Town will not be given any further tickets for the FA Cup third round tie at Aston Villa on Saturday 5th January. The Blues sold out the 2,900 seats they had taken for the game soon after they went on general sale yesterday.

Chief executive Simon Clegg told the club site: “Our ticket office manager, John Ford asked Villa whether it was possible for us to have some more tickets.

“We were looking for another 500 or so which we believe would have satisfied demand, but unfortunately Villa have said they are not in a position to do that, which we can understand as they are likely to have sold tickets to home fans in areas that potentially would have been used for us.”

Away clubs are entitled to 15% of the capacity of the home side’s ground in the FA Cup, but Clegg says Town would almost certainly have lost cash had they taken all the available seats given the terms on which they were offered.

“As John has explained previously, we took the maximum number of tickets we could on a sale or return basis,” he said.

“The next figure available was 4,800, rising to the maximum 6,000 and we would have had to buy those tickets up front. That would have left us open to a big risk of substantial losses if we had failed to sell those tickets.

“Our average travelling support this season is 646 and while we knew that the numbers of fans wanting to go to the Villa game would be higher than that, we believe taking the 2,900 available on the sale or return basis was the right option.”

Meanwhile, Scunthorpe manager Brian Laws is hopeful that on-loan Town striker Nathan Ellington is close to a return after a calf injury which has forced him out of the last two matches: “Nathan has done ever so well this week. He has progressed well and we are hoping he will be available for Carlisle this weekend.

“I will be very disappointed if he is not fit and ready and, if he is, we will have a bit more fire power up front."

Ellington, 31, has made one start and two sub appearances for the Iron so far, without scoring.

Photo: Action Images

n5normy added 17:26 - Dec 19 Town fans are in doug Ellis upper, blocks P11-P9. Block P8 tickets are available on the Aston villa website for £20
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bedsitfc added 17:29 - Dec 19 Only people to blame is the big game charlies who don't bother with our bread and butter games, get out and support your club more regular. If we had a high average 600 odd town would have got more tickets. So I say big game charlies out not good enough.
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shoopdelang added 17:41 - Dec 19 aj3wilson and neilvanlimbeek as you are both from the area any suggestion on pubs before the game? Not sure what the designated away pub is but we will not be able to get in as we have tickets in the villa end
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shoopdelang added 17:44 - Dec 19 n5normy only £10 in R1 north stand lower mate
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runningout added 17:56 - Dec 19 shameful initial decision..
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theblueginger added 18:14 - Dec 19 It will be Villas loss as much as us fans when they have thousands of empty seats on the day. Buying up front was a stupid idea, and if any club makes the mistake of buying too many tickets in advance its their problem. Clegg being sensible IMHO.
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neilvanlimbeek added 18:26 - Dec 19 Hi Shoopdelang I live in West Brom and lived in Walsall for 14 years previous - there is the Social Club nearby that I know used to allow away fans in however the pubs by Witton Station are very HOME pubs. If your training it in then I would suggest a few beers in Bham town centre - if your driving, I would suggest a drink in Walsall (can recommend a few pubs or theres the Social Club at Walsall FC which is accross the road from Bescot Station) and park at Bescot or Tame Bridge wheres theres loads of free parking and theres a train every 15 mins and its 2/3 local stops - If you fancy a 15 mins walk the Barton Arms may be ok if your not wearing colours -

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blue_moon09 added 18:54 - Dec 19 Can't understand what the fuss is about it's a nothing game, Support the team for the upcoming important HOME games?? be interesting to see if Town start doing well if these stay away part time fans return to Portman Road?
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shoopdelang added 18:59 - Dec 19 Thanks neilvanlimbeek, I am training it in I will go in to Birmingham city centre then. We are arriving early so have plenty of time for a few beers beforehand. We will find a decent watering hole I am sure :) Just a shame we can't get in the away pub ( where ever that may be!) Thanks again
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neilvanlimbeek added 19:07 - Dec 19 Shoop, I'l try find out more, might join you for a beer in Brum !!
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ChrisMakin2012 added 19:15 - Dec 19 Clueless Clegg up to no good again!
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shoopdelang added 19:40 - Dec 19 Ok mate give me a message on here
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TownNo1 added 20:00 - Dec 19 I can actually see Clegg's view here, probably the best thing was done for the club, shame Villa didn't have a better scheme!
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blue979 added 20:05 - Dec 19 live in the real world "needhamblues" as stated in the past on this site not all town fans live in or around ipswich ! think before you post.
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petermorris added 20:06 - Dec 19 Remember the Vouchers System? Even if you'd been to every flippin' Cup game on a run - you'd still have to queue for hours to get a ticket and still might be disappointed. And, by the way. all this latest moan/squabble will look very silly if we don't pick up a hat-full of points before the 5th. All you part timers need to get down to FPR and support The Revival.
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MathieandMarshall added 20:27 - Dec 19 Very bored of the 'part time supporters' argument now! There are 13000 season ticket holders who have endured the dross that was served up under PJ every week. Shock horror that a couple of thousand of them fancy treating themselves to an appropriately priced (for a change) cup tie! Do all of you complaining genuinely believe that people who don't support Town and never go to games have somehow snuck in and stolen your tickets for the massive clash that is ITFC vs Villa??!! Come on people. Get real! There were 2900 tickets on sale. They got sold! End of story. Lets all get behind the new regime rather than finding any excuse to bicker with each other! COYB!!

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bluesfranc added 21:03 - Dec 19 Needhamblues - im a loyal Ipswich fan but I can't afford a season ticket or to go to away games, I go to home games whenever I can but doesn't mean im not a loyal fan cause I dont go to all the games. I will listen to EVERY game on the radio while doing my work if I can't go. People work, live further away and can't afford it but are still loyal fans so think about that before you say anything else.

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petermorris added 21:08 - Dec 19 Yes, the tickets got sold and, like in the 70's and early 80's, no one had to queue outside PRd for 7 hours and then get told that they're all sold. Thing are looking up! Anyway, it's The End Of The World on Friday so there'll be plenty of seats free in the away fans end after all.
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Facefacts added 22:23 - Dec 19 I stick my neck out and say that, if 4,800 tickets had been made available, they would have been sold. But I can understand why we only asked for the 2,900. Villa Park is easy to get to. We have the boost of a new manager. You can add the 'crest of a wave' feeling to the interest in the FA Cup, which is hard to explain, you can't really define the 'romance' of being drawn away to a higher division club. It's like the song - if you know your history, it's enough to make your heart go boom.... Being away in the FA Cup to a higher division team is always memorable - eg Liverpool (yes a replay), Blackburn Rovers (replay, then the Premier League champions), Watford, Chelsea. Those are the ones I can remember and I have been supporting the club for a long time. So they don't come around very often. I am 50 years old, my grandson's 1st birthday is on 5th Jan, and I'm still seriously considering going to this game, can still remember the unbelievable excitement of winning the FA Cup when I was 15. I remember the days when the FA Cup really mattered. For a long time, we held the record of most consecutive years getting through to the fourth round - ok, we had a very good team thoughout that time, but it was a record to be proud of. Even though there is no real logic to it, because we are likely to get very well beaten, remembering that Mick McCarthy is someone who has intentionally put out weakened teams for the FA Cup with previous clubs, and even more relevant - we have many loan players whose clubs will not let them play for us in the FA Cup. And as to where you sit in the ground, it doesn't really matter as long as you don't openly celebrate if we score. COYB

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warkthisway added 22:29 - Dec 19 Clegg shows he has no faith in Town fans.The mans a walking disaster.
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blueynorway added 00:04 - Dec 20 Clegg out.
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Sibelius8 added 02:05 - Dec 20 Just thought I might add that I happened to be working in Brum on a Sunday morning some years ago, and, free for the afternoon, and having no reason to get back home soon, and knowing that a Villa vs Liverpool game was being played that particular day, I made my way to the Aston Villa ground and was, as I arrived there, very disappointed to learn that the game was "all ticket." Outside the ground, I went to the nearest senior "West Midlands Police Officer" (easy to spot, high on horseback, and thus most impressively a rider of authority) and asked if I could buy a ticket for the game. He asked me where I came from: "Who do you support?" he said, with a slightly 'Dudley' overtone of curiously accented vowels. I replied, as is my wont, as we all do, and as all good Suffolk Folk should do, with the simple mantra: "Ipswich Town!!" Would you believe that his friendly response was: "Good for you. I'm so glad to meet a "real" neutral. Do have this ticket with the compliments of the West Midlands Police," he said, and I was able to join the Holte End for free. So, in such bizarre circumstances, I went to an unexpected game, and enjoyed a great tussle of a football contest, and, even now, I still have a personal affection for Villa Park, and even the Police that have to do their duties there. I cannot be at the Cup-Tie, alas. But, please, do smile at those uniformed lads on my behalf! Cheers!

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ElvisMariner added 07:19 - Dec 20 This whole situation is an utter cock up!! ... with many Town fans now having to resort to buying tickets in home sections all around Villa Park...not good for AVFC,ITFC or the Police & Stewards...IMO Villa should have offered a larger block of sale or return tickets to ITFC - as we all know the game is hardly going to sell out anyway....
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jas0999 added 08:35 - Dec 20 Firstly, I don't blame ITFC for this. In fact for once I agree with club. The club can not afford to lose money on unsold tickets and 2,900 seems quite reasonable. I can also understand AV's concerns if they have indeed sold or at the very least made available seats to their fans in an area originally left for us. They may not sell them - but if already available, it does cause a problem. Having said that though, there is a possible risk for Villa now. In theory there is nothing to stop ITFC fans buying tickets in the home end. Therefore, we could end up seeing a mix of AV and ITFC fans - so it may have been more sensible to find a solution to the problem. When ITFC were in the PL, I generally always had a number of 'away' fans sitting in the Britannia stand! West Ham was by far the worst for this.

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aj3wilson added 08:56 - Dec 20 Shoopdelang - I've only just returned to these parts and so knowledge of local pubs may be a bit dated - will probably train it to new street and take it from there. By all means give me a call on 07527 44990 if you fancy a pint before the game.
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