Extra seats needed to cope with demand

EVO-STIK Northern Premier League Warrington Town have told fans they are pulling out all the stops to let more in to see their historic FA Cup First Round clash against Exeter City on Friday night.

The fixture is being shown live on BBC2 and as manager Shaun Reid, pictured, prepared his First Division North side for the biggest game in the club's history on Monday, Wire chairman Toby Macormac revealed that officials were hoping to increase the capacity at Cantilever Park by installing extra seats after tickets sold out within three hours of going on sale at the weekend.

Macormac said: "This is the biggest game in the history of Warrington Town Football club and it has captured the public's imagination creating an unprecedented demand for tickets. The current allocation of tickets sold out in less than three hours and we are working hard behind the scenes to see if we can put in additional seating to increase the capacity.

"But this takes time and all we ask is that people give us a little time. We have no full-time staff and rely on the goodwill of volunteers, who also have their day jobs to do. It is a massive task to deliver this game in front of a live TV audience and all we ask is that people are patient with us and understand we are not a full-time operation."

The Wire will bank this season's TV jackpot after their clash with the League Two Grecians was chosen to be shown live on BBC2's Match of the Day Live from 7.55pm, netting them a £67,500 television fee.

EVO-STIK NPL rivals Norton United and Blyth Spartans are looking forward to collecting £12,500 each in TV fees after their ties were among eight switched to Sunday to be shown on a special FA Cup Final Score programme from 1.55pm on BBC1 and later on a highlights show on BBC2 from 6.30pm.

Norton are at home to Conference Premier Gateshead while Spartans host another Conference Premier side in Altrincham as BBC TV returns to cover the FA Cup for the first time since 2008.

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