WORCESTER City have sold only 25 of their £100 season tickets but remain positive they can reach the 1,500 target.

The St George’s Lane club launched the scheme 11 days ago and want to raise £150,000 by Friday, May 3, to help them survive in exile at Kidderminster Harriers.

Although uptake has been slow, the club say they are not concerned and are expecting numbers to rise once word gets round.

Leaflets are being circulated to all clubs in the Worcester and District Football League as well as junior clubs in the area and the Chamber of Commerce.

City’s supporters’ club have also thrown their weight behind the initiative, which was first tried by Hartlepool United in 2011 when the League One side sold more than 5,000 season tickets.

Worcester director Mike Davis said: “I don’t think it’s any more than we had expected, it takes time for the message to get out.

“We are far from downhearted. People are talking about it and that’s the main thing. Hartlepool’s got off to a really slow start and then gatherd momentum.

“I think April is going to be the month for us, especially the game against Chester when we can make an appeal from the pitch to all the occasional Worcester City fans.”

Keith Chambers, vice-chairman of the supporters’ club, added: “We back the initiative to try and sell tickets for the club to survive.

“It’s a clear way of helping the club and we back that principle rather than just give up.”

City are hoping some fans will follow the example of an unnamed supporter from Warndon who, despite being unable to get to games because he is house-bound, has donated his £100 as he “wants the club to survive”.

Davis is also adamant that the team’s recent run of eight straight defeats in Blue Square Bet North should not affect the number of tickets being sold. “I don’t think they are associated,” he said.

“We really need to get together now and whatever is happening this season makes no difference at all.”

The cut-price tickets will allow fans to watch all 21 of City’s league matches at Aggborough during the 2013-14 campaign.

If the club only sells 1,200 tickets, those who have already paid can have a season ticket for an extra £20, or £50 should 1,000 be sold.

Early-bird season tickets available between May 4 and June 30 offer six free games, while it’s four free games between July 1 and August 10 and three free after that date.

n For a weekend City match preview, turn to page 37.