Euro 2020: Scotland supporters head south ahead of England game

Thousands of Scotland fans are heading south ahead of the team's game against England on Friday night.

Train operators said many services were sold out as supporters booked travel to London for the Euro 2020 match at Wembley stadium.

With tickets limited due to Covid restrictions, fans have been urged not to travel unless they have organised a place where they can watch the game.

Scotland lost their first game 2-0 against the Czech Republic on Monday.

Wembley and Hampden are among 11 venues across Europe hosting the games in the tournament, which was delayed for a year because of the pandemic.

Scotland have never made it past the group stage before, but the top two - or possibly three - teams will go through to the knockout phase.

After the match at Wembley, Croatia will visit Hampden on Tuesday for Scotland's second match on home soil.

Ticketless fans have been urged not to travel to London unless they have organised somewhere to watch the match because space to congregate will be limited.

Wembley will be open at 25% capacity for the match, with supporters having to show either proof of vaccination or a negative lateral flow test before entry.

And Scotland fans will not be able to access their traditional Trafalgar Square meeting place as it will be reserved as a fan zone for key workers.

Pubs and bars in London are also expected to limit numbers allowed in.

Hamish Husband, from the Association of Tartan Army Clubs, said it was "a bit late" to tell fans not to travel without a place to watch the match because the minute people knew Scotland were playing England, they had booked to go.

Mr Husband told BBC Scotland's the Nine there should have been more Covid-safe outdoor events offered for fans wanting to go to London. "It's a no win situation," he added.

He said his plea to football fans was that they must "follow the guidelines."

"If you're going to go down - and they are on their way - just, behave yourselves," he said.

Many supporters have chosen to travel down early for the match.

LNER, which operates the services from Edinburgh to London's Kings Cross, said its services were sold out for both Thursday and Friday.

It said its services were reservation only, and urged customers to only travel to the station if they already had a booking.

Avanti West Coast, which operates the Glasgow to London line, said capacity on services had been reduced to about 40% due to social distancing.

A spokesman said: "We're monitoring demand closely and also looking at extra trains before and after the match.

"We're also reminding customers to travel safely by wearing a face covering unless they're exempt as well as strongly urging fans to plan ahead and only travel if they have a reservation."

On Thursday, a piper will play for queuing fans heading to London from Glasgow's Central Station.

British Transport Police said extra officers would be on duty.

BTP's Supt Ricky Twyford said: "Throughout Euro 2020, we'll have more officers at key stations and routes supporting fans, frontline rail staff and everyone else travelling during this busy time.

"In the lead up to and day of the England v Scotland game, there'll be an even further increase in officers, and we'll be working closely with Police Scotland and the Metropolitan Police to ensure people's journeys are safe and secure, and disruption is kept to a minimum."

LNER services are currently alcohol free, but customers will be able to drink onboard Avanti services.

On Wednesday night, one dedicated group of 25 or so football fans who managed to get tickets set off for Wembley from the north east.

They have hired a bus to - safely, and following social distancing rules - take them down to London.

Among them was Kev Lynch, 36, who told BBC Scotland he'd been away with the Tartan Army quite a few times - but this would be their first time since the pandemic began.

"Because of the restrictions, a lot of the boys didn't get tickets - we'd usually have had 50+ in normal times.

"It's the biggest game we've had in a long time."

He said the excitement on Friday night would be even more intense, after Scotland "slipped up" by being defeated by the Czech side on Monday.

"It will be the biggest game I have been to" since the early 2000s, he said. "The last time Scotland got to major finals I was still in secondary school.

"The fact it's England makes it a double bonus - the auld enemy," adding that it would make a victory "even sweeter".

The group will be joined later by more fans, who are flying down to join them.

Because the group of about 40 have been unable to book into the same pub, they have hired a boat on the Thames to watch earlier coverage, before heading to Wembley for the Scotland match.

Kev said the bus journey home would be brilliant if Scotland win - but added: "If there's a loss, it will be a long way home.".

Are you watching the Scotland-England game? Where will you be watching? Please share your stories and pictures with us.

You can now get in touch with BBC Scotland on the phone messaging service, WhatsApp.

To start using the app, simply download WhatsApp on to your smartphone free from the internet.

Then add our WhatsApp number +44 7902 704679 to your phone's contact list.

Please make sure you read our terms of use and privacy policy.