Revealed: The HUGE number of tickets unsold for Newcastle's home game v Brighton

Newcastle United are on track for a low crowd against Brighton and Hove Albion in a weeks time.

In the Premier League last time out, the Magpies attracted their lowest crowd since the visit of Wigan Athletic in December 2012 as 44,157 watched the 1-1 draw with Watford.

And fans could vote with their feet again with just under 9,000 general sale tickets unsold – as of 10am on Thursday – when Graham Potter’s Brighton side visit on September 21.

The total does NOT factor in away fans. The Seagulls are not expected to bring huge numbers given it is by far their longest trip of the season.

Large sections of the Leazes and Gallowgate End were noticeable empty against Watford, with Fan Group Toon For Change releasing a statement after the game claiming the boycott campaigns were having an impact.

Fans were left angered by Ashley again through the summer following the departure of Rafa Benitez, which prompted a strong message to boycott St James’s Park ahead of the opening day fixture with Arsenal.

Since then, Toon For Change have encouraged fans to stay at home for the Brighton game and build on their lowest top-flight attendance in seven years.

Newcastle’s all-time lowest Premier League attendance during Ashley’s tenure followed in November 2010 as 41,053 turned out to witness a 2-1 defeat to Blackburn Rovers.

Brighton’s trip to Tyneside will be shown in front of the Sky Sports cameras, which could play a huge factor with fans able to watch it from home.