FURIOUS Ipswich Town fans have won their fight for compensation from rugby's Super League and Hull City after they brought forward kick off time for Saturday's Championship game.

By Derek Davis

FURIOUS Ipswich Town fans have won their fight for compensation from rugby's Super League and Hull City after they brought forward kick off time for Saturday's Championship game.

Scores of disgruntled fans fired off e-mails to the Tigers and the Blues to complain and the official Ipswich Town Supporters Club called on the club to register their protests at the disruption brought about by the time change.

Town fans have already snapped up more than 1,500 tickets for the match which was originally scheduled to kick off at 3pm, but was brought forward to 12.30pm on Saturday night in order for Super League side Hull FC's elimination play-off game against Wigan to be screened live on Sky TV at 7pm the same day.

Many of them had already bought advanced train tickets from a number of destinations including London, Colchester and Ipswich, to get to the game at the Kingston Communication stadium in time for 3pm and will lose between £20 and £30 each.

Liz Edwards, the newly-elected supporters club chairwoman, said last night: “We have made our feelings clear and asked Ipswich Town to get in touch with Hull City about this matter and to ask for compensation.

“There are a lot of travelling supporters who will incur a financial loss and be severely inconvenienced. Many have bought train tickets a month in advance and will have to change the time of departure and they will be the main people who suffer.

“There are also many who go by coach and car who will have to make new arrangements.”

“While we appreciate Ipswich Town had little choice in the decision to change the time this is exactly the sort of issue the supporters club will tackle and make the feelings of our members known to the football club.”

Ipswich reacted by promising to compensate supporters and reclaiming the money from Hull City and the Super League.

Chief executive Derek Bowden last night said: “We will, of course, compensate those supporters travelling by rail where appropriate. It was always our intention to do so once details were agreed.”

KC Stadium staff face a race against time to empty the stadium, take down the football posts and put up the rugby posts and paint the new pitch markings.