The club had been hoping for crowds of around 50,000, but they had misjudged badly and the crowd for the opening game was "below expectations" at only 37,230. And the average for the season was 33,793 which was actually lower than the promotion season.
In reality it was an unrealistic expectation, crowds had been falling around the country and United's average made them the 7th best supported club in the country despite their poor season.
It was a difficult campaign and the fans could not always be relied upon to lift the team. Implied criticism was recorded in the Man Utd programme: "In the successful promotion bid, the SJP crowd gave the players first class encouragement and that is what is wanted again."
The Supporters Club (boosted by the previous campaign's promotion) continued to grow and membership rose to around 3,500 and they produced their first ever handbook.
Meetings were held every Tuesday evening at the British Railways Social Club on Forth Banks and they were given space within the programme and "Northern Football" magazine.
On matchdays they operated from the club's gymnasium at the ground from were you could join up (for three shillings) or sign-up to travel to away matches.
A thriving social side included football and ten-pin bowling teams.
A "Football Forum" was held at the Bridge Hotel which included John McGrath, Brian Clough and officials from the Sunderland Supporters Club.
The members of the club also provided assistance to the Development Association in bringing in much needed revenue into the club.
Secretary Len Coates took everyone by surprise by resigning mid-season.
A recurring problem during the 1960's was that of youngsters running on the pitch after goals were scored and at the end of the game. And in the first programme of the season an appeal was made for supporters to keep off the pitch.
It had little effect and after there were repeated incursions during the home game with West Ham the directors decided they needed to make a point and closed the "Boy's Gates" preventing youngsters getting cheap admission.
When United played Middlesbrough in a pre-season friendly one supporter decided to try for a better vantage point and scaled part-way up the floodlight pylon on top of the Leazes Stand.
Whilst there he treated the rest of the supporters to an impromptu ten minute bout of twisting.
The programme was virtually unchanged from the previous season bar a retrograde step in replacing action pictures (different one for each issue) with a single picture of the (undeveloped) ground. Perhaps it was meant as a dig at the council. Inside there were virtually no pictures bar the occasional small portrait.