Rationale explained as Sheffield Wednesday and Grimsby Town fans query 'bizarre' 2,000 ticket stipulation
Grimsby Town have been offered more tickets for their forthcoming Carabao Cup match at Sheffield Wednesday - but only on the stipulation they sell their full allocation.
The Mariners released the news on Saturday morning that with their 4,000-strong initial away allocation all but sold out, Wednesday had released a further 2,000 for sale to away supporters - but only if the full 2,000 are sold ahead of the September 16 clash.
The unorthodox stipulation drew a confused reaction from both sets of supporters online, with some social media users of both a Wednesday and Grimsby persuasion describing the ruling as ‘bizarre’. Led by the Sheffield Wednesday Supporters Trust, home fans have once again been encouraged to boycott the purchase of tickets in light of Dejphon Chansiri’s continued ownership of the club.
Home tickets have once again been limited to the South Stand after the same set-up was offered for the remarkable success over Yorkshire rivals Leeds United in the previous round. That game saw somewhere in the region of just 4,100 home supporters enter the ground.
Grimsby’s number of already sold tickets scales around 4,000, with the travelling support already set to take both the upper and lower sections of the Leppings Lane End. The Star understands the 2,000 ticket proposal is in response to a request for further tickets by Grimsby and if taken up would see further away supporters take up part of the North Stand.
The unorthodox stipulation has been made on the basis that the additional operating cost of opening the stand would only prove a financially-sound decision for Wednesday if the full offering of 2,000 tickets is taken up. If the additional allocation is not taken up, Grimsby fans who have bought tickets will have to be refunded.
At the time of writing, somewhere in the region of 3,300 home allocation tickets remain unsold, with decisions made to boycott based on the hope of forcing Chansiri to sell the club by withdrawing supporter contribution of matchday income. Alongside ticket sales, both home and away fans have also been encouraged to boycott the purchase of food and drink within the ground as well as the club’s retail and merchandise offering.
The third round match-up comes after youthful Wednesday sides heroically edged out both Bolton Wanderers and a strong Premier League Leeds United outfit, while Grimsby’s first round win over Shrewsbury Town was capped by a remarkable penalty shootout victory over Manchester United.