Crystal Palace issue warning message to fans ahead of Bournemouth fixture travel chaos

Crystal Palace has warned supporters and Bournemouth fans of major disruption for those arriving at Selhurst Park via public transport for the Premier League fixture this weekend.

The Eagles and The Cherries will meet at the South London ground at 3 pm on Saturday, May 13 and the 25,000 fans expected to attend the sold-out match have been issued guidance by the home club.

Strike action by the RMT union and Aslef, as well as engineering work means that there will be no services stopping at Norwood Junction, Selhurst or Thornton Heath on Saturday - the three stations of choice for football fans travelling to Selhurst Park on the railway.

Crystal Palace stated: "Supporters are advised to use alternative routes to the ground, and leave plenty of time for your journey."

Despite the club announcement, Network Rail is still showing services to Selhurst as running, although warn customers to check before travelling due to the strikes.

Crystal Palace and Bournemouth fans aren't the only ones to be affected by strike action on Saturday, which also coincides with the FA Cup Final, the Epsom Derby and Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool.

The following train providers are all set to have timetabled affected by the strikes:

• Avanti West Coast
• CrossCountry
• East Midlands Railway
• Great Western Railway
• LNER
• TransPennine Express
• Greater Anglia
• GTR (Gatwick Express, Great Northern, Southern, Thameslink)
• Southeastern
• South Western Railway
• Chiltern Railways
• Northern Trains
• West Midlands Trains

Reacting to the news online, Crystal Palace and Bournemouth fans shared exasperation at having to reorganise travel for the coming weekend.

One Bournemouth fan wrote: "Anyone got a plan of how they’re getting to the palace game since trains are off? Trains operators still say there are available trains to Selhurst on the day but not sure if I trust it."

Meanwhile, Palace fans worried that "half the stadium is going to be empty" and that nearby station Penge East would be "rammed".

Another Twitter user wrote: "If there were to be some sort of Club Most Affected By Train Strikes award handed out at the end of the season, surely #CPFC would be at the very least amongst the shortlisted nominees."