ON TUESDAY night a small band of hardy souls will begin what is arguably the most tortuous route to Manchester for Rangers' date with destiny in the Uefa Cup.

More than 24 hours before their team takes to the field, Rangers fans in the farthest flung corner of the British Isles will begin their epic journey.

Members of the Shetland Rangers Supporters Club face an arduous trek just to reach the mainland - let alone Manchester, 650 miles and 20 hours away from their base at the Baroc bar in Lerwick.

Their journey will begin at 7pm on Tuesday when fans board the Northlink ferry at Lerwick harbour bound for Aberdeen - 12 hours away on an overnight crossing.

After docking in Aberdeen at 7am the bleary-eyed bunch will haul themselves the few hundred yards to Aberdeen rail station to catch an 8.30am train south, on which they will be joined by fellow Gers fans from across the country as the blue exodus south gathers pace.

Six and a half hours later, and no doubt considerably the worse for wear, the Shetland contingent will arrive at Manchester Piccadilly station at about 3pm, with almost five hours left to enjoy the build-up to the biggest game of their lives.

They are unlikely, however, to enjoy the reward of seeing the match in the stadium.

“The lads are scrambling for tickets but there's just nothing doing - the internet prices are crazy and you have to draw the line somewhere,” said Peter Marwick, secretary of the supporters' club. Undaunted at the prospect of going all that way and being locked out of the stadium, the Shetland fans will fork out almost £200 just to get to Manchester and back .

“The lads won't be bothering about a hotel room or B&B because there's nothing to be had,” said Marwick.

“Some are talking about sleeping on the railway platform for a few hours then catching the 5am train back north in time for the 5pm ferry in Aberdeen to Lerwick on Thursday because they have work on Friday.

“It's going to be one hell of a trip but it's just one of those things - you have to be there for the game.”

It is a sentiment many loyal Rangers fans will understand. One couple are interrupting their holiday in the Algarve to fly home for the match - before flying back the following day.

Billy, 58, and Sharon Watt, 41, from Kirkham, Lancashire, will jet from Faro on Wednesday afternoon five hours before the game - clutching their prized tickets for the game - and will head back to continue their break at 8am the following day.

For the army of supporters in Glasgow, the operation is relatively straightforward - hit the M74 to England with full carry-out of beer on board. Not a coach will be lying empty on Wednesday night and fans say the number of buses already booked would stretch 13 miles if lined up bumper to bumper.

The movement of Rangers fans will be unprecedented. Up to 100,000 will flock to the city and make a beeline for the 44,000-seater City of Manchester stadium. They are determined to see their heroes take on the Russian opponents Zenit St Petersburg in the final.

Just less than 17,000 fans will fill the Rangers section within the stadium but thousands more will be scattered throughout the ground, paying through the nose to make sure they are under the floodlights for the biggest game of their lifetime.

As with any event attracting such phenomenal interest, the touts have not been shy with their demands as tickets on internet auction site eBay are flogged for around £1,500 each.

One enterprising seller last week attempted to slip through the site's strict rules on ticket sales by offering on eBay an electronic photographic link with the stadium - for £4,500 - complete with a “free” match hospitality package at four-star accommodation near Manchester airport. Another online seller from Glasgow is demanding a minimum £400 for the reservation codes for two rooms already booked at the Holiday Inn in Manchester's Salford Keys.

Not a bed is to be had in Manchester - from five-star hotels to £20-a-night B&Bs. All 50,000 beds were booked weeks ago.Already places are filling up in Liverpool, Bolton and Blackpool.

Across the globe, pubs are being commandeered by Rangers supporters unable to make it to Manchester. In Sydney, fans across the international dateline have to wait until Thursday for the game of their lives. Although the match doesn't kick off until 4.45am, the Score Bar close to the city's iconic opera house has been fully stocked for an earlymorning drinking session.

Despite earlier security fears about such a huge number of fans descending on Manchester, the city authorities have adopted a friendly approach, throwing open their doors to those ticketless supporters wanting to soak up the atmosphere.

Security-controlled fan zones in Albert Square, Piccadilly Gardens and Cathedral Gardens have been arranged, where entertainment will be provided throughout the day before the match is screened live on giant screens in the evening.

Thousands more will pack pubs and clubs throughout the city. Publicans cashing in on one of their busiest nights of the year have been granted a one-hour extension to their licences for Wednesday night. Pubs in Glasgow will also be allowed to remain open until 1am.

The police operation in the city will be one of the largest seen but officers are confident they can cope with the huge number of fans. Greater Manchester Police have said they will adopt a “relaxed and friendly” approach and expect Rangers fans to reciprocate. They have also indicated they will turn a blind eye to supporters who flout the strict ban on public drinking.

The match commander, Chief Superintendent Gerry Donnellan, and Manchester City Council assistant chief executive Vicky Rosin met supporters' representatives at Rangers' Ibrox stadium in Glasgow on Friday to explain security arrangements.

Donnellan said: “We are really looking forward to giving a warm Manchester welcome to all the fans making the journey down. Manchester is one of the biggest footballing cities in the world and we are proud that one of the biggest clubs in the world will be coming to our city for the final.”

Rangers have attempted to stem the flow to Manchester by opening Ibrox for fans to watch the game live on giant screens. Thousands more will pack bars across the country hoping to toast a remarkable achievement for a Scottish club.

If successful, the Rangers squad will remain overnight in Manchester before heading north on Thursday morning. It is understood that a small open-top parade will take place around Ibrox whether or not Rangers defeat their Russian rivals.

“There are no plans for a large-scale open-top parade through the streets because of the obvious security implications in the city,” said a source at the club.

With the prospect of a night of celebrating or commiserating ahead, business leaders are only too aware of the acute impact such an event has on Scottish industry.

Iain Ferguson, of CBI Scotland, said: “While there will be thousands of legitimate holiday requests already in from supporters it is important that those people due in for work on Thursday morning do turn up on time.

“People deciding to take a sick day because of the previous night are not only harming business, but they are punishing their colleagues who do turn up as normal, because of the extra workload created.

“However, the hospitality sector will see a surge in takings over the coming days which will be a welcome boost.”

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