Lincolnshire has been handed a Tier Three rating, meaning the wait continues for Imps fans to see their side play live this season.
Prime minister Boris Johnson revealed last week supporters would be permitted to attend games in limited numbers once the current lockdown ends on December 2, with 4,000 admitted to Tier One areas and 2,000 to Tier Two. No fans are permitted to attend games in Tier Three.
Lincolnshire was in the lowest tier before the second national lockdown, but in the revised three-tier system has been placed in tier three. Therefore, Lincoln City games will still be played out behind closed doors. A review of the tiers is scheduled for the middle of December.
In League One, 12 out of the 24 sides are in tier two areas, whilst the remaining 12 fall into tier three along with the Imps. Four of Lincoln’s main rivals in the fight for promotion; Peterborough United, Charlton Athletic, Portsmouth F.C. and Ipswich Town are all in tier two and will have fans attend home games. The effect that having fans at their home games for the foreseeable future could have massive implications on results this season.
It is clear that having fans in stadiums has a huge effect on the game and the argument could be made to the fairness of the system in allowing certain teams to have fans attend matches.
A life-long Lincoln City fan and season ticket holder had this to say about the announcement: “Football in my opinion is nothing without fans. Players play for the fans and the atmosphere you feel at a game is something that you can’t describe.
“Matches now must feel like a training ground for the players which surely can’t be very motivating for them so the sooner fans are allowed back into the stadiums the better it will be, not just for the fans but for the players as well. “