A Blue Army of over 1,000 in number was set to descend on Gresty Road last Saturday but, sadly, they were beaten by the weather as the pitch fell foul of the cold spell, with the game postponed on Friday afternoon with no sign of an immediate improvement in temperatures at that time.
Many of United’s fans had booked their journey to the rail capital of England by train – and were dealt a double-blow when it was confirmed that refunds on advanced train tickets weren’t available.
With the match now rearranged for Tuesday 12 February [kick off 7.45pm] local companies Reays and Thomas Graham & Sons Ltd have joined forces to help to lighten the load for Carlisle fans who will be attending the game with sponsorship of two 49-seater buses, giving free travel to and from the game for fans who had intended to get to the original fixture by train.
If you booked and paid for a train ticket to get you to Crewe on Saturday, you can claim your free travel place on one of our two sponsored buses simply by providing proof of purchase of your train ticket [the ticket itself, a receipt, or a valid proof of payment transaction note].
Places will be booked on a first come, first served basis and bus departure timings will be confirmed ahead of Tuesday’s journey.
United’s director of football David Holdsworth said: “I can’t thank our local sponsors enough for getting on board with this. As soon as I spoke to Roger at Thomas Grahams I could tell that he was extremely keen to step in and help the fans, and he took it on from there.
“He contacted Chris Reay and between them they came up with this package, and it’s fantastic to see them helping our fans in this way at what is such a key stage of the season.
“I’ve passed on my thanks to Roger and Chris on behalf of the club, the manager, the players and the supporters, and we urge fans to get in touch with our ticket office so that they can take advantage of the free travel that has now been provided.”
Roger Smith, managing director of Thomas Graham & Sons Ltd, said: “With the momentum the team had built up and the large number of Carlisle fans who were expected to travel I think it’s fair to say we were all disappointed to see the game called off.
“While Speaking to David earlier this week, the subject was raised about how we could make it easier for those fans who had faced travel costs to get to the rearranged game.
“Thomas Graham & Sons are delighted to be part of that with the sponsorship of a bus. The fantastic thing was that as soon as I spoke to Chris Reay he immediately offered to match the sponsorship with a second bus.
“His company Reays provide the first team’s executive coach as well, so it has all come together really well, and I hope this is useful to our fans because, as we all know, there is nothing better than seeing our away following cheering the lads on.”
To book your place on our buses, sponsored by Thomas Graham & Sons Ltd and Reays, simply produce proof of purchase of your Crewe train ticket for last Saturday [2 February] and your details will be taken by our ticket office staff.
Please come to the main ticket office in person to book your place.
Buses depart Brunton Park from the west side car park at 3.15pm on Tuesday 12 February.
For more information please ring our ticket office on 0844 371 1921.
To find out more about Thomas Graham & Sons Ltd, click HERE.
To find out more about Reays, click HERE.
