Supporters spoke of their delight as English football took its first steps towards the return of crowds on Wednesday.

With national lockdown having ended and the country returning to regional restrictions to limit the spread of coronavirus, six English Football League clubs were able to open their turnstiles to a limited number of fans.

All were in tier two, meaning that up to 2,000 socially-distanced, mask-wearing supporters could attend, although most clubs were operating at a smaller number for this first occasion.

The 16,000-capacity Brunton Park, which hosted 1,000 fans at a pilot event in September, comfortably housed 2,000 supporters around three sides of the pitch, both standing and seated.

They were also rewarded with the first goal of the night as Lewis Alessandra raised the decibel levels with a sweet strike after 33 minutes.

The other game to welcome back fans on Wednesday was the League One encounter between Charlton and MK Dons.