Fans flock to Vicarage Road

Watford's best season in terms of results on the pitch since the play-off winning campaign of seven years ago has been reflected in them recording their highest attendance numbers for six seasons.

Watford's average ‘gate' during the 2005/06 campaign was 15, 373, up 1, 075 on the figure of twelve months ago, and the best since their Premiership campaign of 1999/00 when the average was 18, 544.

A glance at the figures reveal that this term's highest and second lowest totals were recorded in successive matches, just 11, 722 attending the visit of Dario Gradi's Crewe Alexandra on January 28 2006, while a 19, 842 sell out saw the four goal drubbing of Coventry City a fortnight later, thanks in the main to the club's family day initiative.

The 16, 000 barrier was reached on no fewer than 12 occasions, while perhaps the biggest disappointment came when only 11, 359 filed through the Vicarage Road turnstiles for the fixture against runaway Champions, Reading, mitigating circumstances being that the match took place during the early evening of August Bank Holiday Saturday and was shown live on Sky Sports.

Attendances for the 2005/06 Coca-Cola League Championship season