Thousands of Brighton and Hove Albion supporters queued for hours to guarantee their seats at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium for Albion's promotion showdown.

Two-thirds of the Albion's 30,000-ticket allocation were snapped up on Saturday by fans desperate to see the play-off final against Bristol City on Sunday.

Many people queued through the night to get the best seats in the house while hordes joined throughout the day at Withdean and the club shop in Queen's Road, Brighton.

The huge influx of fans proved chaotic for some Withdean residents while a few season ticket-holders were disgruntled because they were not given priority seats.

However, the club paid tribute to the good-humoured and patient manner in which supporters waited.

All the £46 and £40 tickets were sold over the weekend, while supplies of £32 seats were also running low.

Some £24 tickets should still be available today, with the ticket office at Withdean due to open at 9am.

Heading the queue at the stadium on Saturday were Simon and Barbara Clowes, who spent a cold night waiting after arriving at midnight on Friday.

The couple drove from Eastbourne with their children Joe Coutts-Jarman, 13, and Melanie Coutts-Jarman, ten, to get prime seats.

Simon, a foster carer, said: "We took a big flask of coffee, some Bovril and a picnic. The kids slept in the car and we just chatted.

"It was a nice evening. My wife's a lifelong Albion supporter and she wouldn't have missed getting tickets for the world."

While waiting, they chatted with two men who arrived at 1am after driving from Cornwall.

By 8am on Saturday swathes of blue and white stretched for hundreds of metres from the turnstiles, around the car park and tennis courts and to the junction of Tongdean Lane and Valley Drive.

Paul Burford, 51, drove from his home in Kent to arrive at Withdean by 7am.

He said: "I set off early because I've been an Albion supporter all my life and I wanted to make sure I got a ticket. I really admire those who spent the night here - that's passion."

Jenny Drewitt, 58, a former train conductor for South Central, arrived early to ensure tickets for herself and her 88-year-old mother.

Ms Drewitt said: "She's been a supporter all her life. When she can't get to see a match she listens to it on the radio and writes it all down in shorthand. She's elderly and I think she forgets what happens if she doesn't write it down."

Not everyone was happy with the arrangements for tickets, which were sold from eight turnstiles by vendors including Albion chief executive Martin Perry.

Season ticket holders Jim Baker, 63, from Ovingdean, and Roy Whittington, 61, from Lancing, were angry to be made to queue with everyone else.

Mr Whittington said: "We should get priority for tickets. It's disgusting."

There was also discord with some Withdean residents who awoke to find cars parked on grass verges or blocking driveways.

A club spokesman said: "We'd like to thank the residents of Withdean and apologise for the chaos."