SAFETY clearance for the 6,000-seat extension of Sunderland's Stadium of Light could be granted only hours before the new season kicks off on Saturday.

Work has taken place throughout the close season, adding an extra tier to the north stand and north-west corner of the stadium, increasing capacity to more than 48,000.

But because the final seats have been installed only this week, and with work still to be carried out, a safety certificate may not be granted until the day of Sunderland's opening Premiership fixture against Arsenal.

Club chief executive John Fickling said it was always going to be a race against time to complete the extension, but he remained confident all the necessary work would be finished to satisfy safety inspectors before the match, which kicks-off at 3pm.

He said: "We always knew it would go to the wire. These things invariably do.

"But, we are happy how things are going. All the systems are being checked and we will continue monitoring it to complete the process. We are on target, and more than confident everything will be in place in time for the game on Saturday."

A Sunderland City Council spokesman said safety inspectors visited the stadium yesterday and plan to return on Friday to see how the "tidying up" process is going.

Saturday's crowd will be the biggest to watch a Sunderland home game in more than 20 years, but because only half the extra 6,000 seats have been made available to season-ticket holders, single game tickets remain available.

They are available from the ticket office on 0191-551 5151.