TRANMERE hope a £5 admission for all offer will attract the highest attendance of the season so far into the next home game at Prenton Park – and encourage thousands of missing fans to become match day regulars once more.

Admission to all areas of the ground – with the exception of the hospitality suites – is being cut to a fiver for the League One visit of Yeovil on Saturday, February 26.

Club officials, anxious to reverse a slow decline in gates over recent years, want to coax back lapsed supporters and give newcomers a taste of the match day experience that has earned them Football League Family Friendly awards over the last four years.

Chief executive Mick Horton said: “We are trying to encourage people to come back and give us a try. That’s the ultimate aim of the offer. We think we provide a good match day experience at Prenton Park.

“However, we understand a lot of people are struggling financially at the moment. If people have to give things up because of the recession, it’s probably going to be leisure and football comes under that.

“February is a particularly busy month at Prenton Park with four home games. So we want to attract as many people as possible to the Yeovil game by reducing admission to £5 for everyone. The £5 price is a way of making the game as accessible as possible for all. We offer good honest football at low prices and we hope the fans will spread the word.”

Horton added: “We did a similar offer couple of years ago for a game against Bristol Rovers and increased the gate by between 2,500 and 3000. To get those sorts of numbers again would be great.

“We know manager Les Parry and the players appreciate the difference in the atmosphere when extra people are inside Prenton Park.”

Rovers’ home attendances have been declining as the effects of the recession bite on the local economy.

Chairman Peter Johnson introduced a series of economies and cutbacks 18 months ago which proved successful in bringing down annual trading losses, averaging around £1 million in recent years, to close to a break even figure last season.

The budget for players and staff takes the biggest hit but manager Les Parry successfully delivered the team from the threat of relegation last May and Rovers are on course to protect their League One status again this season. Tuesday night’s 3-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday lifted Tranmere to 15th place in the table and extended their unbeaten run to five games.

The prudent financial approach is helping to keep Tranmere clear of the difficulties threatening a number of League One clubs and last month they were able to resist an offer from a Premier League club for exciting teenage prospect Dale Jennings.

But the pressure to cut back spending on the squad and sell players is liable to increase if Tranmere can’t halt the slide in revenue through the turnstiles.

Attendances for the majority of games Prenton Park this season dipped below 5000.

Admission to the Yeovil game in the Kop Stand, Paddocks and John King Stands will be by cash at the turnstiles. Tickets must be purchased in advance for the Main Stand.

Tranmere will be offering free admission for the re-arranged fixture against Notts County. The original match on February 5 was abandoned soon after half time because the pitch became waterlogged and will be replayed at Prenton Park on Tuesday, 19 April, kick off 7.45pm.

Horton said: “When the game was abandoned we decided to take the opportunity to offer free admission to all supporters.

“This will give Merseyside football fans – and non-football fans – the chance to come and watch a game for nothing. It’s the ideal opportunity for people who have never been to a game before to come and see if they like it. Hopefully they’ll enjoy the experienceŠ and come back. Where else can you watch a Football League match for free?”

Horton explained admission to the Notts County game will be free to supporters who obtain a ticket before 5pm on Monday April 18.

Supporters must obtain a ticket or use season ticket voucher H in order for the club to monitor the attendance in each section of the ground.

Tickets are available online at www.trfctickets.com from Tuesday, February 15 until Sunday, March 6 (£1 booking fee & postage per ticket). They will then be available from the ticket office at Prenton Park from Monday, March 7 until 5pm on Monday,ŠApril 18. No telephone bookings will be taken for this match and there is a maximum of four tickets per booking.

Supporters who have not obtained a ticket before the day of the match will be required to pay £5 to obtain a ticket at the ticket officeŠ to gain admission to the ground as there will be no cash turnstiles for this game.