SOUTH Yorkshire Police have confirmed that Hull City's bid to obtain an additional 1,500 tickets for Saturday's trip to Barnsley has been rejected on safety grounds.
With promotion to the Premier League potentially hanging on this weekend's fixture at Oakwell, City quickly sold out their initial allocation of over 5,000 on Monday.
City officials requested a further 1,500 tickets in the normally vacant West Stand and though Barnsley were happy to approve the extra allocation, South Yorkshire Police have blocked the move.
A statement released to the Mail says it would be "unsafe" to have City fans in two sides of the ground.
The limitations imposed by South Yorkshire Police will deny plenty of Tigers fans the chance to see a potentially historic day and cap the away following at Oakwell.
Temporary Superintendent Scott Green, match commander for Barnsley against Hull City, said: "South Yorkshire Police appreciates the importance of this weekend's football match at Oakwell between Barnsley and Hull City.
"The force and I also appreciate the importance of this fixture to both sets of fans, particularly at such a crucial time of the season for both clubs.
"Barnsley will be doing everything they can to secure their Championship status while either for Hull supporters, it will be the first opportunity for them to cheer on their team after securing promotion, or they will be seeking a positive result to secure their promotion to the Premier League.
"Fixtures of this importance are always passionate affairs but we have seen how, at times, this passion can spill over into disorder.
"The only additional capacity would be in the stadium's West Stand and, upon assessment, it would be unsafe to have Hull City fans on two sides of the ground."
The unwavering stance of South Yorkshire Police is known to have disappointed City, especially given precedents that have previously seen away fans housed in the West Stand at Oakwell.
