Away fans

[michaelstreet75]

Seen on sky sports earlier, some luton fans bragging about taking over 3000 to a league game to Sunderland.
Got me thinking why even biggish clubs like luton only bring 150 odd to barrow, it's the same with tranmere, Wrexham Oxford etc, clubs that regularly take 1000 to away games, is barrow really that difficult to get to?
In 30 odd years of supporting barrow, I can count on one hand the number of times away fans have come in numbers.
Any ideas why this is?

[xerxes]

It's maybe something to do with the home team being a 'big' club. You may remember that we also took a lot more to Sunderland than we normally do for away matches.

[boyliegladbach]

Hartlepool should bring a few this season.

[thegaffer77]

Don't we still hold the record for most away fans at an FA cup game?
As for HS we've never really had travelling fans in huge numbers. Remember Darlington bringing a load twice. Their last game and an FA trophy match when they had thr pop side without a roof.

[Lancaster Branch]

That was a league game, wasn’t it?

[barrowfan]

I think it is the thought of coming down the longest cul-de-sac in the world, as Mike Harding used to say!

[michaelstreet75]

That was a league game, wasn’t it?

New years day 1990? League match

[Hadrian]

I think it is the thought of coming down the longest cul-de-sac in the world, as Mike Harding used to say!

...in jest.

Trouble is it keeps being repeated as if fact.

[Main Stand SeasonTct]

I think it is the thought of coming down the longest cul-de-sac in the world, as Mike Harding used to say!

The longest cut-de-sac plus the poor facilities are two factors that IMO are reasons for poor away followings at Holker Street. I would imagine that Chesterfield though would have brought many more than they did had the game been on a Saturday. Clubs tend to bring a few if its many years since they have played at Holker Street especially those just relegated from the football league. Wrexhams following at Holker Street has dropped year on year. I think once away fans have been to Holker Street once and have ticked it off the grounds they have visited many don't appear to be in any rush to return for the reasons i have stated.
I think Rochdale in the FA cup was the last time the away end was full. I can't remember in recent years the last league game the away section was full at Holker street.

[HenneysKnee]

This season the train situation won’t help

[thegaffer77]

That was a league game, wasn’t it?

New years day 1990? League match

Ah yes it was.

[Suffolk Blue]

Apart from the obvious geographical issue then our schedule this year has just about put paid to any prospect of significant away presence. Take a look at our fixtures versus the top of the NL:

1. Leyton Orient - now demoted to a Tuesday night in Feb/March. Away support prospects - minimal

2. Salford City - 12:30 kick-off between Xmas and New Year against a club with no history of significant away support

3. Solihull Moors - Away support? You're having a laugh. Someone's got to stay home to man their forum

4. Wrexham - Tuesday night at the end of November - a real crowd puller

5. Fylde - Boxing Day. The club SMART car for away supporters was nearly sold out

6. Sutton United. They did bring a couple of dozen. Well done.

7. Harrogate Town - Looking forward to hopefully welcoming the hoards from Bettys tea rooms - not.

8. Gateshead - ...er no.

9. Ebbsfleet - February. You're having a laugh

10. Eastleigh - Very bad day that. Good job that there wasn't really anybody from Eastleigh there

11. Bromley - Ditto Ebbsfleet

……..and then its us. Truth is that there are few teams who can bring support in the hundreds especially to a gaff like ours. The games that can (e.g. Wrexham v Orient) are few and far between and are carefully cultivated by BT sports. Our festive tie was against a club who's on field success is a long way ahead of their off field support and the "go to" teams this year are backed with serious money which apparently makes the level of their support less relevant. Lets hope Notts County and Morecambe come our way next season (that's me being optimistic). We might get a few visitors then.

[Jonty]

It’s hard enough getting the home fans. 2000+ v Salford. Would be absolutely made up if is anywhere near 1500 for Halifax.

[Rob]

We've also been in the league for 7 of the last 9 seasons, and around the top end of non-league for decades. There's a chunk of fans who might do longer away days once or twice to see the ground, but after that they'll only go to the shorter journeys. We're not interesting to anyone.

Take next season - for many clubs a trip to Chorley will be a new one and that might add an extra 10-20% to the people who visit. Many of them might also think that if they've hoyed themselves up the motorway or west-coast mainline for that one, they don't fancy another trip even further north to Barrow.

[HenneysKnee]

Hartlepool will be an interesting one on Easter Monday; they usually take loads to their last away game but with Easter being so late this year it would usually have been a Saturday