FANS have welcomed Bradford City's move to make more than 400 extra seats available for the FA Cup quarter-final clash.

Engineers will be working up to the Reading tie on Saturday, March 7, to remove unused seating from an area of the main west stand at Valley Parade and replace them with space for 424 fans, the Telegraph & Argus exclusively revealed yesterday.

It means the attendance should beat that when City beat Sunderland in the previous round which at 24,201 was the biggest at the ground for 55 years.

But the extra seats are still not expected to entirely cater for all of the club's season ticket and flexi card holders who were left without tickets for the last eight tie.

Mike Thompson, chairman of the Bradford City Supporters' Trust, said: "It's obviously good news and the club is trying every possible endeavour to try to get seats to as many season ticket holders and flexi card holders.

"It was obviously not the intention to get in this situation in the first place.

"I'm sure it has been an embarrassment to the club. The intention was to celebrate the great series of performances in the FA Cup. But it has been a bit overshadowed by this.

"The club is doing its best to rectify that now. This move is a positive thing. It shows the level of support for the club."

Mike Harrison, editor of the City Gent fanzine, said: "I welcome this.

"The club is doing absolutely everything in their powers now to make sure there is at least one ticket per season ticket holder.

"It looks like the crowd will be taken up to more than 24,500 which would be good.

"We need to get this sorted out this week, so we can look forward to the game next week.

"As soon as we can get this sorted, the better.

"It would be good to be talking about the match, rather than everything that has been going on about the tickets.

"It's the quarter-final of the FA Cup, of course people want to be there."

But Trevor Sugden, of Leyside Drive, Allerton, who has been a season ticket holder for the last 16 years, said the move will not appease all Bantams' fans.

He has secured a ticket for the cup clash but has been forced to move stands from his usual position.

Mr Sugden said: "The extra 400 seats is a gesture. It's like putting a plaster on a broken leg.

"We are grateful for anything but I think the club has got the ticket situation completely wrong.

"They should have given season ticket holders 48 hours grace before putting them on general sale.

"I'm still a fan and the atmosphere will be great."

The club is looking to hear from skilled workers who can assist with dismantling the old seats from the west stand, as that area needs to be stripped out and cleaned before the replacements seats are fitted.