WORCESTER City is sampling a rare taste of Premier League problems in having to temporarily turn away more than 100 potential season ticket holders.

City's homecoming after seven years of groundsharing away from Worcester takes place tomorrow (Wednesday, 7.45) when Tividale become their first opponents for a competitive match at the redeveloped Claines Lane.

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It comes 2,692 days after the last competitive match at St George's Lane against Chester in National North and 2,656 days after hosting Liverpool Legends in a farewell fixture. 

But with rules stating crowds can only be 30 per cent of the lowest capacity allowed at any club's level, only 300 supporters will be permitted for the Midland Football League Premier Division clash, less than half of what would have been expected.

Club bosses had to decide how many season tickets to sell, plumping for half of the capacity for now, with chairman Steve Goode revealing that had nowhere near covered the demand.

"We have sold 150, the most we were prepared to put on sale with the current restrictions," said Goode.

"I would say we have had to refuse more than 100 requests for now. Once we know we can allow more in we will talk at board level to see how many more to put on sale.

"We haven't gone down the route of listing the people who have asked, we don't want all of them to be sold the minute the allowance goes up, that would be unfair.

"Personally, I am ambitious and believed we would sell more season tickets. I hoped to be in the region of 400 but there is still a chance we will get to that once restrictions are lifted.

"There has been so much interest in us being back in Worcester, lots of people have told me personally that they will be buying a season ticket, some of whom haven't followed the club in the seven years we have been away.

"The support we are getting is very positive and I have to thank everyone involved in helping to organise the season tickets in such trying circumstances, particularly Rich Widdowson who has spent a lot of hours on that side of it."

Despite the restrictions and work still ongoing to complete the revamp of Claines Lane, which will also be the new headquarters of landlords Worcestershire FA, lifelong fan Goode, whose father George Goode also chaired the club during its heyday, feels a huge sense of pride.

"This will be my third season as chairman, I stepped in because I wanted to help save the club and the board has done extremely well to do what we have in the time we have had," he added.

"I have to say a massive thank you to the supporters' trust, if it wasn't for the work they have done we wouldn't have a club.

"I am looking forward to hearing Time Is Tight (the club's song) playing while watching the lads run out, that will be an emotional feeling for me but a really good one.

"A lot of people know Worcester City has an older fan base, hopefully we will get younger people supporting the club but I always felt bad that the older generation could not get to games outside of Worcester. I am really pleased many of those people can now get to see us play back home.

"The only disappointment in my eyes is that we have lost quite a few fans due to Covid and other illnesses, it is a shame they cannot be here to witness this moment with us."