How Preston North End's away support compares to the rest of the Championship ahead of the trip to Hull

Preston North End's travelling support figures will get a boost at the weekend when the Lilywhites face Hull City.
Preston fans at Norwich in AugustPreston fans at Norwich in August
Preston fans at Norwich in August

Ticket sales are approaching the 1,000 mark and should climb by Saturday.

The Tigers have a zonal pricing system at the KCON Stadium and seats in the first two blocks in the away section cost just £12.

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Those £12 tickets have now sold out and seats in the next block are priced £18.

Some of the PNE supporters who made the trip to Swansea earlier in the seasonSome of the PNE supporters who made the trip to Swansea earlier in the season
Some of the PNE supporters who made the trip to Swansea earlier in the season

North End’s away support has taken a hit this campaign, their average following of 597 after six league matches the lowest in the Championship.

Aston Villa boast the best statistics, with their average away support being 2,732.

Leeds are next with an average of 2,587.

Sheffield Wednesday have the third best away support with an average of 2,447 fans at the six games on their travels.

Some early arrivals at Elland Road when PNE played Leeds in SeptemberSome early arrivals at Elland Road when PNE played Leeds in September
Some early arrivals at Elland Road when PNE played Leeds in September
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At the opposite end of the spectre, Brentford are second bottom with an average of 701 and Hull average out at 776.

There are reasons for PNE’s low away support at this stage of the season.

Their trip to Norwich which saw 320 fans make the trip came on a Wednesday night.

The draw at Aston Villa was also a midweek trip,both that and Norwich available live on Sky Sports’ red button and the EFL’s iFollow service.

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Another midweek game on the red button was last month’s 3-0 defeat at Leeds - coupled with that was the £37 ticket price which rose to £42 on the turnstiles.

North End’s largest away following was the 1,144 who made the trip to Derby.

The visit to Swansea saw 780 PNE fans in the away end at the Liberty Stadium, while 658 went to Sheffield United and 397 to Villa.

PNE’s lowest travelling numbers came at Leeds, with 288 travelling to Yorkshire.

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However when the sides met in the League Cup and prices had been significantly lowered, there were 981 North End fans at Elland Road.

North End's away form cannot be overlooked as a reason behind the drop in numbers, the 3-3 draw at Villa being the first point they had gained this season on their travels.

The way the fixture list has fallen is a factor too, with more of the closer trips coming as the campaign goes on.

For example, the three local games at Bolton, Blackburn and Wigan are in the second-half of the season.

Trips to Nottingham Forest, Rotherham and Stoke City come in December and January, while three London away days - which always attract a big following - come from January onwards.