HUNDREDS of Saints fans were today facing the possibility they will miss seeing the FA Cup final because of a train service debacle.

The Daily Echo has been flooded with calls from Southampton supporters who have been told there is no space for them on trains to Cardiff this Saturday even though they bought tickets weeks ago.

Wessex Trains has announced that, for safety reasons, passengers will only be allowed on services to the match against Arsenal if they have made seat reservations.

But many travellers say they were refused seat bookings when they bought their tickets nearly a month ago.

Kate Jolliffe, 29, bought tickets from Wales and Borders, which was acting on behalf of Wessex Trains, the day after Saints' semi-final victory against Watford.

She was told she could not book the seven seats she needed and was refused again when she bought an eighth ticket two weeks later.

The book seller, of Cedar Road, Portswood, Southampton, said: "It's caused huge amounts of panic. They're fully prepared to take our money without considering how many people have bought tickets to catch the train."

Mike Osbaldstone, 51, of Saxon Road, Southampton, also bought tickets the day after the Watford match from an Internet site.

He said: "I'm pretty annoyed. The fact is they're still selling tickets knowing no one can get the train."

A spokesman for Wessex Trains said it was difficult to monitor ticket sales owing to the huge number of venues selling them countrywide.

But he insisted seats could be reserved from before the time of the semi-final.

He said: "We've done everything we can to provide all of the seats we can. We would also strongly advise anyone who has not made reservations to seek alternative forms of transport."