Saints’ FA Cup fourth-round tie against Crystal Palace is heading for a sell-out, after thousands of tickets were snapped up today.

There were long queues at the St Mary’s ticket office, as supporters bought thousands of the remaining seats for Saturday’s match.

Fewer than 3,000 tickets remain on general sale for the game, which sees former Saints boss and Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew return to the stadium.

The last of the seats could be sold this evening.

Ronald Koeman’s side reached this stage of the competition after beating Championship high-fliers Ipswich 1-0 in a third-round replay.