WEMBLEY chiefs have been left red-faced after scoring an own goal by misspelling Middlesbrough on the club's Championship playoff final tickets.

Bosses at the national stadium today apologised for mispelling Middlesbrough 'Middlesborough' on the tickets for Monday's Championship Play-off final with Norwich City.

The news comes as tickets for the game have officially sold out.

The gaffe was revealed this morning, with Wembley admitting it had got it wrong due to 'human error'.

"An error has been made on the Championship Play-Off Final 2015 tickets, with Middlesbrough spelt incorrectly," said a statement on Middlesbrough's website today.

"Wembley Stadium would like to apologise to Middlesbrough Football Club and its fans for this mistake, it was a human error. These tickets will still be valid for Monday’s game.

"We hope that it does not detract from what will be an excellent game and we encourage fans looking for further information on the fixture to visit www.wembleystadium.com."

Fans joked about the spelling mistake made on the Wembley tickets. One said: “I know we don’t go there very often, but they must think we’re a bunch of muppets to do this.”

The Northern Echo: IMPROVEMENT: George Friend again impressed at the weekend

GEORGE FRIEND: Spelling Middlesbrough wrong is "not something you want to do".

Boro defender George Friend was asked about the mistake at a club press conference today.

Friend, originally from the south west of England, said: “I didn't know about that but when I first came I spelt it wrong and I was quickly corrected and it's not something you want to do, trust me.

"I just keep it simple and call them Boro, maybe they should just do that? It's a bit of a shame.”

Fans, meanwhile, have taken to forums, Twitter and Facebook to express their annoyance, but also to see the funny side of the cock-up.

"An extra 6k tickets and we will consider your apology!" wrote one fan on the message board of the Boro fanzine, Fly Me To The Moon.

Another wrote: "Whilst it is an honest mistake Middlesbrough have been a member of the FA / FL since 1876 and to spell it wrong on such an important occasion is sloppy and disrespectful IMO."

A third wrote: "It's the same as spelling Norwich as Norridge. You'd have thought somebody would check."

Fans spoke of their frustration after many missed out in the frantic race for tickets.

The club’s entire 38,000 allocation for the Bank Holiday Monday showdown with Norwich City at Wembley sold out after remaining tickets which went back on general sale on Tuesday afternoon were snapped up in about 20 minutes.

Boro had suspended ticket sales on Monday after 17,000 were sold in the first four hours.

A steady stream of season card holders had queued at the South Stand ticket office after being granted one final chance to get a ticket.

But many without season tickets who turned up at the Riverside Stadium in the hope that general sale tickets would be available told how they had been thwarted when attempting to make purchases via a telephone hotline or online.

Boro fan Mark Williams, 37, said he, his wife and daughter had made more than 3,000 phone calls between them in an unsuccessful attempt to buy tickets.

He said: “At one stage we had four phones operating. My wife got put in a queue and then the call was cut off.

“I’ve followed them all my life, but this is crazy.”

Phillip Sturdy, 28, from Great Ayton, said: “I am absolutely cheesed off.

“The way Boro have handled this is a joke basically, they just complicate matters. If you cannot afford a season ticket you don’t get a look in.”

Mr Sturdy said the club should have operated a system whereby fans who attended the play off semi-final home leg could have kept their ticket stub and been guaranteed a Wembley ticket.

Peter Talukder said the club had “killed the buzz” by not allowing fans to queue on a first come first served basis for general sale tickets.

The 53-year-old, an offshore worker, said: “They have cut out the working man.

“It is all about the hoity-toity now, the corporate, the cucumber sandwich brigade.”

It understood Boro has taken action against 19 fans who were caught selling tickets at hugely inflated prices.

Some Boro supporters used social media to name and shame the culprits. One ticket was selling for £928 online.

A spokesman for the club said: “Ticket touting is a criminal offence and under no circumstances will we tolerate fans profiteering from the sale of match tickets.”

:: Boro fans attending Wembley are advised that National Express will be running direct services from Middlesbrough bus station.

It said it would add extra services to meet demand in view of a planned national rail strike which is due to start shortly after the end of the game at 5pm.

Meanwhile, a list of designated pubs Boro fans are welcome to drink in on the day surrounding the stadium has been released by police.

They are: The Green Man; Blue Room; Liquor Station; JJ Moons; Thirsty Eddie’s; Masti; Flannery’s; Station 31 (Speakeasy); The Corner House (Mannions); Fusilier; The Copper Jug; Powerleague.