TEN thousand Asian supporters could descend on Bury's Gigg Lane for tonight's historic fixture against Pakistan.

An extensive marketing campaign has seen leaflets delivered throughout Asian communities from Oldham to Blackburn and Rochdale to Bradford and chairman Terry Robinson hopes the result will be there in the stands for everyone to see.

"Judging by all the telephone enquiries we've had from the Pakistani community it could well be a full house and we're certainly hoping for more than 5,000," said the Shakers chairman, who spent most of yesterday doing radio interviews - proof of the large media interest in the match.

"We are hoping that many Asian people will come to see their national team and hopefully they will see what a safe friendly environment there is here at Bury and they will come again," said chairman Terry Robinson.

"It will be a slow process attracting Asian support because they do not have a strong affinity with football but we feel this is a worthwhile exercise which will certainly do us no harm at all."

Tonight's fixture is the first ever match between an English club and the Pakistan national team and could have great benefits for both teams, breaking barriers and helping the Shakers - who were the first club in Britain to sign an Indian in Baichung Bhutia - find a way into the potentially lucrative Asian market.

The game is being shown in full to an estimated audience of five million on Pakistan TV.

But it isn't just Bury who will feel the benefits. Pakistan hope this match raise the profile of football back home, get youngsters interested in the sport and hopefully breed a new generation of footballers.

At the moment that's difficult because cricket is the main sport and all children are encouraged to pick up a bat and ball rather than kick a soccer ball.

Pakistan's assistant manager Akhtar Mohy-ud-Din believes this tour can change that.

He said: "The English standards of football are very high and we have come to learn.

"In Pakistan parents tell their children to play cricket, not football because they see there is a future in cricket.

"If we impress on this tour and two or three players get signed by British clubs then maybe that will change parents' mentality and more children will be encouraged to play football."

Tonight's match kicks off at 7.30pm. Tickets are £10 adults, £5 concessions.