YORK City only have 27 tickets left for the big Boxing Day clash at North Yorkshire neighbours Scarborough.

The Minstermen are close to selling all their 1,400 allocation with only one terrace ticket left for the McCain Stadium clash - the rest are in the seats.

Tickets are also being snapped up in Scarborough and both clubs have now sold a combined total of 4,500.

The seaside club have printed 5,000 tickets but expect to produce more to meet continued demand with the possibility of a 6,400 full house for a game that has been billed in Scarborough and on the match tickets as a "Clash of the Titans: 125 Years in Waiting".

Formed in 1879, Scarborough's highest attendance for a Conference fixture was set more than 17 years ago on the last day of the Seadogs' 1986-87 promotion campaign.

Neil Warnock's champions beat Weymouth 2-1 in front of 5,640 supporters on that occasion in which they celebrated becoming the first club to gain automatic promotion to the Football League, but this eagerly-anticipated and long-awaited derby could bring even more fans through the turnstiles.

The match is already guaranteed a bigger gate than the last time the two clubs met on the coast for a league match.

Paul Barnes and Tony Canham netted in a Third Division duel during December 1992 only for the Minstermen to eventually lose 4-2 in front of a 3,892 crowd.

Boro's glamorous FA Cup home clash with Chelsea in January was the club's last sell-out but the capacity was reduced to 5,400 on police advice.

Sunday's attendance is also expected to be the biggest crowd City have played in front of this season, beating the 5,073 that watched Carlisle United knock the Minstermen out of the FA Cup 3-1 at the fourth qualifying round stage at Brunton Park in October.

And the Seadogs' visit to Bootham Crescent on January 2, which is not an all-ticket affair, could attract a bigger attendance than the 3,842 that watched Viv Busby's men surprise promotion-chasing Carlisle with a 2-1 home victory last month.

Any remaining away tickets for Sunday's game will be on sale at Bootham Crescent until 1pm tomorrow but supporters are advised to buy today to avoid disappointment.

City's influential midfielder Gary Pearson is pondering a medical dilemma after scans revealed a tear in his shoulder.

He has been advised to either have an operation now or at the end of the season, which would mean continuing to play through the pain barrier.

Meanwhile, over on the East coast, Scarborough captain Scott Kerr is one of five players currently suffering from 'flu and has been ordered to keep away from the club to avoid further contamination ahead of Sunday's game.

Updated: 10:51 Wednesday, December 22, 2004