Ipswich Town are on track for a drop in season ticket holders of around 2,000 – costing up to £1m in guaranteed revenue – following a forgettable campaign.

The EADT and Ipswich Star understands that, compared to this time last year, there is a 15% decrease in sales – a drop from around 12,000 to close to 10,000.

It continues a worrying trend, with the club having seen a decrease in season ticket sales of around 1,000 last summer too.

The Blues have just finished 16th in the Championship – the club’s lowest final position in 58 years – and appear to be treading water ahead of a 16th successive season in the second-tier.

Owner Marcus Evans has been criticised for a lack of investment, while manager Mick McCarthy’s perceived negative tactics have been under the spotlight following a distinct lack of entertainment value at Portman Road over the last 18 months.

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The club increasing their adult season ticket prices by 1.5%, moving the senior concessions start age from 60 to 65 and putting Under-11s season ticket up from £10 to £50 sparked anger, and may have the been the straw that broke the camel’s back for some.

Town pledged that if 12,750 season tickets were sold by August 4 then all those who have purchased a seat for 2017/18 will receive a 5% refund, but that target always looked highly unlikely.

An adult season ticket, purchased before the ‘early bird’ deadline (which was April 17), costs between £423 and £674. Those that paid by direct debit last season had their season ticket automatically renewed and, unless contacting the club to cancel, had their first monthly payment taken on Monday.

The capacity at Portman Road is 30,311, with Town’s average league attendance last season 16,981 (15th out of the 24th Championship clubs). The highest attendance was 25,684 for the 3-1 Easter Monday win over Newcastle, while the lowest was 14,661 for the Tuesday night visit of Wigan in April – the worst for a league fixture this century.

And those official figures include all tickets sold, rather than those physically through the gates.

It’s understood that Blues officials are now discussing a number of ways to try and make match day attendance more appealing. Dropping an on-the-day surcharge of £2.50, lowering U23 prices and offering flexible game bundles are all on the table.