Travelling Gunners deliver Cup bonus for hosts Bradford

Only around 1,500 tickets remain for the December 11 clash, which go on general sale at 9am today – and they are expected to be snapped up, with City set for a bumper 23,500 crowd.

Lawn feels packing out the stadium for a televised game with funds tight in the run-up to Christmas amid the rival attractions of party season is no mean feat.

And he has also paid credit to Arsenal’s visiting contingent who have sold out their full allocation, with a big support travelling up from London in 12 days time.

Lawn said: “I did think we would get 20,000. But you never know for a game on a December night and with Sky covering the game.

“Although we have not had this sort of competition here for 12 years, while Mr Wenger has not won here as well.

“We priced the game reasonably at £20 for season-ticket holders and £25 for those without.

“We could have made more by selling tickets at say £35. But we thought £20 and making sure we filled the ground up was the best way.”

He added: “It is first time that it has ever been anything like full since I came in.

“The Bradford fans have deserved this tie. But I have to admit I am quite surprised Arsenal have sold 4,350 tickets and it will be a really good following from them as well.

“I do not think they have ever paidd £20 for a ticket anywhere.”

Lawn says the club expect to bank £250,000 from the money-spinning Gunners tie – and the televised Johnstone’s Paint Trophy clash at Port Vale next Tuesday – which will help balance the books this financial year.

If cup kings City also dispose of visiting Brentford in tomorrow’s second-round FA Cup tie at Valley Parade, a lucrative third-round clash in Sunday’s draw could be on the horizon to further please the club’s bank manager.

Lawn said: “We think once we have paid everything out, we will make around £250,000 (from the televised games). That is taking the VAT out of the equation, paying stewards and everything.

“We put in quite a significant deficit in this year.

“But this money will eat into it and if we can get into the next round (Capital One Cup) we would certainly take most of the deficit off and have a really good budget this year.

“The thing we want now is to beat Brentford on Friday and then draw Manchester United in the third round of the FA Cup. That would be lovely.

“Hopefully, by the end of the year, if we can keep on going in the cups, we might be able to break even this year.

“That is what we always try and aim for at Bradford City – and on the pitch, we will hopefully be promoted at the end of the season.”