Crewe Alexandra - Gresty road
THE AWAY END: Gresty Road, the home of Crewe AlexandraGresty Road, as Crewe's stadium is still widely referred to, was dramatically altered in 1999 with the completion of the Air Products Stand at a cost of almost £6m.
Capacity: 10,046
Record Attendance: 20,000 v Tottenham in January 1960
Distance from Elland Road: 81 miles
Year ground opened: 1898
United's last visit: November 1, 2005Before that, Crewe's home was modest and compact, but continuous investment through the 1990s left the Alex with an all-seater arena with a capacity of more than 10,000.
The Air Products Stand holds almost 7,000 fans alone and towers above the rest of the stadium. So small are the other three sides of the ground that balls often disappear into the streets surrounding the venue during matches.
Crewe's next project may be to replace the Blue Bell BMW stand – the home for away fans – with a new two-tiered structure. Before that stand was completed in 1999, visiting fans were situated in what is now the Advance Personnel Stand, an uncovered section behind one goal with enough space for fewer than 1,000 spectators.
Attempts by rival clubs to secure greater allocations eventually saw away supporters moved to the Blue Bell BMW Stand, which runs the full length of the pitch, and United can expect to be offered 1,600 seats when they visit in early January.
No alcohol is available to away fans inside the ground.
An FA Cup fourth-round clash with Tottenham produced the highest ever attendance at Gresty Road, but the biggest crowd seen since the ground became all-seater was in 2004 when 10,103 supporters were squeezed in for a Carling Cup tie against Manchester United.
The gradual development of Gresty Road will have gone completely unnoticed at Elland Road – United have crossed paths with Crewe on relatively few occasions, and made their first visit to the Alexandra Stadium in 2004, four months after relegation from the Premiership.
Leeds have taken a point from their two league clashes at Crewe.
United are facing several gruelling journeys next season, many stretching well over 200 miles, but the trip to Crewe is a short hop of only 81 miles from Elland Road.
A reasonable amount of car parking space is available close to Gresty Road, but Crewe railway station is immediately adjacent to the stadium and makes train journeys simple and convenient. A good number of pubs are within walking distance of the stadium, including some singled out specifically for away fans.
Kilde: YEP
