West Ham 'disappointed' by Cup final share

West Ham have described their 23,500 ticket allocation for the FA Cup final against Liverpool as a "major disappointment".

The club are hopeful the allocation will ensure that every club bond holder and season-ticket holder can get to the Millennium Stadium for West Ham's first FA Cup final in 26 years. But it is "unlikely" that any tickets will be available to club members.

"We have been advised that we will receive an initial allocation of 23,500 tickets, possibly increasing to a maximum of 24,000," the club said in a statement. "The size of allocation is a major disappointment following the allocation of almost 34,000 for each of our two recent play-off finals. Many of our loyal supporters will be unable to obtain tickets for this important game in the club's history."

The ticket allocation is roughly the same for each of the two finalists. The combined allocation awarded by the FA to West Ham and Liverpool accounts for around 70 per cent of seats, with the rest distributed throughout English football.

Tickets cost between £25 and £90 but are also subject to a £3.50 booking fee from Ticketmaster and a £4.90 charge for special delivery, which is compulsory after the Millennium Stadium decreed that no duplicate or replacement tickets would be issued.