Bradford City's plans to throw open Valley Parade for a live big screen showing of Sunday's crucial Division One promotion showdown at Wolves have been blocked by Sky.

A crowd of up to 10,000 was predicted after chairman Geoffrey Richmond announced he was going to give fans free admission, but Sky have said 'no.'

Richmond said: "We made it clear that our arrangements were subject to our receiving permission from Sky, but I regret that they have not given that permission. The match cannot be beamed back to Valley Parade.

"I am disappointed for the thousands of fans who would have liked to have come to the ground on Sunday, but we haven't received permission so we can't do it."

Richmond hit on the idea of showing the match at Valley Parade to satisfy the demand from fans who were unable to get any of the 2,900 tickets the club had for the sell-out clash.

Now those supporters will have to content themselves with watching the match at home or in a pub or club.

City plan to have the match on in Campbells Bar at Valley Parade from noon, but Richmond said: "This has a very limited capacity."

A Sky spokesman said: "I cannot recall any TV match being shown live on closed circuit TV while the match is also live on Sky Sports.

"Bradford City and Wolves fans as well as football followers right across the country will see the game live and Sky is now in about a third of UK homes as well as 40,000 pubs and clubs, including hundreds across West Yorkshire."

City set off today for their pre-match headquarters. Manager Paul Jewell said: "We are looking forward to getting away. The purpose of going away is so we can concentrate on the game.

"I decided last week that if the issue of automatic promotion was going to the last game we would take the players off.

"We will be training for a couple of days at Lilleshall where there are the best possible facilities."

City will be without defender Ashley Westwood who is suspended and full back Lee Todd who has a groin injury, but apart from these two players Jewell expects to have a full squad available.

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