Huddersfield Town v Middlesbrough - Still no crowds - but we will have to get on with it says Boro’s Neil Warnock

Chances are that many seasoned Terriers followers would have been rather more respectful given his sterling contribution to the club’s history when he managed there in the early Nineties.

In any case, it is all by the by, sadly as football lovers stay in their homes this weekend.

The Terriers’ stadium will again be deserted, although some supporters will return next weekend in Tier 2 areas, more especially in the south and east of England.

Middlesbrough chief Warnock admits that it may give those clubs fortunate enough to have 2,000 spectators back at games a bit of an advantage.

Such is his desire for football to return to some sort of normality that he could not care less.

He said: “It is easier going away from home with no fans rather than a couple of thousand and it will help the home team (with fans) no doubt.

“But to put it into perspective, this horrible virus means that to get any fans back in (anywhere), it has got to be a plus.

“All over the country now, supporters need something to cling onto to make them smile and give them a little bit of something to vent their emotions. Have a go at the manager...

“All these things are what we all need. I am not going to be one who says it is not fair and this, that and the other. You have just got to get on with it and it is nice to have them back.”

With a day less preparation than Huddersfield, Boro face their second game in less than 72 hours in a schedule which will see them fit in five away trips over the remainder of 2020.

Handily placed in the table, the Teessiders must hang in there, according to Warnock, someone who knows the Championship like the back of his hand and is worth listening to.

He added: “It is a long season and you have got to try and hang in there and not get too far away.

“If you lose two or three on the trot, then it is a very difficult job to catch up.

“That is why it was doubly disappointing to lose to Norwich (last Saturday), as it would have kept Norwich down a bit and us up a bit. It was a double whammy, really.

“But you have not got to let the disappointment drag on and get on with it and that is what we are doing.”

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