Shrewsbury Town in coach parking plea as Lincoln 'park the bus' at Wembley
Shrewsbury Town have called for common sense to prevail after it was revealed fans would not be able to park near Wembley – because Lincoln City have taken all the spaces.
Shrews coaches will instead be parked on another official Wembley car park at an industrial estate just under a mile away from the ground – and fans will have a 10-15 minute walk to the stadium for the Checkatrade Trophy Final on April 8.
Lincoln City qualified for the final first and snapped up all the spaces at the stadium.
The Shrewsbury Town Official Supporters Club said on their Facebook page: “We, as the Official Supporters Club, have had information that, as it stands, no Shrewsbury Town supporters coaches will be parking at Wembley Stadium.
“We have only found this out today. We will be parked on an industrial estate approximately one mile walk to the stadium. This applies to all coaches including one’s organised from pubs.
“Lincoln have all the coach parking at the stadium. There is restricted parking due to work being carried out. We want to let people know who may have difficulty walking that distance.”
Fans have taken to social media saying that this puts them at a disadvantage to Lincoln City supporters who have had an head start after securing their place in the final a month before Town's win over Yeovil.
Club chief executive Brian Caldwell said he had spoken to officials at Wembley and was hoping a solution could be found.
He said: “When I first heard about this I contacted Wembley and asked them what was going on,” he said. “They explained to me that this is one of the official car parks and is 0.8 of a mile from the ground. It is a 10-15 minute walk.
"I know that for some this will be problematic and so I have asked if there is possibility of a drop-off and pick-up point. Hopefully there will be some common sense.“The decision about car parking is taken for logistical reasons.”
Meanwhile, scheduled rail works on cup final day between Shrewsbury and Birmingham New Street have now been postponed. Arriva Trains Wales had arranged for replacement bus services to be laid on but Network Rail cancelled the work after the issue was raised by the Shropshire Star. Trains will now be running as normal and there is also the option to travel via Crewe.
