With Saturday’s West Ham v Sunderland match brought forward to 12:45pm for live coverage on BT Sport, we asked fans what they thought about early kick-offs.
There is guaranteed to be a loyal away support making the 600-mile round trip, with legions of coaches heading towards the capital in the early hours.
We asked football fans on Twitter whether their early alarm call was an inconvenience, or all part of the adventure that makes a memorable away day.
- Sunderland have had one early trip to London for a 12:45 kick off this season, losing 4-1 to Tottenham Hotspur.
- The other early start saw the Black Cats defeat Manchester United 2-1 at home. Newcastle United, knowing the result, later lost 5-1 to Chelsea.
- Their only Monday Night Football appearance was also a long haul to London, but worth it as the Wearsiders ran out 1-0 winners at Crystal Palace.
@SRNewsNow good, it’s a chance to put pressure on the other teams in the relegation battle
— James Rutherford (@jrutherford11) February 25, 2016
@SRNewsNow Good thing. As with the Man United before the break, a possible good result in the early kickoff puts the pressure on other teams
— Adam Lawson (@LAD_am) February 25, 2016
@SRNewsNow Good for the pressure on teams. That can be seen as a head start though.unfair? Not all teams have the same amount of early games
— David Crowe (@daviecrowe) February 25, 2016
@SRNewsNow @SAFC__Fans @SunderlandAFC disadvantage to fans, if there’s a delay they can’t make it to watch a team they love to watch
— Michael Sheridan (@_Michael42) February 25, 2016
@SRNewsNow If you’re a following fan then it should not be an issue.
— Koysal Rahman (@KoysalRahman) February 25, 2016
We also asked fans whether the earlier start may affect the travelling away side. A comprehensive 60% said that Sunderland would snatch all three points, with only 27% backing the Hammers.
Is football losing some of its magic as more games are re-arranged from 3 o’clock on Saturday? Or are more games on television simply reaching a larger audience who cannot travel?
Let us know your thoughts. Tweet us @SRNewsNow