Sweet: Hatters are awaiting approval before confirming Kenilworth Road can open for Canaries visit

Luton could be playing in front of a crowd once more next week

Luton Town will have to wait for official approval before knowing for certain whether they can welcome fans back to Kenilworth Road for next Wednesday night’s home clash against Norwich City.

The club received the news this morning that 2,000 could possibly attend the fixture with the high-flying Canaries after confirmation Bedfordshire would be placed in tier two restrictions once the country comes out of lockdown on Wednesday.

However, chief executive Gary Sweet confirmed to the Luton News that although plans to re-open the stadium are moving forward, they are subject to getting the green light from a number of different bodies.

He said: “Luton is designated as Tier 2 - fantastic, this means we can potentially allow 2,000 supporters in for next Wednesday's Norwich match.

“However, before we can definitively do this, we need the approval of the SAG (safety advisory group), the SGSA (Sports Grounds Safety Authority), PHE (Public Health England) and the EFL (English Football League) and it is very possible that one of them (PHE specifically) could claim that the numbers in and around Kenilworth Road are so high risk that we can't comply.

“We're obviously pushing for this asap, meanwhile, we've got the plan ready and are now pushing forward as if we can open our doors next Wednesday.”

On just how Town will work out who specifically can attend, due the limited capacity, Sweet also confirmed that dialogue with fans is vital moving forward.

He added: “Some things we can't do for next Wednesday, like move the away dressing rooms from the John Moore lounge, the showers which are just under the main stand and move the dugouts, so supporter consultation will be key.”