BILLY BUNTER

Weblog: The football punter

Not easy to decide if Fantastic Friday is value

THE Riverside Stadium, or Banks of Empty Red Seats as Middlesbrough's home is otherwise known, will apparently be full to overflowing on Friday night.

It's not just any old Friday in Middlesbrough; it's Fantastic Friday, and that means 50 per cent off ticket prices with the marketing bods at the club reckoning it'll add up to a crowd in excess of 20,000 against Sheffield Wednesday.

The fly in the ointment is Sky TV. While it's good of them to share their patent on weekday alliteration, the downside is that they are bowling up with cameras galore and that's sure to keep a few Smoggies and Owls down the pub.

There isn't too much else on in town, however, to keep the natives from attending the big game. I clocked on the Visit Middlesbrough website that there's an exhibition by the acclaimed potter Julian Stair entitled Quietus: The vessel, death and the human body, but if the trustees of the mima museum (far too right-on for a capital M, note) have any sense they'll be locking the doors about 5 or they'll never get ‘em out.

So then you've just got to deduce whether forking out £12 for adults and £7 for concessions (or kids or oldies if you don't own a concession) represents value for money, especially if you weren't going to go within a mile of the place. Probably not.

My advice to Middlesbrough man with two kids and an elderly relative. Whack the £33 on Boro instead and keep betting until you can afford a season ticket for Newcastle.