THEIR team may be third bottom of the Scottish third division, but Montrose fans are the envy of all British football fans in these tough economic times.
Supporters of the 133-year-old Angus side, nicknamed the Gable Endies, enjoy the cheapest tickets in the land, according to a comprehensive study.
The BBC Sport Price of Football study of 166 clubs in 10 divisions across British football found it costs only £6 for an adult fan to attend its 1338 capacity Links Park ground, while the club also offers the most reasonable season ticket, at just £90.
This compares with the most expensive club, Arsenal, where an adult match day ticket to watch the English Premiership glamour side at the Emirates Stadium in north London can be as high as £126.
A top end season ticket will set Arsenal fans back £1955.
Montrose club chairman Derek Sim said: "It is very interesting to find Montrose at the top of the league rather than at the bottom. We are a community-based club and so offer value for money."
As a part-time club the cost structure was different to the full-time operations in the SPL, he said.
In Scotland, 21 of the 42 teams across four divisions still offer a day out for less than £20, while only three out of 92 English league clubs could.
The price of a day out, which includes the cost of a cup of tea, a pie and a programme at a Scottish Premier League match is more affordable than south of the Border, with only Celtic (£36.30) costing more than £35.
However, Celtic's most expensive season ticket comes in at £609, some £409 more than Inverness Caledonian Thistle's cheapest offer.
The most expensive match day cup of tea can be found in Manchester, where both City and United charge £2.50.
The cheapest costs 50p at Alloa and Brechin, which are both in the Scottish second division.
Kidderminster, in the Blue Square Bet Premier, charge the most for a pie at £4, while the cheapest is in Scotland, where Alloa, Albion Rovers and Forfar charge just £1. Leeds United sell the most expensive programme in Britain at £4, while Inverness Caledonian Thistle's is the cheapest, at just 50p.
Scottish Premier League chief executive Neil Doncaster said. "I certainly think that our clubs in Scotland make a real effort to ensure football is accessible.
"I think our clubs are aware of the importance of price in terms of people's decisions to come to a game of football.
"We've got just over half of our clubs that offer free season tickets, without any charge, to under-12s."
He added that the likes of family tickets ensured "real value against any comparable activity that families can carry out".
Meanwhile, former First Minister Henry McLeish has launched a new Fans' Parliament that aims to empower supporters.
The one-time East Fife footnall player pledged it would give them access to the Scottish Government and the sporting authorities after fan power came to the fore during the crisis caused by the administration of Rangers back in February this year.
He added: "There is a drive and determination to ensure that the momentum that was gained isn't lost."
Malcolm Clarke, chairman of the English Football Supporters' Federation, added: "Despite the difficult economic times we live in, prices at some clubs and at some levels of the game are still exceedingly high."
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