Hull City v Southampton play-off final kick off time confirmed | OneFootball

The Saints and Tigers will do battle in football's richest game next weekend

Next weekend, Southampton and Hull City are set to do battle under the arch of Wembley Stadium, with a place in the Premier League at stake for both Tonda Eckert and Sergej Jakirovic's sides.

Before a ball was kicked, Saints were fancied as one of the sides to mount a promotion bid at the first time of asking following relegation from the top-flight 12 months ago, but their second trip to Wembley this season hasn't been without drama, for good and bad reasons.

Eckert was installed as manager in December after an initial upturn in results as an interim following Will Still's dismissal in November, before the club embarked on a run of just one defeat in all competitions from January 17th onwards, with that coming in North London to Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-final on April 25th.

However, the ongoing spygate saga following their two-legged Championship play-off semi-finals against Middlesbrough has brought about strong controversy, and calls that they should be denied the chance to contest football's 'richest game'.

Meanwhile, the Tigers have continuously defied the odds under Jakirovic, and after being tipped for relegation this season after being hit with the sanction of a two-window transfer fee restriction in July, find themselves just 90 minutes away from a potential first campaign back in the Premier League in nine years.

Despite the identity of the two sides set to face off in North London being known since Tuesday, albeit spygate hasn't helped the situation, supporters on the South Coast and East Yorkshire had been left waiting for some time to learn of a kick-off time.

However, after hours of confusion, the EFL have finally provided clarity.

Indeed, it was expected that ticketing details for both sets of supporters would emerge on Wednesday, May 13th, ahead of them being made available later in the week in batches, depending on where each individual fan fell in brackets relating to Saints and City's loyalty points/membership systems.

Unsurprisingly, with arrangements needing to be made - which included a travel warning to those making the trip from the North - both sets of fans have vented their frustration as the League One and League Two finals saw their kick-off times confirmed ahead of the semi-final first legs involving the respective eight teams involved across the two divisions.

With some potentially opting to watch the 'richest game in football' in luxurious fashion, hospitality packages at Wembley were already available to submit inquiries, with the costs coming in at £519 per person. On the site it claimed that the kick-off was to be at 3PM, although others suggested that it may still be 4PM, or at the latest, 4:30PM, as well as minor hints of a potentially changed date.

And that has now been backed up by the EFL on the governing body's official communications page with a confirmed kick off-time of 4:30PM on the 23rd, as things stand. That said, it remains to be seen what the outcome of an independent disciplinary commission involving Saints following the continued spygate debacle is, which will fully determine Hull's opponents.

The hearing will take place on, or before Tuesday May 19th, just four days until the final takes place in North London,while it has also been confirmed that ticket details will come through from both clubs later on Thursday.

Hull had previously released a statement urging supporters to not contact the ticket office at the MKM Stadium after frustrations over delays became rife.

Saints, meanwhile, released their ticket information details prematurely on Wednesday, and they were swiftly deleted as it is expected both sets of fans will receive full clarity at the same time.

A section of the EFL's statement also read: "This decision follows ongoing coordination with the Clubs to ensure that on-sale arrangements can be implemented as soon as practicable.

"The League recognises that this complex situation has caused concern and disruption for supporters, particularly those making travel arrangements, and will continue to provide as much clarity as possible.

"However, in these clearly exceptional circumstances, the League considers this to be the most appropriate course of action."

Hull City and Southampton will want full clarity on play-off final situation ASAP

This is a situation affecting thousands of people, even those on the playing side.

Hull, of course, sealed their passage to Wembley on Monday night, and it has since been clarified that, amidst the ongoing spygate investigation, Jakirovic's team, who reconvened for training in Cottingham on Thursday, are preparing to take on Southampton as usual.

Saints fans will also remember the logistical issues they faced ahead of their FA Cup semi-final less than a month ago due to engineering work on train lines between Southampton and London Waterloo, and they will hope to avoid similar issues to make the day run as smooth as possible if their club are green-lighted to take part in the final, with those of a Middlesbrough persuasion still keeping a close eye on what unfolds in the upcoming commission.