Town boss Kieran McKenna, speaking at this evening’s Fans’ Forum at Portman Road, admitted he fancied his currently top-of-the-table side to make a good start to the season following a pre-season programme which went to plan.
The Blues currently lead Portsmouth on goal difference having been unbeaten in their first seven matches while winning their first four games on the road at the start of a campaign for the first time in their history.
"It’s been a good start, we fancied ourselves for a good start, to be honest,” he said at the Forum held in the Sir Bobby Robson Suite and attended by 150 supporters.
"I thought the pre-season was really good. You could tell from the first day of pre-season the hunger the group came back with and the additions that we made.
"We felt really strong through the summer, had a good pre-season. That doesn’t guarantee you anything but it gives you a better chance than not and we’ve carried that into the season.
"It’s been a good start. I’m probably going to say loads tonight that it’s early days, feet on the floor and that’s obviously the case, but there’s no doubt about it, we’d rather be here with a good start than a poor start.
"We’ve given ourselves a good platform, it’s a long season ahead but it’s great to be off and running.”
CEO Mark Ashton, who joined McKenna, along with chairman Mike O’Leary and Scott Paul, the club’s new director of supporter engagement on the panel while Stephen Foster MCed, added: "The support has been great. We had an internal meeting at the end of last season with all the senior heads and we were talking about season tickets and projections and what we thought the numbers could be for next season and I said, ‘Look, I think we should aim for 18,000 season tickets’.
"I think all my staff thought I was potty at that point. But we’re at 17,000 and we haven’t put half-season tickets on sale yet and I think if the form continues as it is going I think we’ll be close to that. The size of this club is huge and the fans have been incredible.
"And the away support never ceases to amaze me. We saw it last season and it’s continued into this season.
"Accrington’s a long, long journey. The stand has no roof, it’s tipping down with rain, they’re singing, they’re making noise, they’re behind the boys. Just incredible, absolutely incredible the fans have been.”
The Fans’ Forum covered a wide variety of topics on matters both on and off-field with a number of supporters praising both McKenna and Ashton and the new owners for their work since they came to the club.