Portsmouth's trip to Rochdale not among EFL pilot scheme games to have 1,000 spectators

As per government guidance, up to 1,000 spectators are allowed to attend matches in the Championship, League One and League Two this weekend.

It’s towards the aim of crowds at an average of a 25-per-cent capacity returning to elite sport fixtures in October.

Clubs that wished to have spectators at games had to submit their requests by Tuesday for plans to be signed off.

However, teams in areas with local restrictions due to higher numbers of Covid-19 cases were told they wouldn’t be selected.

Rochdale, situated in Greater Manchester, is one area affected by a greater outbreak of coronavirus cases.

In League One, Charlton Athletic v Doncaster Rovers, Blackpool v Swindon Town, Shrewsbury Town v Northampton Town and Hull City v Crewe Alexandra will all have fans at the game.

But Pompey’s trip to Spotland will be played behind closed doors.

EFL chairman Rick Parry said: ‘It’s encouraging that we are in a position to move forward with the next phase of the pilot programme and give a small number of our clubs the opportunity to welcome back up to a 1,000 fans this week.

‘The health and well-being of supporters and their wider communities remains the priority, but as we showed at Cambridge, social distancing can be applied safely. By extending across more EFL clubs we hope to further demonstrate that the measures developed can allow fans to return in greater numbers from as early as next month.

‘The requirement to welcome spectators back through turnstiles has not diminished in any way, the financial challenges facing EFL clubs have been explained on numerous occasions, they are substantial and a problem that requires immediate solutions.’

The Fratton faithful have not attended a game since Kenny Jackett’s side’s 2-2 draw with Fleetwood on March 10 before the lockdown period.

Pompey delivered a 3-0 win away at Rochdale last season. Ronan Curtis fired a double and Ryan Williams was also on target.

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