SUNDERLAND have hailed an attempt to win over the hearts and minds of their supporters a success after selling out for tonight's Carling Cup tie with Arsenal.

At a time when ticket pricing has been under the spotlight, and as football attendances continue to decline, Sunderland took the unprecedented step of selling tickets at £1 for children and £5 for adults.

The result has been reflected by sales. More than 48,000 supporters will be at a Carling Cup fixture.

Normally, about half that would be expected.

Sunderland's marketing and communications director, Lesley Callaghan, has been delighted with how the initiative has gone.

She said: "Setting such low prices for this fixture was our way of thanking Sunderland fans for their continued support and to welcome old and new fans alike - and their response has been tremendous.

"A full stadium will be a great boost to the team.

"With a large number of families attending, there will be a lot of youngsters experiencing their first taste of top-flight football, and we continue to make every effort to encourage the next generation of Sunderland fans."

The full-house - which includes a 2,000-seat section for Arsenal fans - has been achieved despite both sides playing weakened teams tonight.

There will be no Thierry Henry or Dennis Bergkamp on show for the visitors, while the Black Cats will offer some of their fringe players a chance to shine.

Sunderland manager Mick McCarthy said: "We're all selective about what we do with our time and our money, and about how much we'd want to pay for something.

"They would normally look at it and say 'I'd sooner want to go to the Newcastle and Portsmouth Premiership games and sacrifice the Carling Cup'.

"But it's £5 and £1 to go, and suddenly it's a far more attractive proposition."