Shrewsbury Town fans snap up 5,000 tickets for Wembley play-off final

The club will face Rotherham in the League One promotion play-off final on Sunday, May 27, and thousands of Salop fans are looking forward to seeing the culmination of the club's fantastic season at Wembley Stadium.

Sales opened at 8am on Wednesday and just over two hours later the club announced that 3,000 had already been sold.

Although there are 20,000 tickets allocated to the club, not all of them are on sale yet.

The FA and Wembley Stadium operate a sales policy that means certain blocks do not go on sale until others are sold out.

Club chief executive Brian Caldwell said: “It’s a frustrating situation we find ourselves in as we want Town fans to have the best choice possible when it comes to getting tickets for the final. We have had lots of fans contact us wanting to buy 120 and 121 but these are not on sale yet.

"“I have been in constant dialogue with the EFL but they are adamant that the strict selling policy from The FA and Wembley Stadium must be adhered to.

“When we first spoke to the EFL we said we felt that we would easily pass the sales number of 12,000 we achieved for the Checkatrade final and felt we would be nearer to the 20,000 mark.

“We will continue the dialogue with all parties and hope that these blocks will be available for Town fans to purchase very shortly.

"I’m delighted at the first day uptake of tickets and hopefully the good number of sales will continue through the week. We want as many Salopians as possible to travel and support the team for one of the biggest games in our history.

"The team have given everyone in Shropshire a season to remember and hopefully Wembley will be a sea of blue and amber to support them for this massive game."

Meanwhile, Town super-fan Dave Rowley successfully raised money to fund a novel idea to mark the occasion.

Dave has followed Salop throughout their remarkable season, and wants to greet them on the national stadium’s turf with a crowd-display of balloons and confetti.

He hoped to raise £500 to bulk buy the materials in Shrewsbury blue and amber, and fill the Town end at Wembley with colour on May 27. He surpassed his target within five hours with the help of fellow fans.

Dave said: “Quite simply, 2017/18 has been an unforgettable season for all involved with the club. Let’s mark its ending by creating a magical visual spectacle to welcome the players onto the pitch at Wembley.”

He was also appealing for fans to come forward to give out the balloons on the day, and for balloon suppliers. Anyone interested should make themselves known on the fan forum at blueandamber.proboards.com

To donate visit justgiving.com/crowdfunding/dave-rowley