Clarets 'fudge'

Following a two-month review, the club will now allow fans making a late decision to go to Turf Moor to buy tickets at the normal price - providing they do it before noon for 3pm kick-offs.

But some fans who have said the policy has affected attendances today said it should have been scrapped altogether - and accused the club of adopting a wishy-washy half measure.

Clarets chief executive Dave Edmundson said the move was not a climb-down and was helping officials provide a more personal service.

Previously this season, all ticket prices rose by £3 on matchdays for the so-called 'walk-on' supporters - a move agreed by the Supporters Consultative Group.

However, the cut-off point for discounted tickets will now be reduced, meaning that for Saturday games the lower price will apply until midday and for evening games until at 5pm.

Kevin Clarke, of Burnley, said: "For me it's a half measure. The official initial line was that the surcharge was put in place so as to make match-day arrangements in terms of catering and staffing levels more cost-effective. How can they make those staffing decisions three hours beforehand? This charge has upset so many people that this wishy-washy amendment will make no difference. The club either needs to scrap this or have the courage of its convictions to keep the deadline as Friday night, and admit it is being done to stuff away fans."

Life-long Clarets fan Andrew Greenwood, of Reedley, said: It's still not good enough I'm afraid. Why on earth should a fan be penalised just because he buys a ticket at 12.05 and not 11.55 on a Saturday? It still means that the "last minuters" are not going to bother. Have the board not wondered why we are struggling to break 12,000 fans this season?

Keith Tempest, of Accrington, said: "I don't set off three hours early to the cinema to watch a film so why should a football supporter be any different?"

Season ticket holder Stuart Henks, of Burnley, said: "This now means that to avoid paying £3 extra per ticket fans have to arrive 'more than 180 minutes' before kick-off. Now this will be a nuisance for those who live locally but Burnley have a considerable percentage of support who live miles away and the club now face the realistic prospect of losing many of those fans on a point of principle. The fans helped to rescue the club from a financial hole very recently and this is how they are repaid."

Evening Telegraph columnist Stephen Cummings added: "I am still of the mind that they should scrap it altogether and if there are only a few paying the surcharge they are not making much money by implementing it in the first place.

That being the case, they are risking losing friends and supporters by charging the £3."

But Paul Smith, spokesman for Boundary Clarets, said: "I don't see this making the slightest bit of difference. We are still struggling to get bums on seats, gates are hovering around the 11,000 mark and even if we charged £5 a seat I don't think it would help matters.

"Other clubs have discounted and family tickets and their gates go up as a result, but whenever we drop the prices there is little effect."

Burnley FC chief executive Dave Edmundson said: "This is not a climb-down. We always said we would review the measure after a few months and a considerable number of people have now registered with the club as a result and can now buy their tickets online.

"This gives a far more personal service as you have the opportunity to have your ticket delivered to the door and can buy it from the warmth of your own home.

"What we are now doing now is encouraging those people who cannot make a decision until closer to kick off to buy their tickets at the discounted rate.

"The main thing we have discovered is that our home gates have remained very steady and we have not suffered a lack of walk-ons.

"However we have listened to the debate, of which there has been very constructive and informed comments from the Supporters Consultative Group, the Clarets Trust and various other people.

"These are season ticket holders with no axe to grind whatsoever because it doesn't affect them. But they have obviously talked to people and I will be quite candid and say yes, on a weekday, it probably was quite severe to make the cut-off point a Monday when you had all Tuesday to go at."