How Nottingham Forest 2021/22 home attendances compare to Derby County and Championship rivals

Nottingham Forest have one final game in front of their home supporters as an incredible season reaches its climax.

This is the first full campaign since fans have been allowed to attend games since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020. And what a time it has been for the Reds faithful to be able to return to the City Ground.

After a wretched start to the campaign that saw the club sitting at the foot of the Championship table, Steve Cooper's instalment as manager has turned the team's fortunes around in spectacular fashion. Now they are one game away from Wembley.

Despite this, attendances have unquestionably been down, not just at Nottingham Forest but throughout the division, due to the cost of living crisis and concerns over Covid-19. That said, the Tricky Trees still boast one of the biggest home attendances in the second tier.

According to Transfermarkt, the City Ground had a average gate of across the 22 Championship games it has hosted. That represents a two percent drop on the 2019/20 campaign, but they still rest second in the overall table - just ahead of fierce rivals Derby County.

The Rams have seen a massive 14.6 percent drop in Pride Park attendances as administration, relegation and a drawn-out takeover saga has defined their season. Cardiff City and play-off finalists Huddersfield Town have seen even more dramatic drops in numbers through the turnstiles.

As you can see below, with the exception of Middlesbrough, and Coventry - having been in League One and playing at St Andrew's - all of the second tier's 10 most attended stadiums suffered declines in attendance; although Sheffield United were a Premier League side in 2019/20.

The Blades top the attendance table for 2021/22, drawing in an average