Villa fail to master ticket mayhem

Aston Villa have apologised to supporters and pledged to launch an inquiry into the ticket fiasco which forced their home Worthington Cup quarter-final with Liverpool to be delayed by 80 minutes last night.

Thousands of fans were still outside Villa Park in freezing temperatures trying to collect their tickets at the original 7.45pm kick-off time.

The problem related to a higher than usual number of tickets having to be picked up at the ground because of fears that sending them out via the Christmas post could mean them arriving after the December 18 date for the game.

The kick-off was delayed after consultations with the police on safety grounds and it was 9.05pm before the game got underway, with Liverpool eventually winning a thrilling contest 4-3.

But the Football League are certain to demand an explanation after seeing such a high-profile encounter in what is their flagship knockout cup competition exposed to such problems.

Villa chairman Doug Ellis said: “We sell tickets through the Ticketmaster agency and there were several thousand for Villa and for Liverpool.

“They had been saying there is no point in putting the tickets in the post because the fans would not get them because of the Christmas post.

“They had been saying ’get down to Villa Park and the ticket office and pick them up’ – but unfortunately something like 17,000 people turned up to try and get into the ground at twenty to eight this evening.”

Villa media relations officer Phil Mepham said: “There were up to 6,000 tickets sold by Ticketmaster and it was decided because of the Christmas post not to put them out in the post.

“A fair amount of those were told to pick them up at the collection window and that caused congestion because everyone turned up together. The police then decided that we couldn’t kick off because of safety reasons.”

A club statement later said: “Aston Villa wish to apologise to all supporters who were inconvenienced by the delay to the kick-off of the Worthington Cup tie with Liverpool.

“The delay was caused by congestion as supporters queued for tickets at the stadium’s ticket collection points.

“Under normal circumstances the sales of tickets for collection at the stadium on a match day are restricted to 500. This restriction enables the club to ensure swift and efficient collection.

“However, because of the potential for delays caused by the Christmas post, a higher than usual allocation of tickets were sold by Ticketmaster, an agency accredited by a number of football clubs, for collection at the stadium.

“The kick-off was therefore delayed to ensure the safety of all supporters after consultation with the police. Both the club and the police wish to place on record their gratitude for the patience of all supporters in difficult circumstances.

“The club will be reviewing the evening’s events in order to ensure there is no repeat of this regrettable incident.”

Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier said: “I have never known a delay like that before but you have to adapt and, to be fair, it was the same for both teams.

“We tried to relax in the changing room, cracked a few jokes. Everyone was a bit annoyed but security comes first. At least the game was rewarding after the wait. Imagine a dull 0-0 after that!”

Villa manager Graham Taylor said: “If it’s a security and safety aspect for thousands of people, what does it matter if a football game starts late? I certainly don’t look upon the delay as the reason for our defeat.”