Bolton Wanderers emerged onto the pitch as normal from one of the two tunnels at the University of Bolton Stadium yesterday.
But their visitors, Crawley Town, had a different route onto the pitch than would have been typically expected.
Instead of emerging from the second tunnel on the right hand side of the halfway line like all other teams have this season, the Reds actually came out from the stadium's south east quadrant, between the Nat Lofthouse Stand and the area where away supporters would normally be housed.
The question was put to Wanderers manager Ian Evatt as to whether this was a tactical move - but the Wanderers manager confirmed this was not the case.
With Greater Manchester and the North West now placed in tier 4 of national coronavirus restrictions, Evatt confirmed the move was purely part of protocols to reduce the risk posed by the virus and was a health and safety measure.
He explained: "Because we are tier four now and we have to protect our assets and protect the players and make sure that we’re limiting the environment for Covid as much as we possibly can.
"Is that better for us that they’re in a different environment away from us? Possibly, because it’s just a mental message when you’re not in a changing room like we haven’t been in any away game really.
"It is difficult and it’s just unfortunate today that that didn’t help us get a result, but it’s nothing to do with mind games or anything.
"It’s more to do with protocol and the Covid stuff."
On the pitch, the Reds won 1-0 thanks to George Francomb's second half strike which proved to be all that separated the two sides, despite an onslaught from Wanderers afterwards where they created several chances and Eoin Doyle headed against the bar.
