Milan will remain at a mere £20!

Peter Storrie has promised that Pompey will resist the temptation to 'cash in' from Milan's visit to Fratton in the uefa cup.

In the summer Pompey laid out plans for set prices for the league cup and uefa cup, with these prices set a £20 for adults for all games - at least until the second lot of knockout stages of the uefa cup I think?

With Milan drawn in our group the temptation could have been to increase the prices, as this game will almost certainly sell out even if tickets were £40, let alone £20! But he has told The News that £20 is the price at which the tickets will remain: 'I promised people I would keep prices as they are and that's what I have done.

'Not a lot of clubs would follow that in the light of drawing out AC Milan.

'But I made the decision pre-season that I wanted to get full capacities for games in Europe so the prices have been kept low.

'Clubs have struggled to sell tickets in Europe in the past. We want to make sure we fill the stadium for all the games because we need that money.

'We have to pay for our travelling costs and everything that goes with it. That includes airfare, hotel expenses and to bring all our staff out to the matches.

'The prize money is ridiculous until you get to the quarter-finals. Let's get it into perspective - there is no money in the UEFA Cup.

'We need to have full houses at Fratton Park to help off-set the travelling expenses. We need everyone to come out and support us.

The uefa cup is most definitely the runt of a little brother to the champions league, where the riches involved dwarf that for uefa cup involvement, with little money involved until you reach the quarter finals - maybe, or should I say hopefully and more to the point fairly, the revised format next season will see this change?

Rather than doubling the prices Pompey have grouped both Fratton games together, so if you want to go to the Milan game you also have to pay for the Heerenveen game - you cannot do one without the other: 'it would be very easy for us to double our match-day prices for these UEFA Cup matches, but we aren't going to.

'Instead, they will remain at £20 for adults, with the tickets grouped together so supporters have to go to both group games.

'So for £40 they will get to see AC Milan and a Heerenveen team who just thumped Ajax 5-2.'

It is a shame that Pompey have had to group the games together, and I know that getting to the Heerenveen game might be difficult - even more so depending on the kick off time! - but you have to do something to try and ensure that those going to the Milan game are not just trying to 'jump on the bandwagon' of going to a glamour fixture and then having little interest in the other group game, or dare I even say many other Fratton games to be honest...

As far as I am concerned I am going to both games regardless - and as a season ticket holder know I will get a ticket, and almost certainly would have gone to both even if they had cost me £40 a pop as European nights do not come around everyday for Pompey do they, so I want to enjoy every single moment of this at Fratton, and as much of this in Europe as I can - sadly Braga looks a no go this time, but Wolfsburg is already well into the finishing touches phase!

PLAY UP POMPEY!

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