Lee Bowyer: I’ll welcome Charlton Athletic fans back to The Valley with open arms

Lee Bowyer can’t wait to see Charlton Athletic supporters at The Valley on Saturday – with 1,000 allowed to attend the League One match against Doncaster.

The Addicks have been picked as one of the pilot fixtures by the EFL.

Supporters have not been able to attend matches since March due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

This weekend marks the next step in bringing crowds back to football matches – although the amount of cases in an area could prevent any fans still attending.

Bowyer told the South London Press: “Something is better than nothing – 1,000 will be like 30,000 on the day, I reckon.

“You can imagine that 1,000 who will come in are going to be like kids being let back in a sweet shop. They are going to make noise.

“We’ll welcome them with open arms. I certainly will – because I’ve missed them.

“It’s a stepping stone in the right direction.”