3,000 miles in two weeks - the sacrifices Man City fans make as another Wembley date looms

Manchester City have had a relentless schedule in the last few weeks but plenty of supporters have clocked up the miles to watch them

Manchester City will head to Wembley for the 22nd time in 10 years when they take on Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday. A trip that is for many football fans a once-in-a-life-time dream has become more common than a league fixture for Blues since Pep Guardiola took over.

It has never been easy to get to from the Etihad given it is 200 miles away and this weekend anyone who wants to get the train will not only be likely facing a cost of over £100 for a return journey but will also have to catch a replacement bus between Manchester Piccadilly and Stockport. Driving will be cheaper, but is also longer, more unpredictable, and requires at least one person happy to do it.

Yet people do it because they want to support their club, in the biggest moments. As 29-year-old Ryan Butterworth says having not missed any City games at Wembley in his lifetime: "You never know if you're not going to get there again so every time we get there I think I'll go."

Get MEN Premium now for just £1 HERE – or get involved in our City WhatsApp group by clicking HERE. You can also join our City Facebook page by clicking HERE and don't miss out on our brilliant selection of newsletters HERE.

Ryan is part of a supporters' group in Ashton who travel to every game, and anyone who has done that recently for City has certainly clocked up the miles. In the last two weeks alone, there have been Saturday evening matches at Newcastle and West Ham as well as a trip to Madrid - with Wembley, a run of four games running to at least 3,000 miles and all needing to be arranged at short notice.

Luke Stanley, one half of mcfc lads when he isn't defending City on the Overlap fan debates, adds an hour to his journey for every London away going via Crewe on the train so that his ticket is much cheaper. And indirect routes add to the potential for complications - as they found out trying out a new route to Madrid.

"When the draws come out, we're basically looking for somewhere different to go to. We were hoping it was going to be Milan and desperately hoping it wasn't going to be Bodo again because we went there eight weeks ago," he said. "We try and change it up so last time with Madrid we went through Alicante, we try and do a different route.

"We played Newcastle on the Saturday, flew from Newcastle to Malaga just because I've not really been to some of the places in Spain. Even when we went to Malaga, the train was supposed to be three hours up to Madrid and there was a high speed train crash a couple of weeks before and that whole line was shut down so we had to take a coach to Seville and then a three hour train. There's so much added bits of travelling that people don't even see but you've got to do it.

"In hindsight it probably tired us out a bit too much, but we want to make it as cheap as possible but I'm now getting to the part of my time as a City fan where I've done that for three or four years and wouldn't mind a bit of comfort. We were on a 7am flight back and thinking next time we might do it direct."

Following a football team so intensely is tiring, and expensive, and only possible with a lot of flexibility in your job. Many would like to do it but cannot for any one of those reasons.

But for those that can, it is all worth it. Following a football team is an opportunity to explore the world watching the club that you love, and City have made themselves truly global; Ryan was on his way to the United States last summer to watch Guardiola's side in the latter rounds of the Club World Cup...only for them to be knocked out in the last-16 before his plane landed.

"I've got to sacrifice my summer holidays for it because most of my holidays go on City. It costs a fortune," he said. "The worst season for that was probably the Treble one where we had Saudi Arabia, it's definitely a couple of grand a season easily.

"Since being a young lad I've been going home and away. I do every single game home and away. If City are playing I'll be there. I'd like to start doing pre-season, like I'll probably end up doing the upcoming one this summer now we've been knocked out of the Champions League."

And as much as those 90 minutes matter, it is the journeys around it that help make the early starts and late finishes so appealing and addictive. Everyone in the City end at Wembley on Sunday is there for the same reason but will also take home their own stories from the day that may have absolutely nothing to do with the game.

"There's people I speak to that I've got everything in common with and there's people I speak to who I have nothing in common with except for the fact they go to City games, so it's cool for life to meet so many different people," said Luke.

"A lot of non matchgoing fans don't really understand but I've just had a crap week losing to Real, drawing at West Ham but you can just laugh at how some of the times are. I've picked up so many memories with my dad and my brothers and now my mates, you just pick up memories and that's what it's really about. That's why people are doing it."

City's exit at the hands of Real Madrid closes the door on European trips for the rest of the season, yet if City beat Liverpool when they return from the international break in April they will be back to Wembley again for the FA Cup semi-final. Wherever they end up, there will be fans following them.