Charlton Athletic are set to become the first London club to welcome back supporters to The Valley as the lockdown ends on Wednesday.

Up to 2,000 fans will return to the south east London stadium after nine long months away when the Addicks face MK Dons in a League One match on Wednesday.

And all eyes will be on Charlton, who did host a trial for supporters in September, as they become the first in the capital to properly host fans since the Covid-19 pandemic began.

READ MORE: Return of fans on the horizon for clubs in south London after tier system unveiled

Charlton owner Thomas Sandgaard said: “I was fortunate enough to attend the pilot game at The Valley in September.

"It was a well-organised, safe event and, despite only having 1,000 people in, there was a fantastic atmosphere.

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"We are looking forward to welcoming more supporters back on Wednesday and hopefully I’ll be able to get to a game shortly to enjoy it with our fans.

“We know there will be a lot of Charlton fans missing out which is a real shame but everyone at the club is working hard to put us in the best position to get more fans into the stadium in the future – I can’t wait to see a full Valley rocking, whenever that may be."

All London clubs, as well as other clubs across the country going into Tier 2 restrictions, will be allowed to host fans as of Wednesday, December 2.

Those attending Charlton's game will all be season ticket holders who were selected by ballot on Monday.

The club has 4,861 season ticket holders for the 2020/21 season, with a ballot working on a rotation system to be used to determine who can attend upcoming games at The Valley.

These supporters will not be allowed to buy food, drinks or programmes, and the club does stand to make a loss from games until a greater number of fans are allowed back.

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The restrictions, in line with government guidelines, will mean supporters will be able to sit in the West Lower, Covered End Lower or East Stand for Wednesday’s game. Supporters will be assigned individual seats, socially distanced from other supporters in the stadium.

Facemasks must be worn at all times during the game, and supporters who have an exemption for wearing a facemask should get in touch with the club by emailing tickets@cafc.co.uk to get a facemask exemption lanyard for the game.

According to government guidelines, members of the public living in Tier Three areas should avoid travelling to other parts of the UK. Therefore any supporter whose address on the club's ticketing system is in Tier Three will not be included in the ballot for Wednesday’s game, as per the government guidelines.