Reading confirm they've taken steps to ensure Birmingham City away end doesn't spill over
Reading host Birmingham City in League One this weekend and they've made a ticket decision ahead of the fixture
Reading have guarded against the prospect of the Birmingham City away end spilling into the home sections of their stadium as they prepare to welcome Blues in a League One clash this coming Saturday (12:30pm kick off).
Blues head to the Royals for the reverse fixture of the opening game of the season, when a late Alfie May penalty rescued a point for Blues, who have come on leaps and bounds since that evening; they are now nine points clear at the top of the table with a game in hand and head to the Select Car Leasing Stadium intending to extend their unbeaten run.
As usual, Blues will be backed on the day by a sell-out away end, having taken their full allocation of just shy of 3,000 - but Reading are preparing for more Blues fans to travel and are eager to avoid any trouble breaking out on the day by denying any Blues supporters without a ticket entry to the home end.
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They have therefore introduced a sales criteria, to take effect immediately, ensuring that only Reading supporters with a certain number of loyalty points or status can buy tickets for the other areas of the ground.
"Royals fans will only be able to purchase tickets if their Royals Account has a previous purchase history with either 25+ Loyalty Points or a Legacy Status," Reading's statement read. "The move is designed to prevent the possibility of visiting fans purchasing tickets in the home sections and in turn ensure the safety of supporters, and will remain in place on matchday."
Blues have only lost twice in the league this season and, while they have both come on the road, they are currently on a 15-match unbeaten run in League One - a run stretching all the way back to November when they were shocked by struggling Shrewsbury Town. They remain unbeaten at home with eight league games at St Andrew's remaining.