Study reveals how much following Preston over Christmas and New Year will cost

PNE fans have followed their side in good numbers this season

With the Lilywhites heading to Barnsley on Boxing Day and Cardiff the following Friday, December 29, supporters will spend £221.19 backing Alex Neil’s in-form side.

That places them 28th in the table put together from research complied by Virgin Media and the Football Supporters’ Federation covering the 92 clubs in the Premier League and EFL.

By analysing ticket, travel and food costs, plus journey times for fixtures between Boxing Day and January 4, they’ve found that Plymouth Argyle fans face the highest cost, £468.43, while Morecambe fans will pay the least, £42.89.

As a whole, match-going fans will clock up 32,388 miles seeing their team in action and will spend £171.37 on average over Christmas and New Year.

The findings are seen to back the FSF’s ‘Twenty’s Plenty’ campaign, which calls on clubs to cap the cost of an away ticket to £20.

Chief executive Kevin Miles said: “Despite money being tight around this time of year, supporters will be travelling up and down the country over to back their teams in remarkable numbers once again.

“Away fans are a huge part of our match-going tradition and that shouldn’t be taken for granted, so clubs and sponsors can and should do more in making football as affordable as possible.”

Nottingham Forest fans will pay £42 for a ticket away at Leeds United on New Year’s Day - the most expensive away ticket across all the leagues.