Fleetwood boss Joey Barton welcomes signs of normality as some football fans return to grounds

Clubs in tier two coronavirus areas can admit up to 2,000 spectators from today, with Charlton Athletic and Shrewsbury Town looking to stage League One fixtures in front of some fans tonight.

Tier three Fleetwood remain, like Blackpool, unable to open the turnstiles at least until the next government review in a fortnight.

Highbury last opened its doors nine months ago for a goalless draw with Blackpool, who visit twice over the coming week.

Speaking ahead of last night’s defeat at Northampton Town, Barton acknowledged the impact football can have, especially at Christmas, and hoped this isn’t another false dawn – plans to admit 1,000 of the Cod Army faithful as a ‘test’ for the home defeat by AFC Wimbledon in September were scrapped at short notice.

Town’s head coach said:“It’s light at the end of the tunnel. We’re in tier three, so it’s going to be a little longer for us.

“I think we all want to see fans return to stadiums. That is the big positive out of the government announcement and the sooner that happens the better, but it’s not as quick as probably we’d all wanted.

“I just hope they don’t shut it back down again because we’ve had a long, long period now where the world hasn’t been normal.

“The sooner we get back to that the better, and hopefully it’s in time for the festive period because it’s a special time to be with your loved ones.”

Fleetwood Town boss Joey Barton says football has taken a step in the right direction as some clubs welcome back a limited number of supporters after lockdown.

Clubs in tier two coronavirus areas can admit up to 2,000 spectators from today, with Charlton Athletic and Shrewsbury Town looking to stage League One fixtures in front of some fans tonight.

Tier three Fleetwood remain, like Blackpool, unable to open the turnstiles at least until the next government review in a fortnight.

Highbury last opened its doors nine months ago for a goalless draw with Blackpool, who visit twice over the coming week.

Speaking ahead of last night’s visit to Northampton Town, Barton acknowledged the impact football can have, especially at Christmas, and hoped this isn’t another false dawn – plans to admit 1,000 of the Cod Army faithful as a ‘test’ for the home defeat by AFC Wimbledon in September were scrapped at short notice.

Town’s head coach said:“It’s light at the end of the tunnel. We’re in tier three, so it’s going to be a little longer for us.

“I think we all want to see fans return to stadiums. That is the big positive out of the government announcement and the sooner that happens the better, but it’s not as quick as probably we’d all wanted.

“I just hope they don’t shut it back down again because we’ve had a long, long period now where the world hasn’t been normal.

“The sooner we get back to that the better, and hopefully it’s in time for the festive period because it’s a special time to be with your loved ones.”

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