Curle will 'massively miss' Cobblers fans and hopes to have them back soon

Keith Curle says Cobblers supporters will be a 'massive miss' when his side open their Sky Bet League One campaign with a behind closed doors fixture against AFC Wimbledon at the PTS Academy Stadium on Saturday.

The opening day of a new season is typically one of the most highly-anticipated dates on the football calendar, all the more so for Cobblers fans this year with their side back in League One following promotion.

But whilst supporters will no doubt be excited to see Town in action against Dons on Saturday, it will be from the comfort of their own homes due to the continued ban on mass gatherings.

It was hoped that fans would be able to return next month but on Wednesday the government confirmed they are to 'review' that plan, while Cambridge United announced on Thursday that their scheduled pilot event, where 2,000 people were to be allowed in for Saturday's game against Carlisle, has been cancelled.

However, the authorities remain hopeful of welcoming fans back sooner rather than later, even if it is at a reduced capacity to start with.

"They'll be a massive miss," admitted Curle. "They play a huge part in what we do here.

"I'm like anybody else and I listen to the information given out by the government and you're thinking that fans will be coming back in next month and there's an air of excitement and you're taking one step forward.

"But now it might be delayed and you might have reduced capacity again and you take a step backwards, but the message is still the same - it's all being done for the safety and wellbeing of everyone concerned."

The Cobblers have performed impressively without the backing of their fans, particularly in the play-offs at the end of last season. They also started the new campaign with a bang when beating Cardiff City 3-0 in the EFL Cup last weekend.

"Every player is different but do some of our players perform better without fans in the ground? No, I don't think so," Curle added.

"Our supporters give us a lift, especially at home. They appreciate hard work, honesty, graft and players expressing themselves in the final third and we know we've got a fanbase that loves a challenge and they love seeing players give 100 per cent.

"That's a minimum requirement for the players here and they know when they do that, they will get the appreciation."