Time for photos of away fans in the stands, we’ll be taking a look at all the different ones at this weekend’s English football matches.
Unfortunately we are seeing a disrupted schedule for the Premier League, Football League and Non League due to Covid, however there are still some games going ahead and thankfully lots of travelling supporters are still able to attend fixtures up and down the country.
During a very difficult time for everyone, clubs are welcoming back full crowds and get back to hearing some noise to make what football is all about.
Some clubs were briefly allowed limited crowds during last season – but for others, August will see them play in front of their own supporters in a competitive match for the first time since early 2020.
The opening few weeks of the season had plenty of emotion for thousands of fans up and down the country as they returned to places that mean so much to them.
The away day experience is one of the very best parts of following your own team, and although your alarm may be set for times of the day that, frankly, should never be seen, you still excitedly cram onto coaches or overpriced trains, and the whole experience, regardless of result, is still one you’ll always remember.
As long as trains and buses are on time, the pre-match pint and grub is a vital part of the whole match day experience.
It may be tough to find a pub without hostile home fans, but it’s always possible to duck into a nice little ‘boozer’ for a bevvy before kick-off.
While much of the ‘away day’ experience takes place out of the stadium, the ground itself always plays a big part.
The days of old in which away fans were in roof-less terraces being battered by the elements are becoming a distant memory – albeit they are still a problem at some settings – with modern stadia now spacious and comfortable.
Right then, time to look at photos of those away ends, and at the end of the article you can find to what the Prem and EFL are saying about Covid and any potential break in the season…
SUNDERLAND fans at Ipswich Town
FLEETWOOD TOWN fans at Morecambe
— Alex 🐟 (@ftfcRedford) December 18, 2021
TORQUAY UNITED fans at Tonbridge Angels
The Yellow Army at Angels (a) #tufc pic.twitter.com/O5IYga4JVe
— TORQUAYTALK (@TORQUAYTALK) December 18, 2021
ROTHERHAM UNITED fans at Cambridge United
HUDDERSFIELD TOWN fans at Bristol City
CHELTENHAM TOWN fans at Shrewsbury Town
BIRMINGHAM fans at Blackburn Rovers
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AFC BOURNEMOUTH fans at Middlesbrough
www.fanbanter.co.uk – Fan reaction to the latest football news, gossip & funnies
CHARLTON ATHLETIC fans at Plymouth Argyle
LEYTON ORIENT fans at Tranmere Rovers
HARROGATE TOWN fans at Sutton United
WIGAN ATHLETIC fans at Oxford United
STEVENAGE fans at Salford City (right)
Let’s do this. 🤘 pic.twitter.com/svLQoArQPM
— Stevenage FC 🔴⚪ (@StevenageFC) December 18, 2021
ENFIELD TOWN fans at Eastleigh
@ETFCOfficial at Eastleigh #FATrophy @Ollie_Bayliss @NLBIBLE4 @NonLeagueCrowd pic.twitter.com/TCrqvzmmDY
— Ryan Lancaster (@Ryanlancaster07) December 18, 2021
NEWPORT COUNTY fans at Rochdale
Here come the lads! 👏 #RAFC pic.twitter.com/U0H9f87jUt
— Rochdale AFC (@officiallydale) December 18, 2021
PETERBOROUGH UNITED fans at Blackpool
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WEST BROM fans at Barnsley
HULL CITY fans at Nottingham Forest
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The Premier League earlier said it intends to “continue its current fixture schedule where safely possible”, and that has not changed despite the additional postponements.
Sky Sports News reporter Kaveh Solhekol: “The Premier League will postpone fixtures if there is a problem and people’s safety is going to be affected.
“There are still five Premier League games on this weekend, and as things stand the plan is for those games to go ahead.”
EFL chairman Rick Parry has not ruled out a circuit breaker in the Championship, League One, and League Two.
He says that while a potential break has been discussed by the EFL, it was decided that it would not have an impact this weekend.
“We have discussed it,” he told BBC’s Football Focus, when asked if the EFL would consider a break.
“We wondered whether a short, sharp circuit breaker this weekend would help, but frankly it wouldn’t.
“There is no scientific evidence to suggest it would help and if you look at the geographical spread, there are areas where clearly games can go ahead and areas where they can’t.
“The talk of the news is about another possible lockdown after Christmas, so that decision may be taken out of our hands, but we are getting more information and listening to the scientists, they need more data to try and work out where we are going with this new strain.
“It is too early to tell, frankly, next week we may be in a different position.
“If we think a circuit breaker will help, we will do it, but at the moment no scientific evidence suggests at this moment in time that it would help. But predicting the future at this point is almost impossible.
“We have got to stick together, we have got to stay calm and keep on making balanced decisions based on the very latest information available.”
Parry admits that the health of players, staff, and supporters is paramount.
He told BBC programme Football Focus: “It has been a difficult week and similar to the Premier League, we have seen a raft of postponements and a real escalation of cases over the last few days.
“It actually feels like quite an achievement to get 17 games away this weekend with everything that has been going on.
“It is a time for cool heads, keep calm and everybody pulling together. We have greater challenges than football at the moment, and as ever, health and welfare of players, staff, and spectators is the priority, but who knows what next week will look like?”
But Parry says that the EFL will continue to monitor the situation, adding that there is a need to keep calm and balanced.
However, he says that the EFL will continue to do all they can to get the season completed.
“We have introduced new criteria for clubs and what we are basically saying is if clubs have a squad of 14, including a goalkeeper, then games should go ahead,” he said.
“Clearly we are having to be very adaptable and we are consulting with clubs, because this is escalating all the time. Clearly the rates of infection have gone up dramatically and they are likely to go up again, so it is a case of taking it one day at a time and trying to keep calm, balanced, and doing our best to getting the season completed.”
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