THESE might be lean times, but Ipswich Town fans are continuing to back their club.

THESE might be lean times, but Ipswich Town fans are continuing to back their club.

Fears that supporters would be leaving Portman Road in their droves, following the end of another season of under-achievement, have proved unfounded.

The club revealed last night that they had sold just over 13,000 season tickets, during their early bird scheme.

That equates to a drop of about 5% on last year’s figure for the same period, certainly not as bad as initially feared – there had been rumours of only 10 or 11,000 season tickets being snapped up.

Of course any drop in core support is disappointing, especially as last season’s average league attendance at Portman Road dipped under 20,000 for the first time this century.

Town had only the ninth highest average attendance (19,614) in 2010-11, with crowds of under 17,000 on two occasions in December.

And with the exception of one season (2004-05), Town’s average gates have been dropping for the last eight seasons.

Yet the stark reality is that Town fans have been starved of success, since dropping out of the Premier League in 2002, so there has been little to encourage tickets sales.

Chief Executive Simon Clegg said last night: “I would like to thank those fans who have purchased season tickets for next season.

“While we are obviously disappointed with a slight drop in take up of season tickets, it is perfectly understandable given the current economic climate.

“We also have to accept that we have had a number of disappointing seasons over recent years.

“Hopefully, next year we will be pushing for a top six place. That’s the target of the owner, the manager and myself,” added Clegg.

In March, Town announced a 6% increase in season ticket prices for the 2011-12 season, the first rise for five years. The early bird scheme ended on April 15.