Swindon chairman Lee Power believes poor attendances are due to bad football

Swindon Town chairman Lee Power believes the County Ground has been seeing lower than usual attendances due to the club's poor form on the pitch, labelling it a "hand-in-glove" situation.

Speaking to the BBC prior to Town's 2-0 defeat at home to Walsall, which was Swindon's fifth home defeat from the last six, Power conceded that the gates at the club have been poor, but is of the opinion this is purely for football reasons.

Attendances at the County Ground this season have mainly been around the 6,500 mark with the stadium able to host almost 15,000.

Since becoming chairman in April of 2013, the ex-Norwich city striker has built the club on foundations of being sustainable and working at a profit, with Swindon having a history of poorly-governed financial aspects which has previously seen them demoted divisions and enter adminstration.

This has attracted critisism, however, from a number of supporters who believe it is a sign of a lack of ambition at the club.

Along with this, Power has also been subject to a number of high-profile PR issues, arguably none higher than earlier on this season where non-season ticket holders were charged twice for a Bristol Rovers match where the original fixture was rained-off.

He told the BBC, when referencing the money Swindon are set to recieve from their televised FA Cup match at Eastleigh next Friday: "Hopefully we will sell out our allocation, it should be a good atmosphere and it is handy it is on the television as well - it brings a few more pounds into the coffers.

"I think it is just under £70,000 each club gets, which is a lot of money, but I think everyone is aware the gates have been very poor this season. 

"I understand, obviously, the football has been very poor so it comes hand-in-glove - that is what happens with football, you have not got to be a rocket scientist but obviously that money helps because, like we are aware we have got to run this business that way and that will help the money we have lost in the last few matches."