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Memory Lane Average attendances

Tommy2holes

Life President⭐
Joined
Jan 21, 2007
Messages
11,419
I was wondering what our best average league attendance and worst average attendance is and perhaps the average overall.

The reason I ask is that I saw a football results posted the other day on from the 70s I think and it showed us having 20k+ at home.

I've been going since 92/93 and I think the championship season was probably the best at around 10k and the Alvin martin days the worst at about 3500 odd.

I do have a vague memory of playing Preston I think sometime in the 90s on a Tuesday night infront of just 2k odd, which I'm sure is the lowest gate I've seen in the league. I know the 80s yielded some horrible gates, as did football in general.

I'm sure there are older fans who have a bit more info on these kind of things.
 
We've never had 20,000 for a league game. Highest I can find was 16800 v. Norwich in the 50's.
 
I was wondering what our best average league attendance and worst average attendance is and perhaps the average overall.

The reason I ask is that I saw a football results posted the other day on from the 70s I think and it showed us having 20k+ at home.

I've been going since 92/93 and I think the championship season was probably the best at around 10k and the Alvin martin days the worst at about 3500 odd.

I do have a vague memory of playing Preston I think sometime in the 90s on a Tuesday night infront of just 2k odd, which I'm sure is the lowest gate I've seen in the league. I know the 80s yielded some horrible gates, as did football in general.

I'm sure there are older fans who have a bit more info on these kind of things.

Fairly sure I can recall seeing a 13,000+ average attendance one season, possibly when we were back at The Kursaal.
 
We've never had 20,000 for a league game. Highest I can find was 16800 v. Norwich in the 50's.
Didn't we get 21,000 against Orient once?. Must have been a long time ago (pre 1970's).
 
We've never had 20,000 for a league game. Highest I can find was 16800 v. Norwich in the 50's.
There are loads higher than that Norwich crowd at least 2 in the 70's as well both 17k+ v Cambridge and Crystal Palace

48/9 v Millwall 20k
49/50 v Reading 20k & Exeter
50/51 v Col U 21k

Are just a few.
As for Average crowds probably highest average in late 1940's at the Stadium would have to check that out.

Lowest ever average (Not including this season!) Will be 1984/5 Which was 1,888 including a highest crowd of the season of 2,942 v Swindon on Boxing Day.

The problem is the accuracy of those older attendances some were probably alot higher than they announced. Especially for cup games. There is no doubt the crowds v Man City and Birmingham in the late 50's were higher than the 'official' attendance.

Actually some crowds even in the mid 1990's can be questionable.
 
Last edited:
The 21,000 was for Orient on 3rd September 55 -the third ever game at Roots Hall


I posted this on another thread yesterday which are some the biggest crowds I've been in:



Crystal Palace was a Friday night 13 Sept 74. 6th game of the season - we’d started with 4 wins and a draw and Palace were managed by Malcolm Allison. If I remember correctly Spud Taylor scored the only goal of the game for them. 17,394 at the Hall.

The same season there were 18,100 for the QPR cup tie.

Cardiff cup tie in 1976 was 12,863.

10,990 for the Watford league game in Nov 78 and 15,365 for the cup replay the following season. 11,406 for the League game in April 79.

West Ham league cup tie Oct 79 -22,429.

Lincoln April 81 11,955 then after the Rochdale game in May 81 (10,668) the next 5 figure crowd was in April 87 10,369 against Wolves.

The next was 10,664 against Cambridge United in April 91.

West Ham in the league April 93 - 12,813 and Luton 11,042.

Yeovil in April 2005 - 11,735 - the highest since the South Stand was built ?


Adding
The Chelsea cup tie 1972- 24,160
Aston Villa cup tie 1971 - 16,929
Liverpool 1979-31038



There were also twelve 5 figure attendances in 2006/7 the highest of which were 11,415 against Ipswich , 11,274 against Leeds and 11,072 Norwich.

Some average league attendances at Roots Hall from "Potted Shrimps" - which may not be correct! ( edit)

1955/56 10,028
1962/63 9,978
1965/66 7,538
1967/68 10,619
1968/69 10,559
1971/72 10,461
1974/75 7,017

1977/78 7,287
1980/81 6,095
1981/82 5,083
1984/85 2,103 the lowest ever - 1,929 seems correct ( edit)
1985/86 2,785
1986/87 3,686
1987/88 3,621
1988/89 3,699
1989/90 3,836

1990/91 6,174
1991/92 6,733

from TransferMarkt

2003/4 4,535
2004/5 4,868
2005/6 8,053
2006/7 10,024
2007/8 8,173
2008/9 7,850
2009/10 7,718
2010/11 5,276
2011/12 6,000
2012/13 5,003
2013/14 5,960
2014/15 6,024
2015/16 7,001
2016/17 7,496
2017/18 7,195
2018/19 6,932
2019/20 6,192


On the whole attendances have stood up well in recent years.

Probably the worst run of fixtures was the last 10 in 1985/86 where they averaged just 1,486.
We were doing well that season until we lost the Colchester derby at home 4-2 in front of 8,120.
 
Last edited:
I wrote an article a couple of seasons ago for the match programme showing all home attendances since 1967/68 (my first season).
Obviously with updates to this season, I can tell you the following:-
Highest average attendance 10,568 (1967/68)
Other averages over 10,000:- 1968/69, 1971/72, 2006/07

Highest league crowd 17,394 in 1974/75 v Crystal Palace
17,059 in 1971/72 v Cambridge United

Lowest average attendance 1,929 (1984/85)

Lowest league crowd 1,006 in 1985/86 v Halifax Town.

Overall average league gate since 1967/68:- 5,819

So even this season with 2 home gates of 2,000 we didn't have our lowest average attendance!
 
I wrote an article a couple of seasons ago for the match programme showing all home attendances since 1967/68 (my first season).
Obviously with updates to this season, I can tell you the following:-
Highest average attendance 10,568 (1967/68)
Other averages over 10,000:- 1968/69, 1971/72, 2006/07

Highest league crowd 17,394 in 1974/75 v Crystal Palace
17,059 in 1971/72 v Cambridge United

Lowest average attendance 1,929 (1984/85)

Lowest league crowd 1,006 in 1985/86 v Halifax Town.

Overall average league gate since 1967/68:- 5,819

So even this season with 2 home gates of 2,000 we didn't have our lowest average attendance!


I wonder how inaccurate the other seasons are in " Potted Shrimps" . 1983/84 is clearly wrong.
 
Yeovil in April 2005 - 11,735 - the highest since the South Stand was built ?
Yep that's out highest all seated record.

It was also the highest crowd in that division of any club that season. I think that's the only time ever we have had the highest crowd of the season.
 
The 21,000 was for Orient on 3rd September 55 -the third ever game at Roots Hall


I posted this on another thread yesterday which are some the biggest crowds I've been in:



Crystal Palace was a Friday night 13 Sept 74. 6th game of the season - we’d started with 4 wins and a draw and Palace were managed by Malcolm Allison. If I remember correctly Spud Taylor scored the only goal of the game for them. 17,394 at the Hall.

The same season there were 18,100 for the QPR cup tie.

Cardiff cup tie in 1976 was 12,863.

10,990 for the Watford league game in Nov 78 and 15,365 for the cup replay the following season. 11,406 for the League game in April 79.

West Ham league cup tie Oct 79 -22,429.

Lincoln April 81 11,955 then after the Rochdale game in May 81 (10,668) the next 5 figure crowd was in April 87 10,369 against Wolves.

The next was 10,664 against Cambridge United in April 91.

West Ham in the league April 93 - 12,813 and Luton 11,042.

Yeovil in April 2005 - 11,735 - the highest since the South Stand was built ?


Adding
The Chelsea cup tie 1972- 24,160
Aston Villa cup tie 1971 - 16,929
Liverpool 1979-31038



There were also twelve 5 figure attendances in 2006/7 the highest of which were 11,415 against Ipswich , 11,274 against Leeds and 11,072 Norwich.

Some average league attendances at Roots Hall from "Potted Shrimps" - which may not be correct! ( edit)

1955/56 10,028
1962/63 9,978
1965/66 7,538
1967/68 10,619
1968/69 10,559
1971/72 10,461
1974/75 7,017

1977/78 7,287
1980/81 6,095
1981/82 5,083
1984/85 2,103 the lowest ever - 1,929 seems correct ( edit)
1985/86 2,785
1986/87 3,686
1987/88 3,621
1988/89 3,699
1989/90 3,836

1990/91 6,174
1991/92 6,733

from TransferMarkt

2003/4 4,535
2004/5 4,868
2005/6 8,053
2006/7 10,024
2007/8 8,173
2008/9 7,850
2009/10 7,718
2010/11 5,276
2011/12 6,000
2012/13 5,003
2013/14 5,960
2014/15 6,024
2015/16 7,001
2016/17 7,496
2017/18 7,195
2018/19 6,932
2019/20 6,192


On the whole attendances have stood up well in recent years.

Probably the worst run of fixtures was the last 10 in 1985/86 where they averaged just 1,486.
We were doing well that season until we lost the Colchester derby at home 4-2 in front of 8,120.

Don't forget was it 13000+ for Brentford on the Saturday before Christmas in 1978

There was a good reason for such a big crowd......
 
Don't forget was it 13000+ for Brentford on the Saturday before Christmas in 1978

There was a good reason for such a big crowd......

13,552 - did they all stay to watch the game though once they’d collected their voucher?
 
Crystal Palace was a Friday night 13 Sept 74. 6th game of the season - we’d started with 4 wins and a draw and Palace were managed by Malcolm Allison. If I remember correctly Spud Taylor scored the only goal of the game for them. 17,394 at the Hall.
Regarding the above match Crystal Palace had suffered back to back relegations from Div.1 in 1972-73(21st.) and Div.2 1973-74(20th.) this was also the first season of 3 up and down in the top two divisions. The above match was the first visit by Palace to Roots Hall for about 10 years and the winning goal was scored by Nicky Chatterton, we did however manage to get a 1-1 draw at Selhurst Park on Boxing Day with a goal by Peter Silvester in front of a crowd of 21,652. The following season 1975-76 we again drew 1-1 at Selhurst Park with a goal from Ken Foggo with Peter Taylor scoring for Palace in front of 18,438. In the return match at Roots Hall in Feb. '76 Palace won again by 2-1 with goals from Peter Wall and a Peter Taylor penalty, the Southend goal was scored by Ron Pountney his first for the club with a crowd of 13,500 the highest league attendance that season, almost 6,000 more than the next best of Millwall(7,746). Southend were relegated at the end of that season losing 2-1 at Sheffield Wednesday.
 
I think we played away to Wrexham on the tuesday night,then Sheff Wed on the thursday night,i was at both.
Think the sheffield game was played with a crowd of over 30,000.Still one of the worst nights of my Blues supporting life,but was pleased i was there.
Strange,but always thought that the 67-68 and 71-72 seasons average attendances were a lot more than they were.....but both seasons were magnificent
 
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