Crowd on course to hit 12,500

Jan 4 2008 by Dougie Thomson, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

TOWN are set for their biggest home cup crowd in more than eight years tomorrow.

Advance ticket sales have already topped 10,500, and the club expect the final turn-out to be around 12,500.

The biggest for a home match so far this season is 10,994 for the 1-1 League I draw with Nottingham Forest in October.

Town’s last bumper cup gate was 23,678 for the 2-0 FA Cup third-round defeat by Liverpool in December 1999 (the record football crowd for the stadium).

Tomorrow’s is the first visit of a Premiership side since that game.

To take advantage of the cut-price admission offer (£15 adults, £8 seniors and students, £5 Under 16s) fans must buy from the Galpharm by 5.00 tonight.

Supporters can pay on the day, but normal prices then apply.

Birmingham expect to bring around 2,500 fans for their first game at the Galpharm since the final day of the 2000-01 season.

Their 2-1 win and results elsewhere combined to send Town down from what is now the Championship.

Tomorrow’s referee is Somerset’s Steve Tanner, a Premier League regular.

He was in charge when Birmingham beat Wigan 3-2 back in October.

His last Town game was Oldham’s 3-0 win at the Galpharm 14 months ago.

It will be his 22nd appointment of the season, with 62 yellow cards and one red issued so far.