Town boss Mick McCarthy says he can do nothing to affect the size of Portman Road crowds other than to get results. Saturday’s 2-0 victory over bottom-of-the-table Bolton Wanderers was watched by only 14,164 fans, the lowest home crowd for a league game since 13,212 attended the 1-0 victory over Swindon in October 1998.
Following last season’s disappointing 16th-place finish and a 1.5 per cent price rise, season ticket sales dropped by nearly 2,000 to the high 10,000s, while struggling Wanderers brought only 337 fans to Suffolk for Saturday's match.
"In terms of the crowd, I can't make people come in, I can only try to affect results," McCarthy told BBC Radio Suffolk.
"We're in the top six with 15 points from seven games, which is way beyond any of our expectations when we started, mine included.
"I said I don't think we're one of the best teams in the league and we're going to have to be tough and belligerent and organised - and all those horrible things people don't particularly like - but we have got a bit of something.
"I try my best to create a winning team and a good atmosphere amongst everybody, and I think we've got that. It's the club that gets more concerned about the crowd.”
In order to try to address the drop in season ticket numbers Town reduced their matchday prices and introduced a new ticket bundle scheme ahead of the start of the campaign.
The Blues, who take on leaders Leeds United, who they trail by two points with a game in hand at Elland Road on Saturday, are next in action at home to Sunderland a week tomorrow with another Portman Road fixture, against Bristol City, the following Saturday.