Notthingham Forest have sold out their allocation for the playoff final on Sunday and many of their fans have been left without a ticket. Some of these frustrated fans are living up to their nickname of the Tricky Trees, as they have taken to social media to try and con Huddersfield Town fans into buying them tickets.
We have not yet sold out our allocation and tickets are on general sale for anyone who wants one, with one significant caveat. You can only buy a ticket in the Town end if you have previous booking history on the Huddersfield Town system. This measure is there to weed out cheeky Forest fans, though many are trying to circumvent this by getting Town fans to buy them tickets.
Why are Forest fans trying to get tickets in the Huddersfield Town end of Wembley?
There have been occasions in the past when fans have deliberately bought tickets in the wrong end of a stadium so they can cause trouble with rival fans. That isn’t the case for this game, it’s just Forest fans that haven’t been able to get a ticket but are desperate to see their team compete for a place in the Premier League.
Forest have been out of the limelight for a long, long time and many of their more casual fans have suddenly sprung into life now there’s a hint of success around the corner. So these fair weather fans haven’t been able to get tickets through official channels and are therefore resorting to sneaky tactics to try and get into Wembley in whatever way possible, including being sat with the wrong fans.
Should I feel sorry for Forest fans without a ticket?
No. While tickets have now sold out for Forest fans, all season card holders and any fans that attended three home games last season had plenty of opportunity to get a ticket. There are a few unlucky loyal fans that have missed out because of admin issues, just like there are Town fans that have, but the majority of Forest fans without tickets didn’t make it to three home games in their best season in decades – which suggests they’re hardly proper fans at all (feel free to tell me I’m wrong in the comments!).
It’s obviously a shame that some people that want to go to the game can’t get there, it’s no excuse for them making up silly stories to try and con good-natured Town fans into getting them a ticket in our side of the ground.
Is it OK for me to buy a ticket for a Town fan I’ve not met before?
If you’re approached by a “Town fan” that you’ve never come across before in the next few days then I would recommend you are highly sceptical of any story they tell you. There are a number of Forest fans posing as Town fans with outlandish stories to try and convince Town fans to buy them a ticket on their account.
I saw one person on a Facebook group telling a shaggy dog story involving an elderly relative but it only took a couple of clicks to find pictures on his profile of him outside the City Ground in a Forest replica shirt. Twitter has been just as bad, with many Town fans reporting private messages coming through with requests for tickets.
So, as with all things online, be very sceptical about any messages you receive and I would suggest staying on the safe side and only getting tickets for people you actually know, in the real world, to avoid any silly bother.
What should I do if I spot a Forest fan in the Town end on Sunday?
With all of these reports of Forest fans attempting to get tickets, it seems very likely that some will succeed and be sat among us on Sunday afternoon. I believe the official advice is always to alert the stewards immediately and let them take care of it.
While I absolutely don’t condone what Forest fans have been doing, I’ve gone to games in the past where I’ve sat in the wrong end to watch Town for various reasons. It’s never been a problem because I kept quiet when Town have scored (which was incredibly hard to do) and clapped politely through gritted teeth if we’ve conceded. This meant I didn’t draw attention to myself and there was no trouble. If Forest fans are doing the same then it will be very hard to spot them and I suppose it’s not a big deal.
On the other hand, if rival fans are drawing attention to themselves, provoking Town fans or cheering Forest goals (hopefully there won’t be any to cheer) then they’re asking for trouble. The best thing for them and everyone else’s safety is for them to get kicked out at the earliest opportunity. But let the stewards take care of it rather than getting involved yourself. They might not get paid a lot, but it is their job to deal with that sort of thing and it’s better them than you.
I remember a last minute Town winner at Stockport County when I was sitting in their end. I’d already kept to my feet before remembering where I was. ‘Oh! Bugger!’ I shouted before attempting to look rueful while reclaiming my seat.
I seemed to get away with it.
Been kicked out of Chelsea twice at town games there. A cheer on both occasions when we scored ! . I am middle aged and not very threatening but awful experience ! In the corporate seats at Tottenham new stadium warning my town shirt and all Spurs fans were absolutely fine. Bizarre, my lad plays professionally for Northampton Saints rugby 1st XV and when I go there everybody mingles, everybody sings their songs and atmosphere is lovely! If a forest fan is next to me on Sunday good luck to them, we will chat and I will as I always do sing at the top of my voice for my beloved HTFC. But guys relax it is a game of football. Not far away there is a real war going on. UTT. UTSaints.
As an Australian football follower I am amazed at the lack of control football fans in England have compared with those who attend Australian Football League games in Australia. The MCG caters for over 100000 fans and every seat is occupied for big matches and fans are allocated seats randomly.
Whilst there is rivalry between fans the constant scoring results in both lots of fans being able to co-exist.