Wycombe Wanderers force their way into the Posh hall of shame and why 'Inchy' couldn't take his ball home

The crowd of 567 at the EFL Trophy tie at Wycombe Wanderers on Tuesday was the third lowest to watch Posh in a competitive game in the club’s Football League history.
Steve Phillips in action for Posh. Photo: David Lowndes.Steve Phillips in action for Posh. Photo: David Lowndes.
Steve Phillips in action for Posh. Photo: David Lowndes.

It was a shocking figure given both teams could still qualify for the knockout stages. Posh fans contributed 84 fans to the pitiful total.

The lowest Posh crowd of all time (discounting the FA Cup tie behind closed doors against Kingstonian in 1992) is 279 for a Freight Rover Trophy group game at home to Aldershot in April 1986.

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This game between two sides who couldn’t qualify was delayed for so long the competition had almost concluded before they were forced to play a meaningless fixture!

The only other time the Posh home attendance slipped under 1,000 was 959 for an Auto Windscreens Shield fixture against Swindon in the dark days of 1985.

The lowest Posh attendance for an away game remains the 393 who watched another dead rubber, this time in the Checkatrade Trophy at Barnet in 2016.

Posh have also played in front of crowds under 1,000 in Football League Trophy matches at Exeter (2018), Wrexham (1990), Gillingham (1997), Colchester (1987) and Leyton Orient (2002).

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The only Football League game involving Posh to attract an attendance of under 1,000 was a Division Four clash at Newport County in 1988.

Steve ‘Inchy’ Phillips scored a hat-trick in a 4-0 Posh win, but the cash-strapped Welsh club couldn’t afford to give him the match ball!