SAINTS fans are hoping their wait for news on ticket details for next season will soon be over.

And they are keeping their fingers crossed that when the eagerly-anticipated ticket-price announcement is made it will be good news.

Saints are one of just two League One clubs yet to announce their pricing structure for next season, the other being Hartlepool.

Saints have around 12,000 season ticket holders – more than any club averaged in League One last season apart from Leeds, Norwich, Charlton and Huddersfield.

Traditionally, they have always released season ticket details in March or April, offering ‘early bird’ discounts to try and get money in up front to help them through the summer months where there are no games and match-day income.

Last year, though, tickets didn’t go on sale until mid-July after Markus Liebherr had completed his takeover.

Now that Liebherr has wiped out Saints’ debts, the club are no longer reliant upon season ticket income for the close season period as they would once have been.

Saints’ strong financial position is one of the reasons why chairman Nicola Cortese said they will be able to bring out a sponsor-free kit next season to mark their 125th anniversary.

And there has been some discussion among fans about whether Cortese is preparing another grand gesture ahead of the club’s landmark season in the form of frozen or even reduced ticket prices.

Cortese said last week that the club would be making an announcement on season tickets soon.

However, supporters have received mixed messages about when the news will be released.

One fan, an existing season ticket holder, told The Daily Echo he emailed the club to ask when next season’s ticket details were being released, but had yet to receive an answer.

Another claimed that the ticket office had informed them that the details will be announced on Monday while another had been told not to expect any news until the middle of June.

Mike O’Callaghan, of the Southampton Independent Supporters Association, said: “I’m not panicking but I expect the club to come up with some news in the near future.

“A lot of people missed out last year because they were on holiday and the announcement was so late.

“The sooner the club do announce the details the better because fans can start putting things into place with their finances, especially in the current climate.”

Steve Grant, administrator of Internet fans’ forum Saints Web, said: “I’m surprised the details haven’t been released already.

“I would have thought that it would have been in the club’s interests to capitalise on the feel-good factor from the middle of March to the end of the season, with Wembley still fresh in everyone’s minds and when we had a good end to the season.

I’d have thought they would have wanted to get some early renewals in and some new season ticket holders signed up then.”

O’Callaghan thinks Saints should at least freeze ticket prices.

“Most clubs are holding, if not reducing their prices,” he added.

“The prices last season were fair and they should freeze them because we are still in the same division.

“If you keep the prices down you will get the fans in.”

The Daily Echo contacted Saints but they were unavailable for comment.