Best pubs near the Etihad Stadium

The Etihad has historically been the harder of the two Manchester grounds to find a proper pub near - Beswick and Bradford simply don't have the pub density of Stretford. The picture has improved a lot in the last five years as Ancoats has filled in and a handful of community pubs in Clayton and Beswick have been refurbished, but you still need to plan your walk.

The closest concentrated cluster is in Ancoats and New Islington, about 20–25 minutes' walk west of the ground. Cottonopolis, Edinburgh Castle, Smithfield Market Tavern and the cluster of brewery taprooms on Cutting Room Square all show matches with sound on. The catch is that they're craft-leaning and matchday pints are £6+. If you want a £4 pint pre-match, you'll need to walk further or stay closer to the ground itself.

Closer in, the Townley on Grey Mare Lane and the Mitchell Arms on Mitchell Street are the two community boozers that have always taken matchdays seriously. Both are under 10 minutes' walk to the stadium, both pour Carling under £4.50, and both get raucous. Get there early - they fill up fast and the bar isn't built for big surges.

Post-match, the trick is to either walk to the Ancoats cluster (most matchday crowds clear within 30 minutes) or stay local at the Townley and let the metro queues die down. Trying to get a tram from the Etihad Campus stop straight after the final whistle is a 45-minute exercise in patience - much better spent in a pub.