IF you are planning to see Swindon’s League One play-off final, now is the time to make the necessary travel arrangements.

With Network Rail having announced that no trains will leave Swindon on May 24 because of work on the line, early plans are the best way of avoiding any sports fan’s worst nightmare - having tickets but being unable to use them.

This newspaper has never shied away from criticising the railway industry for failing football fans, such as by cynically using them as cash cows.

On this occasion, no such blame can be laid. Network Rail announced its work in better than good time, and obviously had no way of knowing that the operation would coincide with the year’s most important Town date.

It must also be stressed that efforts are being made to compensate for the absence of trains by running bus services.

Therefore, to slate Network Rail would be to do it an injustice.

The question for Town fans is whether they want to use those services - and whether any given bus can be trusted to deliver its passengers on schedule, bearing in mind the extra pressure on traffic.

At the very least, it might be a good idea to book a ticket on a much earlier service than would normally seem appropriate - or else grab a place on one of the Swindon Town coaches which will undoubtedly be laid on.

Some might prefer to head for London the day before, meaning reaching Wembley involves a simple tube journey.