The attendance at Town’s game at Accrington Stanley last Saturday was the lowest for a league game - other than during last season’s Covid-impacted campaign – since the club joined the Football League in 1938/39.

Only 2,600 fans watched the Blues’ 2-1 loss to Stanley, 846 of them Town supporters, well down on the 3,567 at the corresponding fixture two years ago.

All but three of Town’s matches last season were played behind closed doors with that trio of games having very limited capacities, 1,808 at Plymouth and 2,000 for the home fixtures against Portsmouth and Burton.

In a non-pandemic season, the previous lowest league attendance was 3,116 at the home game against Leyton Orient on Wednesday 25th May 1953 in Division Three South. Away from home, 3,173 were at Fellows Park for the Blues’ game against Walsall on Saturday 25th March 1952.

More recently, only 3,238 watched Town’s game against the old Wimbledon at Selhurst Park with most of their fans boycotting their fixtures due to the impending move to Milton Keynes.

The theme continued at Gillingham on Tuesday when only 1,116 fans, 224 of them Town supporters, were at the Priestfield Stadium for the Blues' 2-0 Papa John's Trophy win, the club's lowest cup attendance since Monday 27th February 1939 when precisely 300 supporters are recorded as having watched Town lose 2-0 at Port Vale in the Southern Section Cup.

Photo: Pagepix

Bluearmy_81 added 17:41 - Oct 7 Been there twice now, lost both times and was depressing seeing town play at such a tiny ground... and that was before we lost! Felt surreal. ME has a hell of a lot to answer for!
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Suffolkboy added 17:56 - Oct 7 The ME era is well past ;we must start positively living in the PC ambience ,which is taking a bit of time to actually enchant anyone ! This man appears more politician than man of action Manager of men ,and so far has manifestly failed to produce team efforts and results to match his rhetoric ! Should we really be surprised at all that away crowds ,especially at smaller grounds, reflect a bit of disinterest in ITFC – I think not ! Much to hope for yet, much yet to be demonstrated as achievable ! COYB

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rfretwell added 18:08 - Oct 7 Suffolkboy, i think you are a bit over the top with your assessment. We have sold out our tickets for Portsmouth away. The interest is very much alive. No Town fan wants to miss the upturn in our fortunes.
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keighleyblue added 18:38 - Oct 7 petrol shortage
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Nobbysnuts added 20:05 - Oct 7 Maybe these clubs don't see ipswich as a big fish....our league position suggests they are right. What a sad time for itfc playing at such sh#t holes...
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Saxonblue74 added 21:00 - Oct 7 BA81, please move on! How can you still manage to mention Evans in every comment you make?
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masetheace added 21:51 - Oct 7 If Cook can't turn this round we could see the lowest Portman Road crowd by the end of the season
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Bluearmy_81 added 21:57 - Oct 7 Saxon, I've not mentioned ME in ages. He was the one biggest single factor is us stooping this low so it would seem remiss of me not to give him a mention. You're right the future is thankfully much brighter. Thank God we've NOT got Evans! 😂
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AlanG296 added 22:11 - Oct 7 Unfair on Accrington Nobbysnuts. Accrington may have a small ground, a well maintained ground, but definitely not a sh#t hole. They are in League One on merit, as are we, and deserve respect for what they have achieved and continue to achieve.
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bobble added 22:17 - Oct 7 looks like the fans were correct not to go
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Saxonblue74 added 06:43 - Oct 8 BA81, my mistake. This was your first ME reference since Cooks team news prior to Tuesday night v Gillingham!!
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Saxonblue74 added 06:45 - Oct 8 .....would have been remiss not to mention him with regard to a cup match team selection months after his departure!
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lintonblue added 08:12 - Oct 8 Winning games and a good run brings in fans, fuel shortage probably not helping attendances though across the country
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Paulc added 08:50 - Oct 8 This is a non story - if we are measuring Town's attendance only it would make sense. No mention of fuel shortages, and I would have though 846 travelling fans with no fuel, terrible weather turning up to that mudheap was a decent turnout. But why focus on positives when you can spin it this way eh?
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runningout added 21:24 - Oct 8 Did we really think the whole of Accrington would watch game. Glad the “Your only here for the Ipswich” wasn't and never is appropriate. I detest it personally. And “He's one of our own” rubbish :)
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