Supporters protest as kick-off is delayed by ticketing fiasco

Aston Villa may face repercussions from the Football Association and Football League following the ticketing fiasco which delayed the kick-off of last night's Worthington Cup quarter-final by an hour and 20 minutes.

The trouble was caused by about 6,000 fans trying to pick up ordered tickets at the ground on the night. The tickets had not been mailed out as usual because of fears that they might be held up in the Christmas post. The long wait came on a bitterly cold night and announcements about the delayed kick-off were accompanied by booing from both sets of fans inside the stadium. Supporters at the away end of Villa Park indulged in regular chants to make clear their disgust.

The announcements contained apologies for "circumstances beyond our control'', a Villa spokesman explaining that the police would not sanction the game starting while so many spectators were outside the stadium.

"We sell tickets through the Ticketmaster agency and there were several thousand for Villa and Liverpool fans,'' the Aston Villa chairman, Doug Ellis, said. "We couldn't serve everyone in time for kick-off and there were something like 17,000 people trying to get into the ground at twenty to eight. In conjunction with the police, we decided to delay the start.''

The game was initially moved from its 7.45pm start to 8pm and then 8.15pm. It was not until 8.40pm that news came through of a 9.05pm kick-off. The extraordinary development, which was heightened by roadworks taking place on the nearby M6, also proved to be bad news for Sky Sports, which was covering the game live.

Villa's media relations officer, Phil Mepham, added: "There were up to 6,000 tickets sold by Ticketmaster and it was decided because of the Christmas post not to put them out in the post."

The FA and the League are both bound to want explanations for last night's delay. The police insisted that safety and security had been their motives for holding up proceedings.

The Villa manager, Graham Taylor, said before the match: "It is an unusual situation but we have to be professional and make sure it doesn't affect us.''