Baggies in ticket rush

More than 30,000 tickets have been sold for Albion's Wembley showdown with Portsmouth - with fans expected to snap up the remaining few in a matter of days.

The Baggies have been granted 33,000 tickets for next Saturday's clash which kicks off at 12.15pm, and now the rush is on as tickets are on general sale.

All of its 24,000 season ticket holders, members and corporate customers were given the chance to buy one ticket each.

Albion fans will be 'boinging' their way down to down Wembley in their hordes early on Saturday morning on coaches from The Hawthorns as their team faces Premiership side Portsmouth in the semi-final of the FA Cup.

And tension is already building for the crucial match."To get into the final would be a dream come true, it would be tremendous," said lifelong supporter Glynis Wright, from Bearwood.

"I'm West Bromwich born and bred and I've followed the Baggies for 40 years - I can't wait.

"There's something special about Baggies fans - we're a hardy bunch and we've stuck with them through thick and thin. We deserve this win."

She added: "It'll be a tough match but maybe we'll catch Portsmouth out and get a win, it would be brilliant."

On their way to the semi-final Albion crushed Bristol Rovers 5-1 at the Memorial Stadium,

They now have their chance to receive their first FA cup victory in 40 years.

In 1931 West Bromwich Albion won the FA cup and won promotion within months, and Mrs Wright is among the thousands who are hoping they can repeat the performance.

"That's our record and we've got to live up to it," she said.

The only way supporters can purchase Wembley tickets is by calling Ticketmaster on 0844 847 2454.

Tickets are on sale to all supporters on the club's ticketing database.