HOW did it all come to this? That is the question most Burnley fans are asking themselves as the nagging fear of administration has manifested itself as a realistic option for this great club.

A few short years ago, the very thought would have brought guffaws from the terraces as the Clarets came back from the brink to begin their rise through the ranks.

A gleaming new stadium and a team restoring pride to a town crippled by recession are things to truly be thankful for.

And no matter whether you are a football fan or not, you do not have to look far to see that morale in the whole area is buoyant after a Clarets victory.

The figures may not be collated, but I'll lay odds that if you were to ask any Burnley-based employer how productivity was linked to Burnley Football Club's success and failure, they would quietly nod agreement.

And that's exactly what makes the present scenario so depressing. Many of those fans banking on a weekend boost after slogging their guts out through the week have turned their back in, well, apathy.

Club chief executive Dave Edmundson may have hit one nail squarely on the head recently when he declared that the "extraordinary had become the ordinary".

The fact we now face the likes of Gillingham, Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace every year has dulled the shine of gradual progression.

But there are many other jagged nails still protruding and needing urgent attention. One of them has to be the current admission prices.

The pricing policy for youngsters (under £10 anywhere in the ground) cannot be faulted and will, I am sure, keep a steady flow of future supporters heading down Harry Potts Way for years to come.

But in a depressed town, expecting individual supporters to pay between £16-19 for a decent seat - never mind multiplying that for families the club wants to attract - is just asking too much.

I know of fans who are simply unwilling to walk that extra mile, and consequently pick and choose their games according to the opposition.

And you can bet almost every season ticket holder can tell you a similar tale of lapsed supporters put off by the cost.

Add on the customary few pints and a spot of grub - and that's £30.

Two home games in a week? Two in a row even? Forget it.

That, more than anything is the biggest conundrum Burnley bosses have to solve, and it comes in probably the most important decision Barry Kilby and his board have had to face in their tenure - restructuring the prices.

Offer loyal supporters more tangible savings and club shop discounts when buying next year's season tickets and they may respond.

Then slash the concourse prices for food and drink to a realistic level and the queues should lengthen.

With administration on the horizon, even drastic measures are surely worth a try.