Life in the fast lane...
Why Bluebirds will have to go that little bit further in their bid for the top next term
CARDIFF City fans might well be rooting for Millwall in the League One play-off final if they want to keep long away trips to a minimum next season.
The same logic applies to the Championship play-offs, where Bluebirds fans will want Reading to stay in the division.
Millwall face Bradford City in the League One showpiece game on Saturday, with Jaap Stam’s Reading favourites to win the Championship play-off final after defeating Fulham in the semi-final.
The relegation of Sunderland, Middlesbrough and Hull City to the Championship means Cardiff fans will have to travel further than any other away supporters over the course of next season.
Sunderland’s Stadium of Light is a mammoth 620-mile round trip and Boro’s Riverside Stadium isn’t much closer, meaning the Bluebirds’ travelling contingent could be spending a long time on the road next term.
They’ll just hope for (relatively) short trips to Reading and Millwall instead of long hikes up north.
Manager Neil Warnock has regularly lauded the Cardiff away following during his time in charge, although recent stats from Football League zone revealed Cardiff had the third lowest away following in the league last season, taking an average of 849 fans to each away match.
That may have owed to the long distances Bluebirds fans had to travel. They trekked an average 179.74 miles to watch their side play, with only Newcastle United (210.22 miles) and Brighton & Hove Albion (194.30 miles) going further. With both of those sides promoted to the Premier League, Cardiff may now have the unluckiest away fans, whose bills for petrol and train tickets will grow next season.
If Bradford claim promotion from League One, another 240-mile round trip awaits.
And the confirmed promotion of Sheffield United and Bolton Wanderers into the Championship has only made matters worse — though Bluebirds fans probably won’t miss going to Blackburn Rovers, Wigan Athletic or Rotherham.
But they might be ruing Swansea’s Premier League survival for a few reasons, not least the short trip they would have made for a mouth-watering South Wales derby at the Liberty Stadium. Only the 44-mile trip to Bristol City’s Ashton Gate can be made inside an hour, whoever joins Cardiff in the Championship next term.
The figures, above right, show Cardiff fans will travel a total of 4,255 miles if Bradford, Huddersfield and Wednesday are all in the division next season. That’s an average trip of 185 miles over 23 separate away trips.
Cardiff could still travel to Millwall (156 miles) and Reading (112 miles) next season after the play-offs. But if Bradford graduate through the League One final and Reading win at Wembley on May 29, the miles will start to clock up for those ardent Cardiff fans.