'Laughable' - Man City fans react as details of FA Cup semi-final with Liverpool FC confirmed

The FA confirmed that Manchester City's FA Cup semi-final clash with Liverpool will take place on Saturday 16 April at 15:30. Despite the travel chaos facing supporters wishing to travel down from the North West, the match will still be held at Wembley Stadium.

With no direct train services operating between London and both Manchester and Liverpool all Easter bank holiday weekend, the FA's insistence on hosting the fixture at the national stadium means fans of both clubs are faced with the entirely avoidable headache of figuring out how to get to the match. Despite both sets of supporters - as well as the mayors of both cities and the Labour Party - calling for the venue to be changed to somewhere more easily accessible for northern fans, the FA has predictably stuck by its decision.

READ MORE: Date, kick-off time and travel arrangements confirmed for Man City vs Liverpool FA Cup tie

The FA also announced that it will provide 100 free buses to transport fans of both clubs to and from the capital on the day of the game, an offer that will at least cut costs for a few thousand match-goers and makes City's offer of a £40pp coach day travel package look a little steep. Limited free travel to City Womens' semi-final against West Ham, taking place in Dagenham at 12:30 on the same day, will also be provided.

However, this seems little more than a token gesture when you consider that each club will receive an allocation of 35,000 tickets for the game. Sky Sports News reported that the free coaches will transport 5,000 fans of each club to the game. So what about the rest?

The announcement brings an unsatisfactory end to a saga that has highlighted just how little the needs of match-going fans are considered by decision-makers