Neil Warnock on his Christmas hope for Middlesbrough fans

On Monday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson revealed in his latest Coronavirus update that a limited number of spectators will be allowed back in football stadiums from December 3 in lower risk areas - after the second national lockdown ends and England goes back into the tier system.

Under the new system, outdoor stadiums in tier one areas could host a maximum of 4,000 spectators, while outside venues in tier two areas will be restricted to crowds of 2,000.

Spectators will not be allowed to admit matches in areas designated as tier three, which is widely speculated to include many areas in the north of England, including Middlesbrough.

Rates are currently falling across much of the north, including Teesside and parts of Yorkshire, with Warnock not giving up hope of Middlesbrough moving into tier 2 later on next month, if it is initially placed into the third tier, as many expect.

And he insists he will hold no resentment if some second-tier rivals - most likely to be in the south and East Anglia - are allowed some fans back in before others.

Warnock, whose side welcome Derby on Wednesday, commented: "It would be a handicap, won't it. But for myself, even if we did not have any fans and other people were allowed fans, I'd be delighted, really.

"I don't mean delighted that we couldn't have fans. But just to let (some) fans back in, mentally.. To let them have their own club and look forward to..I don't think you can put a price on that.

"We have just got to try and get to level two and to do that is hard work. We can't just carry on, but must work hard to get to level two, so we can have these fans back in.

"The way we looked after those 1,000 (pilot scheme game against Bournemouth in September) and the safety precautions we took was fantastic, really. It is far more healthier than going into a pub and I thought the club were super that day.

"I do miss the fans and like getting them involved. Hopefully in the next few weeks, we might be able to get a few of those back.

"I am trying to get the fans to imagine they are here and getting the excitement around the place, so they are looking forward to coming back.

"What better Christmas present than getting a couple of thousand people in the stadium? It would be great."

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