FOREST AWAY: Manchester United, Sunday 17th May – Fan Guide

We are almost there. 28 away days and (almost) done. Trip 29 would have been nice but it was a step too far. The mauling at Villa was incredibly sad and frustrating but, still, Europa League semi-finalists has a nice ring to it, despite the ending still stinging a little bit.

I don’t need to tell you against how marvellous those European away days were, but I will. The 2025/26 campaign will always have a place close to my heart because it unlocked what had always been a dream of mine. I’m grateful and oh so happy I got to experience it. Seven excursions to Europe to follow the Garibaldi Reds, plus an eighth to Birmingham.

What a time we had. I thought it would be a nice place to end this final away guide of the season with a quick tour around some of my favourite aspects of the European trips.

Best Bar – There were many we frequented, and this is ridiculously hard. I think my top three would likely be Hops real ale bar in Graz, The Library ale house in Braga or the Guindalense Football Club bar in Porto. And I think the Guindalense bar steals it, despite the treacherous climb up the steps to reach it.

Best Game – Focussing on the away games only, I think it might be Fenerbahce. Blowing them away in a hell of an atmosphere was a pretty special night. And it being out in the Asian side just added to the brilliance of it. What an experience that was.

Best Away End – Midtjylland. VITOR’S! 

Best City / Town – I really was fond of them all. Porto was stunning; I really loved Graz. But for the sheer magnificence and how barmy it was, I am going to say Istanbul. What a place.

Best Moment – This isn’t as hard, if I’m honest. It was shoot-out win at Midtjylland. I just needed that moment and I’m so glad I got to see it; Forest coming from behind in Europe like the famous days of old I’d heard about. I will never forget that jubilation.

Best Overall Trip – I guess this will vary from person to person; we all had special moments and bits that stand out from each one. Seville as the first was special and I loved Graz because it felt like a proper Europa League trip. Porto was barmy and brilliant. And yet, it will be Istanbul. I loved that place and it was one away trip I managed to take my ten-year-old too. For as long as I live that trip will be one I hold dear. One day, when he’s old enough to appreciate things like that, he’ll hopefully think back with absolute joy at grabbing his old man in delight as Forest stormed to a 3-0 away win in Europe. Happy, happy days.

 

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I’ve been thinking about this for a while, and I’m sorry to say I think this will be the final away guide. I have loved doing them and I think there has been an issue for every single Forest away game since something like 2018 but they have, I’m afraid, become difficult to keep up with.

It might be that I’ll want to come back to them eventually, maybe I’ll even make them more sporadic for places with special edition guides for places we visit less often. Or maybe after a summer of rest from them I’ll have the urge to carry on. But right now I think this might be a good time to let them go, especially after a season when I got to produce the European specials and with Forest having retained their Premier League status.

They have, I guess, become quite dear to me and I have enjoyed how they have been a very tailored guide for all Forest fans to use or enjoy. They’ve got me in bother once or twice along the way when I’ve struggled to contain my feelings (Sean Dyche deserved it) but on the whole they have been really well received and I am grateful to everyone who has read them and found them helpful.

Cheers.

AWAY DAY NO.28 – MANCHESTER UNITED, SUNDAY 17^th May, 12:30pm KO

Last Visit: A wonderful 3-2 victory in December 2024. Forest’s goal scorers were Nikola Milenkovic, Morgan Gibbs-White and Chris Wood. I can still see that looping header somehow just dropping in at the back post.

Famous Visit: A few contenders, including last season’s brilliant win, but I will go for the fantastic 2-1 victory in 1994/95 which ended United’s long unbeaten run at Old Trafford. Goals came from Stuart Pearce and Stan Collymore.

Away End: As usual, we will be accommodated in the corner of the West Stand. There is a small overspill section to the left in the Alex Ferguson Stand. If you have tickets in here be warned you have no access to the main away section and turnstiles are away from the main entrance area.

Sunglasses / Hat Requirement: It’s not too bad at Old Trafford during the day from memory but I wouldn’t go against taking them. 7/10.

TRAVEL

RAIL: I was notified earlier this week that trains will halt at Stockport and a bus replacement will run from there to Manchester. The first train out of Nottingham departs at 08:30 and arrives in at 11:55, too late really to be making kick-off in good time. A better plan would be to get to Derby and make the 08:25, or the same service from Chesterfield at 08:43, which arrives into Manchester Piccadilly at 10:25. But note there is still the same need for a the replacement bus from Stockport. Unfortunately it’s the same result if trying to head west via Crewe.

There are, however, uninterrupted trains back which don’t rely on a bus. Services direct from Piccadilly to Nottingham are typically at 43 minutes past the hour. A standard day return is around £31.

To reach Old Trafford from Piccadilly or the city centre I’d recommend using the metro service. Old Trafford has a dedicated metro stop and it’s pretty easy, although inevitably does get very busy.

ROAD: Roads should hopefully be pretty clear on a Sunday morning. You’ll likely know the best route but the A50/M6, using the A610 out via Crich and through Macclesfield, or the A616 via Glossop are all generally good routes. But if taking the latter it will possibly try and drag you across the city centre to reach Old Trafford when it might be easier to just stick to the M60 Ring Road and head around outskirts.

STREET PARKING – For the League Cup semi-final in 2023 we found some decent street parking on a housing estate about a mile south of the ground. Look at the areas around Seymour Grove (use Seymour Park School if you want to search for a local landmark) and there should be options around there. We used Brooks Road in 2023 and it was really good for getting away afterwards, although I am conscious that street parking near major stadiums usually gets swallowed up by permit parking eventually and it may prove much busier for a league match. This said, I did suggest this for the league game in a previous guide and received some good feedback from people who parked there without issue.

SALFORD QUAYS – There is usually parking in this area north of Old Trafford. I don’t know any specific street parking although I have heard it exists; but there are various paid parking which offers a reliable option. We used the Holiday Inn for the game just after Christmas in 2022. A bit further up is the Premier Inn which looks like it has parking options too.

METRO STOPS – For the game last season we parked at East Didsbury and it was really simple. It’s situated south of the city and isn’t far from the M60 / M56 interchange. It avoids a lot of the city centre traffic and wasn’t too bad a walk to and from Old Trafford. The tram back to the car was very, very busy but it was a decent run home from there.

There is also Altrincham metro which I’ve not used before but I’ve been told it’s pretty handy. This is a bit further out of town and probably suits the A50 / M6 route best.

PUBS

There are not any away pubs near Old Trafford and official advice will be to drink around Piccadilly. There are certainly lots of fine options around here – The Piccadilly Tavern and the Waldorf are good choices very close to Piccadilly Station and a bit further down there is a Wetherspoons. I’d also recommend the Crafty Pig, tucked up a side street from the main square, but there is no shortage of options, especially if you have the time to wander a bit further. Just allow plenty of time to get a tram.

Closer to the ground, there are some options in Salford Quays which may serve away fans better. For the aforementioned cup game, we drank at the Quadrant which is handily placed for the street parking option above. Although I do rather suspect admission for away fans may be harder for a league game.

Safe travels to Manchester.

See you there.

Up the Reds!!

Matt