Just 139 Hereford United supporters attended yesterday's match at Grimsby one of the lowest levels of support for the Bulls for a 3pm Saturday kick-off for many seasons.
Last year when the game was played on a Sunday with a 4pm start and also televised by Sky about 130 loyal fans made the long trip to Blundell Park.
The attendance for the game was given as 3699 whereas last year it was 4147. That's a drop of 448.
A low attendance by Hereford supporters at Grimsby was in prospect as the Bulls have two away games in four days, the next at Notts County on Tuesday evening. No doubt given a choice many will have decided that the Notts County game is the more attractive of the two being that much closer and against, in theory, a biggest club.
Last year the game was played on the Friday before Xmas, not the best date in the diary, and 278 fans braved what was a cold and foggy evening to watch a Hereford win with a goal from Tim Sills. Whether a higher number will watch on Tuesday remains to be seen.
Meanwhile the cost of travelling to, admittance to, and refreshments at games are all rising. Yesterday an adult ticket was £18 and fuel was seldom less than 98p per litre anywhere on route. With a 2p increase in fuel duty this coming week, the cost of taking a car to Grimsby from Hereford will rise by around £1.
The stadium was easy to find and there was street parking close-by. However it wasn't made clear beforehand that concessions tickets had to be purchased from the ticket office until at the turnstiles.
Inside Hereford supporters had a good view from behind the one goal and with the sun strongly shining at the start of the game it felt like summer had returned. Until Grimsby scored when as though timed to rub salt into the wound, the sun disappeared and the wind started to increase. It felt 10C colder in a few minutes.
To Grimsby's credit, the match programme was excellent. A 72 page £2.50 glossy production with lots to read. Maybe the best in League Two.
And the refreshments in the stadium and close-by were also said to be very reasonable.
Text at top (next game etc)
Next Game: Home Against Kidderminster In The League On Boxing Day 26th December At 1.00pm