On Tuesday, 27 February, Blackburn will take on Newcastle in the fifth round of the FA Cup. As is traditional in the cup, Newcastle fans have been given a large away allocation at Ewood Park and the club have sold 7,200 tickets to loyal season ticket holders.
Interestingly, though, the home side are still selling Blackburn vs Newcastle tickets as they are yet to sell all of their tickets despite the fact they are facing Premier League opposition for a place in the FA Cup quarter final draw. With thousands of Newcastle fans disappointed about missing out on tickets in the away end, some have reportedly started trying to purchase tickets in the home end.
This has prompted Blackburn Rovers to issue a statement about tickets for the match, with a thinly veiled warning issued to their own supporters if they are considering buying tickets for Newcastle fans. It reads:
“Tickets for our upcoming home Emirates FA Cup clash against Newcastle United remain on sale to supporters with a database booking history prior to Monday 28th January. The encounter against the Magpies, who booked their trip to Ewood Park with a 2-0 win away to Fulham, takes place at Ewood Park on Tuesday 27th February, kick-off 7.45pm.
This is an ALL-TICKET fixture – there will be no sales on the day after 6.30pm. Any supporter that is buying tickets for this fixture is responsible for each ticket.”
Blackburn vs Newcastle tickets: Further issues for Newcastle fans
Getting hold of tickets isn't the only issue that Newcastle fans are facing for the match on Tuesday night. Some of them are also being forced to pick up duplicate tickets upon arrival at Ewood Park. Newcastle have been looking to clamp down on ticket touts all season and ticket collection at away stadiums is one method they have been incorporating.
However, this hasn't gone down well with Newcastle fans who think the club have taken things too far. Newcastle fans site, “The Mag” has slammed the protocol, saying that the “Newcastle United owners really need to rein this in” and labelled the way the hardcore Newcastle fans have been treated this season as “shocking”.
Considering the match kicks off at 7.45 pm and is being played on a weeknight, the idea of a ticket collection is perhaps an extra burden that many fans could do without. However, on the flip side, aren't the Newcastle hierarchy just trying to prevent fans from being ripped off?
Kick-off time delayed
The original kick-off time of 19:45 for Newcastle United’s trip to Ewood Park has been delayed by 15 minutes due to ticketing issues outside the ground.
Ticketing issues affecting the away fans getting in for the FA Cup tie between Blackburn and Newcastle. Kick off delayed until 2000. #bbcfacup pic.twitter.com/zQM287dkOm
— Sarah Mulkerrins (@SarahMulkerrins) February 27, 2024
Blackburn Rovers released a statement at 19:27 that said: “Kick-off has been delayed by 15 minutes until 8pm in order to allow as many supporters as possible to enter the ground.”
The game eventually kicked off in the adjusted 20:00 kick-off slot. Live on BBC, Gary Lineker provided the following on-air update: “”It could be quite a late one because kick-off has been delayed, due to a problem with the turnstiles and Newcastle fans getting into the ground. Because of the delayed kick off, we're going to have to talk more about the Alan Shearer derby!”