Manchester United supporters urge government to step in after rail strike confirmed on FA Cup final

Supporters have urged the Government to intervene in the rail dispute as it threatens to stop thousands travelling to Wembley for the FA Cup final.

Both Manchester United and City advanced to the final of the competition, beating Brighton & Hove Albion and Sheffield United respectively, to set up the first-ever all-Manchester FA Cup final.

But, as thousands of supporters of both clubs are expected to make the journey to the capital by rail, strikes by workers, including on Avanti West Coast threatens to bring chaos to the day, 3 June.

Avanti - which operates services between Manchester and London - is one of 16 companies affected by the industrial action.

Up to 13,000 train drivers will strike over three days in May and June, bringing widespread disruption to the railway network.

It is believed both City and United will liaise with both the FA and fans' groups to find solutions to the problem as many supporters could be forced to abandon their plans and travel to London by road unless a compromise can be reached.

The Manchester United Supporters Trust (MUST) has urged the government to intervene and "get round the table" to help solve the issue.

The statement read: "A train strike on Cup Final day will be a huge inconvenience to the tens of thousands of supporters travelling down from Manchester to London on the day.

"We need all modes of transport available to cope with the level of demand and the railways are a key part of that.

"We call on the Government and the trade union to get round the table and find a way to avert this industrial action."The kick-off time has already been brought forward to 3pm from 5:30pm after the Metropolitan Police raised concerns over safety.The latest disruption on the railway network follows months of industrial action as a result of the pay dispute between the Rail Delivery Group and the two main unions, Aslef and the RMT.