Newcastle United supporters may have to wait longer than fans in other areas of the country after plans to allow grounds to re-open were announced.
A maximum of 4,000 fans will be allowed into stadiums in regions that are in tier one - the places with lowest incidence of COVID - while there will be 2,000 in tier two areas.
But tier three areas will see the ban on spectators rolled over past the lockdown.
We will find out on Thursday which tier the North East will be placed into but public health officials have warned during the second lockdown period that there is a chance of this area being in the highest area for restrictions with some areas still suffering from high numbers of cases.
Before lockdown the North East was in tier two - which allowed pubs and restaurants to stay open - but a report in the Mirror last week named the area, along with Leeds and parts of the North West, as one of those at risk of being put into a "high alert" tier.
If the North East is put in tier one or two, the first game that would see fans re-admitted to the stadium in limited numbers would be the West Brom clash on December 12.
Newcastle have around 30,000 season ticket holders - including some on long-term deals who are still paying direct debits - and with only a few thousand allowed in even if the area is in the tier required for supporters to return it is sure to be a contentious decision.
The club's plan is that those who attend will be selected from a ballot of season ticket holders.
Back in September they were planning for the return of 10 to 15,000 supporters by the autumn but those plans were scuppered by the second wave.
