Ipswich Town will smash through an impressive attendance milestone this weekend. 

The clash with Burton Albion on Saturday will see the club pass the 500,000-mark for tickets sold at Portman Road this season, with the cumulative attendance currently totaling 492,710 for Ipswich’s 23 league and cup games. 

That’s an average of 21,422 fans per game, with that figure raised to 25,864 when only League One matches are taken into account. That’s the second-highest average in the league, only behind Derby County’s 26,834. 

Ipswich are expecting a crowd of more than 24,000 at Portman Road for the clash with the Brewers, which will see the half million-mark passed comfortably. 

Town did break that barrier last season but not until the penultimate game of the 29-game home season against Wigan Athletic, with the season’s total ultimately 538,737. The 2020/21 campaign was, of course, played behind closed doors due to Covid. 

A little over 355,000 tickets were sold during Ipswich’s first season in League One, before the pandemic curtailed proceedings in March 2020, while attendances during the Blues’ last season in the Championship only reached a total of 408,589 as the Suffolk side suffered relegation. 

The attendance during Mick McCarthy’s final season, when games were regularly played inside a half-empty stadium, added up to 386,308, while the Blues’ 2014/15 campaign only passed the half million mark as a result of the play-off semi-final first leg clash with Norwich. The total was ultimately 507,957. 

Attendances during Roy Keane’s only full season as Ipswich manager totaled 429,337 while the play-off season of 2004/05, under Joe Royle, is a high benchmark at more than 650,000. 

With six more regular season home games to come following this weekend’s clash with Burton, Town would easily pass that 650,000 figure with six crowds at their current League One average. 

Any potential play-off home game could ultimately push the season’s ultimate attendance over 700,000, though the Blues remain in the thick of the race for automatic promotion and will be hoping not to be taking part in the post-season lottery. 

East Anglian Daily Times: Ipswich Town have been incredibly well-supported this seasonIpswich Town have been incredibly well-supported this season (Image: PAGEPIX LTD 07976935738)