Preston North End fans voice their displeasure at ticket allocation for the derby against Blackpool

Blackpool’s rivals have been allocated just 2,200 tickets for the clash on October 23, which will be the first league meeting between the two sides since 2010.

The Lilywhites made a request for a higher allocation but the decision for the number given rests with the police and Blackpool’s ground safety officer.

Barnsley had a following of just shy of 3,000 when they played at Bloomfield Road last Saturday, with Blackburn Rovers receiving a 3,000 allocation for their visit this weekend.

PNE said in a statement: “The club have been given an allocation of 2,200 tickets for this fixture, with no further tickets available.

“Despite the club’s repeated efforts to see the allocation increased for our supporters, ultimately the decision was made by Blackpool’s ground safety officer and the police for health and safety reasons.

“Due to the high demand for tickets for this fixture, the tickets will initially go on sale to ambassadors, as per our legal obligation to give them priority for away tickets.”

News of the smaller than anticipated allocation for the East Stand, which has a capacity of around 5,000, has not gone down well with Preston fans.

Some even went as far as saying their club should reduce Blackpool’s allocation for the return fixture at Deepdale in March.

Callum Hayes wrote: “They get 2,200 at Deepdale then, simple.”

“Quite simply they must get the same for the return fixture,” Martin Ryan added.

Janine Clitheroe tweeted: “They should get the same at Deepdale but they won’t!”

It’s been mooted that the North side of the East Stand could even be opened to home supporters.

If this was the case, it’s understood only one block would be made available to Blackpool supporters rather than the entire half of the East Stand.

There have been some well-documented issues regarding the exit of away supporters at Bloomfield Road already this season.

Allowing visiting fans to leave the East Stand at the same time as the Pool supporters has caused flash points in certain home fixtures this season.

The Seasiders also released a statement earlier in the week condemning the use of pyrotechnics and missiles during the 1-0 win against Barnsley on Saturday, which came from the North Stand.Another issue with the East Stand is the lack of facilities for both refreshments and toilets.

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