And it could prove costly.

For the first time since Forest’s relegation the season’s average attendance has dipped below 20,000, despite a deliberate increase in the number of discounted games to soften the blow.

The concessionary games make up the majority of Forest’s 20,000+ gates, and without them the average attendance stands at a little over 18,000.

For a third division club an average gate of 18,000 is still something to be proud of.

Decline

Excusing Leeds United and Swansea City, nobody else in the league can boast an average of 10,000 or more.

What is worrying is the extent of the decline, which is by no means in line with the national average.

As recently as 2004 the club averaged 25,000 in the Championship; over 6,000 people have since turned their back on the club.

And for many more fans a fourth year in League One could prove to be the final straw.

So why are the club not taking measures to repay season ticket holders and secure their support for the next season?

The powers that be are waiting to see what division Forest will be playing in, and it is a dangerous gamble.

If Forest secure promotion against the odds the club will inevitably raise the prices and the gamble will have paid off.

But if Forest again find themselves in League One a token reduction in prices will be too little, too late for a substantial number.

Clubs like Champion’s League hopefuls Everton and Wolverhampton Wanderers, who could yet be playing Premiership football next season, have offered early renewal discounts to secure support for the new season. 

This is at the risk of missing out on a price hike if the season ends favourably.

Disaster

Bradford City, too, have recognised that their team’s disastrous fall to League Two has tested the resilience of even the most loyal fans.

Their “Bringing Football Back to the Masses” campaign sees ‘early birds’ secure the entire season from just £110, juniors from £55, and U11s completely free with a full-paying adult.

Indeed more clubs than not seem to be giving supporters the opportunity to renew early and be rewarded for it.

It is another opportunity that Nottingham Forest have missed, and they must now face up to the prospect of countless more supporters deciding that enough is enough.

The prospect of crowds of 12,000 watching Forest in stone cold silence would once have seemed part of a dystopian fantasy, but now it is lurking just around the corner.

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