COMMENT: Why a reply to ‘let’s get behind those Hawks’ confirmed normality is starting to return ...

As referee Ross Martin prepared to signal the start of the National League South game at Westleigh Park, director Trevor Brock - sat at the back of the stand and in his time-honoured tradition - barked into his microphone: ‘Let’s get behind those Hawks!’

Brock had uttered the same words at each of his club’s previous six home games at the ground in 2020/21, as he had done at last season’s play-off semi-final with Dartford in late July.

Each time, his words had been greeted with silence from the terraces. No surprises there, they were empty. The pandemic had stripped football of its heart and soul - the supporters. For the best part of nine months, they had been kept out of ‘elite’ stadia.

At times, they had been allowed to go to the pub, go to a restaurant, go to lots of other indoor places in fact. But they hadn’t been allowed to sit or stand outside in the fresh air and cheer on their team.

But at the weekend, and 273 days since they had last been welcomed inside the ground, some Hawks supporters heard Brock’s words, duly opened their lungs and shouted their encouragement.

Granted, it wasn’t the loudest cheer you’ll ever hear - there were only just over 800 fans in attendance - and it wouldn’t be the loudest cheer of the afternoon; but it was a start, and told us everything we needed to hear.

Normality was starting to return. We’ve missed it more than we'd ever thought we would.

It took just two minutes for the first song of the day - ‘come on Havant, come on Havant’- as the Hawks forced an early corner.

Not long after, Martin and his linesman on the grandstand side clearly missed the fact the ball had last brushed off the head of a Chelmsford defender, awarding the visitors a goal-kick instead.

And for the first time in 273 days, the match officials at Westleigh Park could be told by supporters what they thought of a decision.

‘Shocking, lino,’ shouted one fan. Other comments cannot be printed in a family newspaper.

Yes, normality had been restored to at least one ‘elite’ football ground!

Hawks had been hopeful of opening their gates for the first time since Hampton & Richmond’s visit on March 7 for the previous Wednesday’s game with Hemel Hempstead.

Despite hours of expensive behind-the-scenes work, though, the National League hadn’t given official permission in time - though they had given Southport the green light to let fans into a National League North game the same evening.

But having waited 270 days to let supporters back in, another three, though frustrating, wasn’t going to hurt too much.

You couldn’t buy a ticket for Chelmsford’s visit on the day, however; only season ticket holders - numbering 550 - and anyone who’d bought a ticket in advance were allowed back into a ground which had seen big changes since the turnstiles had last been open.

Hawks no longer play on grass, a new £500,000 3G pitch having been installed in the summer. And Westleigh Park is now officially known as ‘The Draper Tools Community Stadium’.

The benefits of the artificial pitch have already been felt by a club used to having games postponed due to waterlogged surfaces in years gone by.

Once upon a time, the Chelmsford game might have met a watery grave given how much rain had fallen in the previous few days, and would indeed fall during the 90 minutes.

Not now, though; not only did the game survive, but it staged another match later that evening - Clanfield v Hayling United in the Hampshire Premier League.

It staged another one yesterday - a friendly involving Portsmouth’s women’s team.

Bringing other clubs under their umbrella, opening up the 3G to other leagues and other fanbases, underlines the importance of the word ‘community’ in their stadium’s name.

Hawks boss Paul Doswell admitted afterwards it had been ‘a horrible nine months’ playing games in front of empty terraces and near deserted stands.

For the club’s previous 12 league and cup games, the only people allowed to watch were club officials/volunteers and a handful of journalists. I’ll speak for all those groups - we all love football, but don’t expect us to create a good atmosphere!

We need supporters for that, and that’s just one of many reasons I’m glad they’re starting to trickle back. Whether it’s 2,000 at Fratton Park or the Etihad, or 803 at Westleigh Park, a trickle is better than nothing.

Doswell was convinced the presence of supporters helped his players turn in a ‘proper performance’ to beat Chelmsford 3-1 with a hat-trick from striker Tommy Wright.

‘There was a sharpness there and I think that was due to having supporters back,’ he explained.

‘It’s been a horrible nine months, it’s been tough to keep going at times.

‘I haven’t enjoyed the games at all, it’s just been sterile without them.

‘You can’t under-estimate how the players feel without crowds - there is a lack of intensity at times.’

Doswell is now hopeful more supporters will be persuaded to return on Wednesday for the NL South home game with Slough Town.

‘It’s a safe environment here,’ he stated. ‘We’ve missed the fans - home and away - and it would be great to see more of them come back.’

No doubt some former Hawks regulars don’t yet consider the conditions right for their return – the weekend crowd was around 600 down on last season’s average.

Perhaps some will only come back when the Covid-19 infection rates have fallen still further, or if and when Hampshire is placed under tier 1 restrictions.

Time, as always, will tell whether the pandemic has hit attendances at all levels of the beautiful game. That might take weeks, months, possibly longer than another 273 days.

One day we’ll find out, but for now we should rejoice in the fact that on a cold, wet, filthy winter’s afternoon at Westleigh Park, 803 people cared enough – and there were thousands of like-minded souls nationwide who did the same - to start their own return to normality.