AT a time when attendances at football matches are in decline, something quite special is happening in the North-East tonight.

Sunderland will have a full house of 48,000 at the Stadium of Light for Arsenal's visit in the Carling Cup.

And that is a tribute to the imagination and proactivity of a club which knows the importance of public relations and community spirit.

Acutely aware that a Carling Cup match against a team guaranteed to rest its stars would not have fans flocking to the turnstiles, Sunderland made a bold move. Adult tickets were slashed to £5 while children's admission was priced at just a pound.

To put the response in context, it is worth noting that Middlesbrough will not attract a capacity crowd paying full price when they play Manchester United at The Riverside at the weekend.

Sunderland's cut-price policy is the type of initiative football clubs are going to have to adopt as they compete for the public's hard-earned cash.

As Sunderland manager Mick McCarthy says in The Northern Echo today, it is a fight for the hearts and minds of a new generation of fans: give them a positive experience and hope that they come back for more.

If there is any justice, Sunderland will be rewarded with a decent crowd when the prices go back up for Portsmouth's visit to the Stadium of Light on Saturday.