WREXHAM FC is heading for the biggest share of gate receipts in its history as the Red Army snatches up tickets for the LDV Vans final at the Millennium Stadium.

The club has an allocation of 15,000 tickets and has already sold 6,000 as fans from across North Wales take their chance to share in the club's success.

The club could make anything between £250,000 and £500,000 from gate receipts.

'It is astonishing,' said club spokesman Geraint Parry. 'The phone is constantly ringing and it is all hands to the pumps to answer them.

'We have already sold double our average attendance for the season and ticket applications are still coming in.

'I don't know where these people are coming from. All season our average gate has hovered around the 3,000 mark. At the first LDV game against Notts County we had 88 fans turn up. It's a shame more fans do not support this cup in the earlier rounds because the rewards for a club that wins it can be amazing, as we are seeing now.'

League One Wrexham take on League Two Southend United in Cardiff on Sunday, April 10.

But their opponents will not be pushovers. They reached the final last year, too, but were beaten 2-0 by Blackpool.

Then they took more than 20,000 fans.

This year the club has already sold 10,000 tickets.

'We are doing really well,' said a Southend spokesman. 'We are expecting to have to ask the Millennium for more tickets like we did last year because there is a real demand.'

'It is a big day for us,' said Geraint Parry.

'Without doubt it will be our biggest payday in history.'