[Official Site] Barber Praises FA Cup Support

PUBLISHED
15:04 5th January 2014
Paul Barber has echoed Nathan Jones's post-match comments and thanked Albion's fans after a terrific turnout for yesterday's FA Cup third round tie against Reading.
Fans were rewarded with a dominant performance as Oscar Garcia's men eased past the Royals, and Barber said, "It was a brilliant turnout, only bettered by crowds at Premier League clubs - Arsenal, Everton, Newcastle, Aston Villa and Norwich.*
"We are in a run of four home games in 21 days, at a time of year when the weather has been truly awful across the country and when family funds are already tight, so we were delighted with the support from both sets of fans for yesterday's game.
"At this club it's very clear that the FA Cup remains a very special competition and third-round weekend is a special date in the football calendar. As ever yesterday's results didn't disappoint with a few typical third Round upsets."
Albion's reward for their 1-0 win is a place in today's fourth round draw; the club will also receive £67,500 in prize money as a result of the win, while Barber was also delighted to see a large number of first-timers at the Amex - and hopes they will be back to see Albion in the future. * *
"The prize money is a nice bonus, but what is really encouraging for our club's long-term future is that we welcomed lots of new fans to the Amex for the first time yesterday.*
"Many regular fans chose to bring children along and other supporters took advantage of the pricing to bring friends and try out different areas of the stadium. We hope those newcomers, young and old, will have enjoyed the experience and will be back to see more games at the Amex in the future."




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