Shrewsbury Town set to welcome back fans for first time in months

A total of 2,000 tickets were up for sale for the Town's League One match against Accrington Stanley and the game had not sold out by Wednesday afternoon.

The last time supporters were permitted inside the Montgomery Waters Meadow was for the pilot match against Northampton in September.

A limited number of spectators were today also allowed into Ludlow Racecourse, with Shropshire now under under Tier 2 of the new system.

Fans attending Wednesday’s football must remain socially distant at all times, and must wear face marks as they enter the stadium and go to their seats.

They will also be told not to touch the ball if it comes near them, or to approach players before or after the game.

An exemption to current legislation allows clubs to sell alcohol without a substantial meal, with fans able to drink in the stadium concourses.

A one-way system has been put in place for all toilets at the Meadow, while hand sanitising stations and markings are in place and fans will have to show a valid ticket to get near the stadiu,.

Across the country

Under new rules which began at midnight, a maximum of 2,000 fans are permitted at outdoor events in Tier 2 and a maximum of 4,000 are allowed in Tier 1 areas.

However only a small part of the nation is under the lowest level of restrictions with no football league clubs covered.

Spectators are still banned for areas under Tier 3 restrictions.

Elsewhere in League One, Charlton have offered tickets via ballot for their match against MK Dons while 1,000 tickets have been sold for Championship matches between Wycombe and Stoke, and Luton against Norwich.

And 300 fans can attend the League Two fixture between Carlisle and Salford, with a limited number to be allowed in for Cambridge’s match against Mansfield.

Meanwhile small numbers of spectators were being allowed in for the race meeting at Ludlow, as well as at Lingfield, Kempton, and Haydock.

The four meetings were all in areas under Tier 2 restrictions, though numbers were kept substantially below 2,000 at first.

Haydock was allowing up to 1,000 spectators, with crowds expected to be in the hundreds at the other meetings.

On Thursday, the first European football fixture in England to have fans since March will take place when Arsenal host Rapid Vienna in the Europa League.

The club sold out an allocation of 2,000 tickets for the match within 20 minutes, having offered them to season-ticket holders on a first-come-first-served basis.

Gunners boss Mikel Arteta said: “It is going to be extraordinary to have them back. It’s going to feel strange, the club has done amazing work to try to facilitate everybody in short notice to be able to attend to the stadium.

“I’m sure it’s going to work really well and I’m feeling sorry as well for the thousands of fans that I’m sure that could have made it but won’t be able to be there.”

Fans are due to return to the Premier League at the weekend, firstly at the match between West Ham and Manchester United on Saturday.