I totally agree with you, it's been used at stadiums up and down the country for a few years now so I don't see why it won't work at the Stobart. It may just be Saints being cautious. I'm not sure on the Stobart Stadiums highest attendance but maybe they're worried that the probable sell out for the Wire game will be too much for the system to handle. Do we know if it's newly installed there? Or have they had it for a while now?

But if you enter the ground without leaving a trail of some kind, how do they know how many people have entered the ground?

never seen those little hand counters bouncers use?

Nope. Do Saints use them too?

By law, all Stadia now have to have some sort of turnstile monitor counting how many times they admit someone (probably brought in after the Taylor report).

Where I work, the electronic counter is displayed in the Boardroom so the directors can keep an eye on the attendance.

I've no idea, I presume there is some other way, possibly a mechanism within the turnstile. Other sports grounds have these kind of entry systems without the need for a ticket book at every match.

If it is due to possible failure they won't have turnstile operatives on every turnstile, so as Saint Simon says, a steward with a counter (which cost about a fiver) being shown your card is just as easy, if not easier.