto Milton Street. This is a cash only pub though.

*New Fullbrook: This one is mentioned by the club's official website, but some sources say it's to be avoided by away fans. Either way, it's an 18 minute walk away and has a 4.1 star rating from 15 reviews.

TEASER

As part of each guide we will put to you a trivia poser about the side City will face, or their ground.

Walsall's badge features a flying bird, but what is that bird?