BLACKBURN Rovers have slashed admission charges for their FA Cup fourth round tie against Sunderland.

Clearly responding to recent criticism from season-ticket holders, the club are offering their supporters a cut-price bonanza.

Season ticket holders can pay just £10 for their usual seats before a strict cut off date of January 16.

And the price of tickets for other supporters has been cut back to £15.

It is an interesting experiment by Rovers, no doubt taken in light of last Saturday's crowd for the Charlton game when the stadium was only just over half full.

Whereas Charlton brought only a few hundred fans, Sunderland, who have agreed to the pricing policy, will bring several thousand fans and have been allocated the Darwen End for a game designated as all-ticket.

Chief executive John Williams said: "We would like to have 31,000 in the ground.

"The question is whether our 15,000 to 16,000 season ticket holders buy a ticket at £10.

"It is an action resulting from the debate stirred up by our attempts to widen the supporter base with the Top Tenner ticket." Ticket prices relate to all areas and mean they will be significantly less than half price for the best seats in the Jack Walker stand.

The club have issued a reminder to supporters that there will not be any tickets available for home fans in the Darwen End and no seats will be on sale on the day of the game.

Tickets for the game against the First Division leaders on Saturday, January 23, are now on sale with season-ticket holders having until 12.30pm on Saturday, January 16, to claim their own seats at a price of just £10 adults, £8 juniors and senior citizens.

Season-ticket holders should produce voucher 'D' from their book to obtain their discounted seat for the cup tie, or quote their patron number over the telephone.

From Monday, January 18, ALL tickets will be priced at £15 adults, £10 juniors and senior citizens.

If the game ends in a draw, the replay will be at the Stadium of Light on Wednesday, February 3 (kick-off 7.45pm).

Rovers' FA Youth Cup fourth round tie against Sheffield United will be played at Ewood on Wednesday, January 27 (7pm).

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