A TRAIN load of Canaries will be heading to Cardiff on Sunday for Norwich City's play-off final with Birmingham – all thanks to a die-hard Ipswich fan!The football club itself had planned to run a series of trains to the play-off final, but found it was impossible to overcome Railtrack bureaucracy.

By Paul Geater

A TRAIN load of Canaries will be heading to Cardiff on Sunday for Norwich City's play-off final with Birmingham – all thanks to a die-hard Ipswich fan!

The football club itself had planned to run a series of trains to the play-off final, but found it was impossible to overcome Railtrack bureaucracy.

But Ipswich travel agent James Easter is made of sterner stuff – and wasn't going to take no for an answer!

He teamed up with Norwich-based World Travel, and together they are running a through train from Norfolk to the Welsh capital.

"It's not really my train," he told the Star today. "I'd hate any of my friends to think I had gone over to the enemy, I'm Ipswich through and through!

"But I've got a friend in Norwich and I know how to organise these things and I've helped get the train on the rails."

Two years ago Mr Easter chartered a train from Ipswich to Wembley for Town's play-off triumph.

Then the Evening Star also chartered a train from Norfolk-based Nenta Traintours for the Wembley triumph.

Nenta spokesman Ray Davies said his company was unable to run a train this time because of operating difficulties.

"There are great problems with track closures on Sunday, but if this train is able to run good luck to them," he said.

Nenta is, however, offering nervous Town fans the opportunity to get away from it all on Saturday – they're running a special train from Ipswich and Stowmarket to Heartbeat Country in North Yorkshire.

You can get well away from the drama at Anfield and the Stadium of Light on this train!

For details of that trip, contact Nenta on 01692 406152 or e-mail: enquiries@nentatraintours.co.uk