Walsall have smashed the 1,000 season ticket mark ahead of the Early Bird deadline on Saturday.

The Saddlers have hailed their fans who have rallied round the struggling club – despite the threat of relegation to League Two and the controversial sale of the Banks’s Stadium.

And Walsall are set to outstrip the 1,300 tickets they sold in last year’s Early Bird offer, having frozen prices for the third successive season.

The offer of free football to under-18s has boosted sales and chief executive Stefan Gamble is expecting a late rush.

He said: “We are delighted with the response. We surpassed the 1,000 mark yesterday which is really pleasing. In comparison with the same period last season, we have sold over 300 more season tickets at this stage.

“Historically, the last week of the Early Bird is always the busiest time and we are expecting a hectic few days until the offer closes on Saturday.”

The Saddlers’ trailblazing scheme of free football to under-18s is part of the club’s attempts to boost flagging attendances and reconnect with their fans.

Crowds have dipped to an average of just 3,796 at the Banks’s this term as the fourth-bottom Saddlers battle the drop.

In the first offer of its kind in the Football League, under-18s can buy a ticket for £46 before Saturday and will get £2 cashback for every home game they attend – effectively meaning free football.

Gamble said: “Over 250, 27 per cent of all season-tickets purchased, are junior tickets which is an excellent return.

“For the current season, only 17 per cent of all season-ticket holders are juniors, so to be on course to double that figure shows the offer of free football has captured the imagination of the town’s youngsters and hopefully the next generation of Walsall supporters.

“We really believe in this initiative and would encourage more and more people to take up the offer.”

The Banks’s Stadium ticket office is open Monday to Friday 9am 4:30pm and between 10am-3:00pm this Saturday.

The town centre shop is open Tuesday to Friday 9am-4pm and 9am-1pm and 9am-5pm on Saturday.