WPL ATTENDANCE SLUMP

ATTENDANCES for the first phase of Welsh Premier fixtures have fallen by 13% compared with the same period last season.

Some 5,923 fewer spectators attended 132 games - 38,522 compared with 44,445 - with only three clubs seeing more fans clicking through the turnstiles.

An upturn in fortunes at Airbus UK Broughton has brought an average increase of 21%, while Newtown's gates have improved by 16.5% and Aberystwyth's by 6.1%.

But crowds at the GenQuip Stadium to watch Port Talbot have plummeted by almost one third, while attendances at Bala Town are down by 28%.

Large decreases were also recorded at bottom club Afan Lido (21.4%) and cash-strapped Llanelli (21.6%).

Others to see significant falls are reigning champions The New Saints (down 15%) and last season's runners-up Bangor City.

Gates at the Citizens, who are the league's best-supported club, have fallen by nearly 13%, although the figures are skewed by the 2,500-plus that turned up for the last game at Farrar Road just over a year ago.

The highest gate so far this season was the 846 who watched Bangor beat Gap Connah's Quay on the opening night of the season, while the lowest was 76 for Lido's home game with the same opponents.

It looks like gates are falling in non-League in general. More clubs are certain to his financial meltdown.