THE realities of life in the Championship were reflected in attendance figures for Wanderers this season, as home gates dropped by 10 per cent in the last 12 months.

Attendances at the Reebok Stadium averaged 16,140 for league games, down 10.5 per cent on last season’s total of 18,034.

The highest home gate was for the 1-0 home defeat against Leeds United in September, while the lowest was registered just a few days later as Dougie Freedman’s side drew 2-2 with Derby County in midweek.

Wanderers’ average ranked 10th among all second tier clubs – with Brighton topping the list after seeing their gates rise to 27,283 after expansion at the Amex Stadium.

Leeds United (25,008) and champions Leicester City (24,994) were second and third in the list.

Wanderers’ figures make slightly grimmer reading when reflected as a percentage of home capacity.

On average, the club filled 56.1 per cent of the Reebok Stadium, which put them in 18th place overall in the Championship – ahead of Millwall, Sheffield Wednesday, Birmingham, Barnsley, Blackburn and Middlesbrough.

On their travels, Whites fans continued to turn out in number but their average travelling contingent also took a hit compared to last season.

An average 1,243 fans watched Wanderers away in the Championship this season, a drop of just over 14 per cent on the year before (1,445).

The 3-2 derby defeat at Wigan Athletic in December attracted the biggest away following of 4,634, while at the opposite end of the scale just 372 hardy souls made the trip to Portman Road in early February.

Wanderers ranked 12th in the Football League and 10th in the Championship for their away following, according to fans’ website The72.co.uk.

Their travelling support also represented eight per cent of their home support – putting them comfortably in mid-table when compared to the other 72 clubs in all three divisions.

WANDERERS’ away followings this season, game by game:
Barnsley  1,800
Birmingham  375
Blackburn  2,200
Blackpool  1,526
Bournemouth  995
Brighton  570
Burnley  2,477
Charlton  924
Derby  692
Doncaster  717
Huddersfield  2,318
Ipswich  372
Leeds  1,186
Leicester  798
Middlesbrough  859
Millwall  503
Nottingham Forest  1,188
QPR  520
Reading  864
Sheffield Weds  1,764
Watford  884
Wigan  4,634
Yeovil  1,579
Total  29,745
Average  1, 293