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The return to the Football League brought big benefits to HUFC with the larger visiting support. Increased gates from games against Bristol Rovers (1181), Swindon (1756), Walsall (1173) and approaching 2000 from Shrewsbury on Saturday will total around 6000 fans from those games alone and can be valued at probably over £50,000. With Walsall already promoted, Swindon all but gone and both Bristol and Shrewsbury still in the mixer of the play-off places there could be a big hole in the finances of next season. Whilst no-one in football would wish any ill on promotion chasing teams it has to be said, from a selfish point of view, that keeping Shrewsbury and Bristol in the same League as The Bulls could be vital to our own chances of competing in the budget stakes. Promoted Dagenham are hardly likely to replace the missing thousands from Walsall and Swindon so the number crunchers at Edgar Street might be hoping to see a fall by nearby Cheltenham and even a promotion for the curtain burners of Exeter or well supported Oxford.
