Wales reap rewards

Mark Hughes has helped Wales turn a corner

Wales' recent run of good form under manager Mark Hughes has proved a boon in both the latest FIFA rankings and for ticket sales.

Wins over Belarus and World Cup finalists Germany, plus creditable draws against Argentina and the Czech Republic have helped Wales climb five places to 91st in the world.

As well as impressing football's world governing body - climbing up the latest official table released on Wednesday - Wales highest ranking for five years is wooing the fans.

Wales begin their Euro 2004 qualifying campaign on Saturday 7 September away to Finland in Helsinki.

The players always appreciate the support we have away from home

Mark Hughes

The Football Association of Wales expects its largest away support for some 10 years, estimating that between 1000 and 1500 fans will make the trip to the Olympic Stadium.

The FAW has a large allocation of tickets but these are selling fast and fans must purchase the tickets before travelling.

The Finnish FA has indicated that it expects the match to be a 38,000 sell-out.

Wales then have a mouth-watering home tie the following month against Group 9 favourites Italy, with Azerbaijan and Yugoslavia making up the rest of the opposition.

Manager Mark Hughes said he was delighted to hear of the backing Wales will receive in Helsinki.

Making strides

"The players always appreciate the support we have away from home and, in recent times, we have had an excellent following.

"We took a large group to Norway and they sang throughout the game, from start to finish. Even in Poland - where there wasn't as many - they certainly made themselves heard."

But Wales' rise up the world rankings is less important to Hughes, who pays little heed to the complicated system.

"I don't hold much store by the rankings," he admitted. "We beat Belarus and drew with Argentina and the Czech Republic, yet still went down.

"I think everyone can see the strides we are making on the pitch.

"And hopefully we can start converting some of those draws into wins when the Euro 2004 qualifying begins."