Leeds United fans may have to rethink Aston Villa plans after unwelcome travel announcement

Leeds United fans are set to be impacted for their trip to Aston Villa after an announcement from Network Rail.

The Whites are set to take on the Villans at Villa Park on December 26, with the fixture confirmed as a 12:30pm kickoff.

The away end will be packed out as ever, with an allocation of around 3,000 usually.

Travelling for the Christmas-period fixtures is never straightforward - even more so for this match.

And it looks as though many of those making the journey may now have to rethink their journey.

That is if they are travelling by train, at least.

Birmingham New Street to be closed on Boxing Day

Birmingham New Street is only a couple of hours from Leeds by train, making it the favoured mode of transport for many.

However, one of Britain's busiest transport hubs will be closed for a period over Christmas - including Boxing Day.

Network Rail has announced work is being carried out on the station's overhead power lines.

Christmas time has deliberately been selected as it quieter to the rest of the year for those travelling on certain days, but not neccessarily football fans.

Fans now face the prospect of travelling to stations outside of Birmingham and potentially finding alternative methods of transport to Villa Park.

The away days Leeds have to look forward to before Villa

A trip to the West Midlands to face Villa is always a highlight for Leeds fans, hence why tickets are always quickly snapped up.

There are six more Premier League away games to come before the Villa fixture, though.

The first of those is at Arsenal in two-and-a-half weeks' time when club football resumes.

There are also trips to Sunderland and Bournemouth before the end of October, before visits to Chelsea (again), Manchester City and Liverpool.

On paper, after those run of three games, a trip to Villa Park will very much be welcome.