7:24am Monday 16th June 2008
By Dave Craven
It's D-Day for City as they wait to discover if the 9,000 season ticket sales target has been reached.
The club promised to deliver a free season ticket for every adult one purchased if supporters seized the bold initiative and met that figure by last night's deadline.
They had a massive push at Valley Parade yesterday as that cut-off point loomed large, with boss Stuart McCall and joint-chairman Mark Lawn both banging the drum.
The duo's appearance at their open day, where they faced penalties and chatted with fans, gave the bid a big jolt.
A whopping 700 season tickets were sold yesterday alone as thousands flocked to the ground.
Lawn admitted: "The fans really enjoyed it and it was a big success.
"We had almost 4,000 people down here at the ground, taking penalties against me and Stuart McCall and going on the tours around Valley Parade that we provided.
"There's been a great atmosphere and I ask fans where else would you see anything like it anywhere else in league football - the manager and chairman of a club partaking like this?"
Lawn and co-chairman Julian Rhodes will meet today and assess the final total.
The club has definitely passed the 7,000 mark and they will announce later whether the main objective has been achieved.
It is all part of the club's exciting bid to try and attract 18,000 fans to Valley Parade for League Two football next season.
On the back of last season's cut-price season tickets, City are hoping to fill their ground in an attempt to swell the gate and get Valley Parade rocking to help fire their bid for promotion.
Head of operations David Baldwin hailed it a "fantastic" day and thanked all those who had supported it while apologising for the club shop not being open.
He said: "That was totally beyond the club's control as the decision was taken by Surridge Sport who have the franchise to operate."
Meanwhile, midfielder Eddie Johnson, who was released by City at the end of the season, has been attracting interest from Chester.
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