Sheffield United send message to fans after hundreds miss start of FA Cup clash in huge queues

Sheffield United have released a statement after hundreds of fans were left queuing outside Bramall Lane for the FA Cup match against Fylde yesterday (Sunday January 5)
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On social media some fans described the scene as a “shambles”, and as a result many disappointed matchgoers missed the kick off.

One fan tweeted: “Horrific organisation by @SheffieldUnited with ticket collections...many, many people will be missing a large chunk of the game as a result.”

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It has been said that there were just two attendants handing out tickets, with some supporters waiting upwards of 40 minutes in queues.

Many fans were left waiting whilst the match kicked off.Many fans were left waiting whilst the match kicked off.
Many fans were left waiting whilst the match kicked off.

A spokesman for Sheffield United said social media posts describing thousands of fans queuing outside the ground after the kick off were inaccurate.

He added that the club sold 10,500 tickets before 12.30pm, which means just an additional 633 tickets were sold in the last 90 minutes.

There had also been a lot of support for the ticketing operation.

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The statement adds: “Tickets for the cup tie were on sale for over two weeks and, as per all cup games, tickets were openly available during this period, including Friday, Saturday and Sunday morning.

“In addition, season ticket holders and members could purchase online and upload their cards so that they could access the stadium with their cards exactly the same way they do for league games, swiftly and easily.

“We deployed as many staff as possible to deal with those supporters leaving it until the last minute to purchase tickets.”

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