F C United preview

This Tuesday night we travel to the new home of F C United. I fully expect a few Rangers fans to travel as potentially it could be our only opportunity to play them at their Broadhurst Park ground. We have played away to F C united in the past as they travelled up the leagues from their inception. Their history is well documented being formed from disgruntled fans of the Glazier takeover at Manchester United. We first came up against them following their rise from the North West Counties Leagues to gain quick promotion to the Northern Premier League, as we fell out of the Conference North. Season 2011/12 saw the away game at their temporary ground at Gigg Lane Bury and we came away with a 2-1 victory. The following season we lost 3-0. Season 2013/14 was even worse as in our relegation season we lost 4-0. Let’s hope we can reverse the trend as we visit their new stadium for the first time.

FC United currently lie 5th, within the play off paces with a home record of won 7, drawn 2 and lost 4. Apart from Lancaster, all their wins have come against bottom half sides and their 4 defeats with the exception of local derby Hyde, have come from sides in the top 6. Form guide makes interesting reading as they have 3 draws and 2 wins to our 3 draws and a win and defeat. If we can continue our fight against relegation, it could be an interesting encounter.

Hopefully, with many fans travelling on Tuesday night, you need the following essential information. Broadhurst Park is located just two miles from the centre of Manchester, postcode M40 0FJ. However, you need to be aware of parking restrictions as parking near the ground is extremely limited and you are advised not to park in restricted areas on and around St Mary’s Road, Nuthurst Rd and Moston Lane. Designated car parks are available for a charge of £5 at the ground, and for £3 at the nearby St Matthew’s School, only 3 minutes’ walk from the ground. The free shuttle busses will not be operating for this fixture. Personally, I am quite surprised by all the parking restrictions considering this is a new build ground and would certainly have had to comply with rigorous planning applications.

Once you have parked you now need to be aware of issues relating to getting into the ground. Turnstiles open at 6.30pm, but between 5.30pm and 6.30pm, fans wishing to access the Main Stand function room bar can gain admission via Main Reception by cash payment. Only two stands will be open for this game, the North and West stands will be closed for this fixture. Seating will be tight, so any fans wishing to sit in the main stand will have to reserve a seat in one block of the Main Stand on a first come first served basis, by calling the FC United office 24 hours before kick-off on 0161 769 2005. Those who have reserved seating need to collect a wristband from the FC United office accessible through the main reception on the day of the match. These wristbands will only be available until the kick-off time of the match.

So once in, let’s hope we can enjoy the game and hope for three points.

Games played on February 18 this century.
2006 Leigh H 0-0 Conference North
2012 Ashton H 1-2 Northern Premier League
2017 Workington H 3-2 Northern Premier League