FEATURE: It's football-lite as the Cobblers return to action behind closed doors...

The Cobblers took on Cheltenham Town in the Sky Bet League Two play-off semi-finals first-leg on Thursday night.

Not only was it the club's first competitive game to be played in the month of June, it was, of course, also the first game at Sixfields to be played behind closed doors due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Fans were locked out as admission to the match was strictly limited, with the only people in the ground, aside from the players, staff and officials from both clubs, being TV and radio broadcasters, written journalists and stewards.

And I have to say, it was something of a privilege to be there.

I feel very lucky to have been given the opportunity of watching a match in the flesh, something that had been denied to 1,000s of loyal Cobblers supporters.

But I can tell you all now, you were missed. Every single one of you.

The result may not have gone the Cobblers' way, but it was still great just to see them team playing again, more than 100 days on from their previous outing in the 2-1 defeat to Mansfield Town on March 7.

It was a pleasure to sit in the west stand and watch a live football match, even if it was, at times, something of a surreal experience.

So, what is it like to go to a match staged 'behind closed doors'?

Well, first up - it was a dream to get to the game! There were certainly no traffic issues rocking up at the PTS, and on this occasion no hassles parking either, as everybody who turned up was designated a socially distanced space the west stand car park.

Walking towards the stadium was the first time it hit home what a strange match day this was going to be...

There were no supporters streaming down the hill, the steps and paths leading down to the stadium were deserted, there were no fanzine of programme sellers, the closed Carr's Bar was deserted, and there were no Sixfields Sounds to put a spring in your step as you headed towards the turnstiles.

The shutters were down on the burger bar, and the only hint that something was going on inside the ground was the muffled sound of music pumping out from the Cobblers dressing room - and a little hive of activity by the club shop.

That activity taking place outside the big metal gates was the mini pop-up medical centre... not something I have ever experienced at a football match before!

So, it was a case of face mask on? Check.

Health form signed? Check

Temperature taken? Check (phew!)

Okay to enter the ground? Check

So off I headed into the PTS, and metal fencing guided me in, meaning I couldn't go anywhere but the west stand even if I wanted to!

Entering the near deserted stadium, I was sent straight up the steps to the upper tier, and started to take in the strange surroundings.

I arrived about an hour before kick-off, and where there is usually a buzz and plenty of activity, with supporters chatting in the stand and in the concourse, enjoying a pre-match pint or a coffee, trying to predict what is going to happen... there is nothing

The only people in the stand are those radio and TV broadcasters and journalists all dotted around the seats, all at least two metres away from each other.

The directors box is dominated by the Sky Sports camera scaffold, and then when I arrive at our 'press box' for the evening, it is a block of regular seats in the stand - no desks in sight.

For any other Cobblers game, we are rammed into a couple of very tight rows at the back of the west stand, for this game we had more space and leg room than we will ever need!!

After O took my seat, it became obvious the club had done an excellent job with preparing the stadium.

There may not have been any supporters in the stands, but the 900 cardboard cutouts, generated by the 'Cobblers Faces In The Crowd' campaign, looked great and really gave a sense of occasion.

There were also plenty of supporters' flags covering the seats in the north stand, and it all enhanced the experience.

There may have been no paying punters around, but as kick-off approached the ground became pretty lively, with both sets of players going through their warm-ups with the usual vigour.

The only difference to a normal game was that you could hear everything assistant boss Colin West and the players are saying!

Also present from the normal match day was stadium DJ Matt Facer who span his usual belting tunes (nice bit of The Jam and Style Council in there), even if there weren't that many people in the ground to hear them!

The match day PA was also present and correct, welcoming those who were there to the PTS and reading out the team news... you may ask what was the point of that? But if I'm honest, it did bring an extra, very thin, layer of normality

And the more of that we could muster, the better!

With 10 minutes to go to kick-off, gets extra surreal as the pitch empties and the players head for the changing rooms.

It suddenly becomes very quiet, apart from that pre-match music!

All the the regular match day songs get an airing... but will The Liquidator still be played when the Cobblers players come out?

The answer is yes, of course! The only thing missing was the chant of 'Cobblers' from the supporters filling in at the appropriate time.

The players' entrance to the pitch was all very different though.

There were no pre-match line-ups or handshakes, the teams just ran out to their own halves of the pitch and got ready to start... all very no-nonsense, all very 1980s!

Before klick-off there was a minute's applause for all of the NHS and key workers who have done such a brilliant job during the Covid-19 pandemic..

Then, once the whistle was blown to start the match, every player, substitute and member of coaching staff 'took the knee' for a couple of seconds to show their support for the Black Lives Matter movement. It made for a powerful statement.

And with that, we were off and running.

With no fans in the stands you could hear the players talking and shouting clear as a bell - and it meant you could now hear Alan McCormack dressing down his team mates and members of the opposition, as well as see him doing it!

It also goes without saying that you could hear Keith Curle - but you can hear him when there are 6,000 inside the PTS!

It is all very strange at first, but fascinating at the same time to hear all the chat, the winding up, the sniping, the cajoling, the encouragement and the pressurising of the referee Marc Edwards - who basically just ignored everybody!

There was also the fact there were no ball boys, with the players having to go and retrieve it themselves.

But you soon get used to it.

After all, we have all been to watch pre-season games, reserve team games or non-League games when the atmosphere is similar - it's just that the stakes on this match were a lot higher than usual!

The game was certainly very competitive, with no quarter asked or given, although it was surely easier for the Cheltenham players to play without the added pressure of the majority of the stadium wanting them to mess up and every turn!

Referee Edwards, who made a few controversial decisions on the night, also probably enjoyed not being on the end of a few 1,000 very sharp tongues every few minutes, but aside from that, I am not sure the lack of crowd really affected the actual outcome of the game too much.

It may have done, it may not have done, but how are you going to prove that?

Cheltenham's late strike ensured they will go to an equally deserted Whaddon Road on Monday night with a very handy 2-0 advantage in the second leg, and when the final whistle blew they certainly looked very pleased with themselves.

But without any away fans to go and salute and celebrate with, once the elbow bumps with the Cobblers players were all done, they were straight down the tunnel.

It was an equally quick exit for the Town players, who didn't have to make their usual lap/traipse of honour/shame around the ground to thank the fans for their support.

And that was that, after the game there were socially distanced press conferences at opposite ends of the west stand, with the managers of both teams, and a few players as well, and then it was off home.

On reflection, it was great to be watching football again, but there was of course something crucial missing - the fans.

The night proved that watching football really isn't the same without supporters in the stands.

It's not the same without the cheers, the jeers, the sneers and, yep, the abuse.

It's not the same without those explosions of joy, the singing or the chanting.

It isn't the same without the spontaneity of 1,000s of people reacting instantly to what they see happening in front of their very eyes.

To be blunt, they make the occasion whole, and without them it just isn't the football we know, love, and travel 100s of miles up and down the country to watch every weekend.

So roll on the days when this virus is finally beaten, and football can return to normal.

Because if Thursday is to be a taste of the 'new normal', those days can't come quickly enough.