A Swansea City fan based in Cardiff faces an absurd '200-mile round trip' to watch his team play their bitter rivals in the Welsh capital on Sunday after his request to travel independently was 'declined'.

Cardiff City host Swansea in the South Wales derby at midday on Sunday in what is bound to be a red-hot Championship affair.

Tim Lewis is a Swansea City who resides in Cardiff and lives one mile from the Cardiff City Stadium - the venue for this weekend's fixture.

A Swansea City fan faces a 200-mile round trip to watch them at Cardiff... despite living there

Tim Lewis (not pictured) has to travel to Swansea and then get on a supporters coach in order to collect his match ticket - despite living just one mile from the Cardiff City Stadium

However, the PR and Comms Manager for Tenovus Cancer Care will not be allowed to walk to the ground but instead be forced to travel to Swansea to then get a fan coach back to Cardiff.

To make matters worse, Mr Lewis then can't walk home. Instead he has to return back to Swansea via the fan coach and then inexplicably make his own way back to Cardiff.

Understandably, Mr Lewis was angry about the news after receiving a letter from the Swans informing him of his unnecessary detour. He now faces incurring extra costs as he plots a route to Swansea for 6am on a Sunday - a time when there will be no direct trains.

If Mr Lewis doesn't choose to travel by coach then he can't receive his match ticket - as that is a stipulation to do so.

Venting his frustration on Twitter, he wrote: 'Application to travel independently to the #SouthWalesDerby turned down. So instead of walking 1 mile to ground I'll have to go to Swansea at 6am (no trains, obvs), back to C'diff, then back to S'sea after game and back to C'diff. 200-mile round trip instead of 2! @WeAreTheFSA.

"We ask you to please remember that you are representing Swansea City Football Club at this fixture. We would urge you to consider the implications of any poor behaviour for yourself and the club" #supportersnotcriminals.'

Mr Lewis took to Twitter to express his unsatisfaction at the news he was given by Swansea

When asked by the Football Supporters' Association what were the reasons for Swansea's decision, Mr Lewis shared the letter detailing their explanation.

'Dear Tim. Thank you for your request to travel independently to the Cardiff City away fixture at the weekend,' it reads.

'With the limited number of travel direct match tickets available, your request to travel independently has been declined. You will be required to travel by coach departing the Liberty Stadium, with your away match ticket voucher(s) to be dispatched today via Royal Mail 1st Class and are expected to arrive with you by Thursday 9th January.

'We ask you to please remember that you are representing Swansea City Football Club at this fixture. We would urge you to consider the implications of any poor behaviour for yourself and the club.

'Thank you for your continued support of Swansea City AFC.'

He also took to Twitter to show the letter he recieved from Swansea stating their reasons why

Just 43 miles separate Swansea and Cardiff. The South Wales derby is regarded as one of the fiercest derbies in British football. In 108 previous meetings Cardiff lead the head-to-head 44-36, with 27 draws.

In the corresponding fixture earlier this season, Swansea won 1-0 courtesy of Ben Wilmot's header in the 24th minute.

That clash was classified as a 'bubble-match'-style restrictions due to the rivalry.

Supporters who headed to the match on October 27 had to travel on designated transport from specific pick-up points, where they were then taken to a collection point to exchange a voucher for a match ticket.

The fans then received a police escort to the ground. The same will be applied for Sunday's match.

Cardiff fans were given a police escort to the Liberty Stadium in the reverse fixture this season