Charlton glad to see fans back at The Valley - 'but they could have been more vocal'

Charlton manager Lee Bowyer felt his side’s followers were not vocal enough at The Valley as they were beaten 1-0 by MK Dons in League One.

Bowyer spoke after English football moved a step closer to a return to normality as the game began to welcome back crowds on Wednesday night.

“I’d have liked it to have been a bit more positive from the fans,” he said. “They’ve been away for so long I would have liked them to pick the lads up when it’s not going so well.

“I’m glad they are back in. I wish they were a little more vocal. It was very, very quiet apart from some negative shouting.”

Charlton fan Paul Field said: “It was a disappointing result but it is good to be back. It was a good experience. It terms of organisation the club couldn’t have done any more.

“I’ve seen some of the post-match comments from the manager. That’s disappointing. I think there needs to be a bit of understanding that it’s not the same – 2,000 spread out in a 27,000-seat stadium is not the same as 20,000 in there.”

Fans had to wear masks and maintain social distancing, there were temperature checks and hand-sanitising stations on arrival and one-way systems in operation.