SHEFFIELD Wednesday fans claiming to be Town exiles in the north are attempting to dupe County Ground office staff into posting them tickets for the big clash on Saturday.

Chief executive Mark Devlin has warned that any visiting fans attempting to gain admittance to home areas of the ground will be ejected.

He said that all calls being made to the ticket office by fans with distinctly non-Wiltshire accents or Yorkshire postcodes were being treated with a healthy degree of suspicion.

He said: "It's fair to say that the staff have had a fair number of calls from supporters based outside Wiltshire, wanting tickets.

"Clearly we recognise that we have loyal fans all over the country who come to see matches at the County Ground.

"However, we are able to check on our database if the caller in question has visited us before for example.

"If staff are not convinced that the caller in question is a Swindon Town fan, they are inclined not to make a sale.

"We are not in the business of turning fans away but it would be utterly irresponsible for us to simply turn a blind eye to where calls are coming from, simply to sell tickets and to make more money."

Devlin has already held an internal meeting with his staff about the ticket issue and contact has also been made with the Wiltshire Constabulary.

He said: "Measures will be in place on the day to try and make sure the respective sets of supporters are in the areas they are supposed to be.

"What I should point out is that it is now an offence for fans to try and gain admittance to areas not reserved for them and that offenders will be ejected from the ground."

However, Devlin believes it is important not to overplay the situation.

He said: "Fans are bound to wind each other up before a game, through the internet for example. We are just focused on making sure everything is in place for an exciting, enjoyable and safe start to the season."

Manager Andy King, meanwhile, is hoping for good news today regarding the fitness of striker Tommy Mooney.

The 31-year-old striker has been sidelined with a foot injury for a fortnight, and King said: "Tommy has rested up over the weekend but we'll just have to wait and see."

Town fans wanting tickets for Saturday's clash can contact the County Ground ticket office on 0870 4431894.