Watford sold out their allocation of less than 1,000 tickets for the derby game at Luton Town as early as Tuesday, but many fans have expressed anger and disappointment at some of the restrictions and procedures put in place.

The Watford Observer put a number of questions to the club this week:

  • Why are the club insisting fans travel on coaches? Were the same restrictions placed upon Luton fans in October?
  • If you are forcing fans onto coaches who would normally make their own travel arrangements, why are you charging £15?
  • Fans who live north of Luton, or very close to Kenilworth Road, will have to go out of their way or travel miles in the wrong direction to get the coach. Is that fair? Could a coach or coaches not have been available at other pick-up points?
  • Tickets are to be collected from the stadium and then fans will need to board a coach. What happens if fans collect their tickets but then don’t board a coach and travel independently?
  • As there will be a convoy of Watford supporters arriving in the same place at the same time, are the club confident that this will be policed to ensure safety?
  • As the game is not on TV and with an allocation that would not meet supporter demand, could the club show the game at Vicarage Road?

 

In response, a Watford FC spokesperson said: “Having consulted with police and other stadium safety authorities, a collaborative decision was taken about coach travel to prioritise the safety of all Watford supporters heading to Kenilworth Road. Police co-ordination will continue throughout the journey from Watford to Luton.

“Fans who choose to avoid coach travel having been handed their ticket at Vicarage Road Stadium can expect to be refused entry to Oak Road and stadium entry points at Luton.

“The £15 charge for coach travel is the same as the fee being charged for each and every away game this season – regardless of location. The club continues to subsidise travel to away matches for supporters to the tune of tens of thousands of pounds per season, in an attempt to keep the awayday bundle of match ticket & travel within the bounds of reasonableness.

“The game will be available to stream via the club’s Hive Live service either as part of seasonal subscriptions or for a cost of £10 for a match pass.”