THE football season only means one thing for many fans - watching the match down the pub with a pint in one hand and a clenched fist cheering your team on.

But this could be in jeopardy after Sky Sports pushed up subscription charges by nearly 25%.

Publicans across Mid Cheshire are reeling from the price increase and, though many have agreed to pay the fee to show the top-flight matches this season, they say they will be monitoring attendance figures ahead of next year's renewel letters.

The landlord of the Newton Brewery in Webb's Lane, Middlewich, Andy Dakin, is already wondering if the matches will go ahead on his TV in the 2004/5 season.

He said: 'It's ridiculous - the prices have gone up 22% and, to the average pub, showing football is becoming non-viable. I'm having it this year, but there has been such a fuss made about it and I believe it's going to the Office of Fair Trading.

'The Premiership Plus subscription for Sunday games went up from £200 to £350, and that was only if you bought it before a certain date, otherwise it would be more than £400.' Landlords claim they are in a catch-22 situation.

Andy added: 'I'm going to keep it going because if I turn it off people would go elsewhere. You have to keep it on to keep the trade, but I think it's disgusting. Sky has us over a barrel.'

The landlord of the White Barn Hungry Horse pub in Norley Road, Cuddington, says pubs within the chain have already lost the right to show matches because of the cost.

Joseph Ashburn said: 'It is expensive, but there is nothing anyone can do about it. It has to be cost-effective, generating business to pay for the matches.

'We show all the matches, from the Nationwide League to the Premiership, but they are not all as popular.

'At the end of the day everyone, ITV, BBC, they all had a chance to go for it, and they were priced out by Sky.'

In all, nearly 30,000 pubs and clubs across Britain subscribe to Sky Sports channels in the hope of attracting more customers.

A spokesman for Sky Sports said: 'The increase of up to 22% reflects the quality of the product we are offering and our continued investment in bringing top-quality programming to our customers. Our product offers good value to customers in the licensed trade.'