THERE were only 13,236 present to witness Wanderers beat Arsenal 1-0 in an FA Cup fourth round clash at the Reebok on January 28.

Wanderers boss Sam Allardyce, although delighted with what he described as "an absolutely fantastic win", examined the attendance figure and said: "To say I am disappointed is an understatement.

"We were playing Arsenal, the cup holders, when all's said and done. I know it was on TV and on Saturday night but it does disappoint.

"You can look at the game and say it was ordinary but part of the reason why it was ordinary was because there was no atmosphere and that made life so difficult for both sets of players."

Chief Soccer Writer Gordon Sharrock writes: "This is a terrible indictment of the modern game when a stadium that holds more than 28,000 is less than half full to see two Premiership teams, one being the holders, go head to head in the world's most famous domestic cup competition.

"Live coverage on terrestrial TV, which dictated the kick off time, and the fact that both sides were known to be seriously under-strength, ultimately proved a greater influence than the reduced prices.

"Whatever reasons the missing thousands had for staying away, the sparse crowd made for a lack of atmosphere, which was reflected in the quality of the football."