SAINTS are preparing themselves for their second largest attendance since relegation next weekend.

The club have already sold 22,000 tickets for next Saturday's Championship visit of Norwich City.

And head of supporter services David Luker believes the final attendance could be around 28,000 - providing George Burley's men record a fifth successive league win at rock bottom Southend this afternoon.

"We usually sell around 5,000 to 6,000 tickets in the few days leading up to a home match, and that includes those that walk up on the day itself," said Luker. "At the moment tickets are flying out of the door.

"If we can beat Southend the crowd will be pretty magnificent.

"I have worked in this industry for about 10 years and the pre-Christmas time is usually a nightmare for ticket office managers as people spend their hard-earned cash elsewhere.

"But it looks like we're bucking the trend, and that's because the team have been consistently winning and playing the enjoyable football the fans like to see."

See today's Daily Echo for the full story