Wanderers’ attendance at the weekend was one of the biggest increases in League One compared to the 2019/20 average, according to data gathered by the PA news agency.

More than 16,000 supporters were in attendance at the UniBol as the Whites kicked off their league campaign with a thrilling 3-3 draw against MK Dons.

Alex Baptiste scored a dramatic equaliser in injury time, with Josh Sheehan and Amadou Bakayoko also getting on the scoresheet.

It was the first time Ian Evatt’s men had played a competitive fixture in front of a home crowd since February 2020 against Accrington Stanley.

Wanderers’ attendance was up by nearly 4,000 compared to their average for the 2019/20 season before Covid-19 put a stop to live sporting events.

Also in the third tier, Ipswich’s figures rose by 2,256 while Sunderland were up by 1,408 and Fleetwood by 1,334.

The division saw on overall increase of around 1,000 supporters compared to figures before the pandemic – rising from 10,319 to 11,200.

“August attendances are quite often a little down on the average for a season as a whole because of holidays, so if clubs are getting increases of 1,000 or 2,000 it suggests there’s a certain amount of enthusiasm for returning which is obviously a good thing," said Malcolm Clarke, the chair of the Football Supporters’ Association.

Wanderers return to the UniBol on Tuesday night when they face Championship side Barnsley in the first round of the Carabao Cup.