All up Wigan this Saturday as QPR hunt their first away win in more than a year, and first win of this season at the fifteenth attempt. If you're daft enough to want to join them, here's how…
Ground Name: DW Stadium
Capacity: 25,023
Address: Loire Drive , Wigan , WN5 0UZ
Telephone: 01942 774 000
Box Office: 0871 663 3552
Click on the map to zoom in or out and move around.
This late in the day (apologies for the guide being published later than usual) trains up the Virgin operated West Coast Mainline are going to be very expensive. Indeed a quick check of the direct services from London Euston to Wigan North Western only brought up the £74.20 standard return fare. There are two stations in Wigan though (literally right next door to each other) and a few ways to play around with this trip to get the cost down. There are still returns to Manchester Piccadilly kicking around for £65 with a £4 return available from there to Wigan Wallgate. Or you can brave the frequently stationary but nonetheless very cheap London Midland service to Crewe (with a journey time of three hours but a cost of just £8 at 0624, £12 at 0746 or £14 at 0846), then back in the evening on Virgin for £25 at 18.25 (pushing it) or £34.50 (19.51) with a £14.20 open return available from there to Wigan – potentially as low as £47.20 return if you weren't keeping track.
The guide says the ground is a taxi or bus ride away and takes at least 20 minutes to walk but I'm not having it. I'm sure it didn't take us that long last season and it was teeming with rain at the time so won't have felt short by accident. Come out of North Western and turn left, or Wallgate and turn right, and walk down the high street under the railway bridge. Take the third right down Miry Lane and then follow that through the industrial park until you reach a cul-de-sac on your left with a steel bridge over the canal at the end of it – this should be obvious with a stream of people heading over it to the match. The ground is clearly visible from there.
The club coach leaves Loftus Road at 8am and the Target Roundabout at 8.30am priced £32 for adults, £21 for seniors and young adults, £19 for under 16s and season ticket holders get the usual discounts. The LSA coach leaves the Springbok at 8am but is now sold out.
Always a cheap day out this one – adults £20, seniors £15, juniors £5, and disabled or ambulant disabled tickets the same with a free carer. Rangers have 2,000 to sell in advance and basically as many as they want to flog on the day given the colossal size of the away end.
Links >>> Official website >>> Detailed ground guide