RUSH hour traffic in Watford was brought to a virtual stand still on Wednesday morning as play-off fever swept through the town.

Thousands of Hornets fans lined the streets around Vicarage Road when tickets went on sale for the match against Birmingham. Supporters camped out as early as 2am to ensure their place in the stands for Sunday's semi-final.

The queue for tickets started in the directors' car park, stretched back into Occupation Road, into the stadium itself, under the Rookery Stand to the far side of the pitch and then back again on to Occupation Road and, finally, along Vicarage Road and into the Vicarage Road stand.

Some Hornets fans were left fuming by the wait including Miss Vanessa Kentish, 31, of Luton. She started queuing at 7.45am and waited for six hours before buying her ticket.

She said: "I spoke to Howard Wells the club's chief executive while we were waiting and all he could say was that he had not anticipated these numbers. Surely they could have opened the turnstiles to sell tickets. There was a complete lack of information - no one was informed about the length of the wait.

"We were initially told the wait would be an hour-and-a-half. "The complaints started after about five hours when a steward accused us of lying about the length of time we had been waiting. The crowd had been very well behaved but it nearlt came to blows then.

"We are the people who keep this club ticking and should be kept as happy as possible. Sometimes I wonder whether they deserve the support."

Mr Wells said the club had done everything to keep the waiting crowds happy, including setting up food and drink stands outside.

He said: "It is extraordinary how it happened. Despite all the preparations we put in place, these sorts of numbers always catch you out. As more people picked up their tickets, even more arrived."

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