OXFORD United will hold meetings over the next couple of days as they plan for the return of fans to the Kassam Stadium.

The government announced yesterday that a limited number of supporters will be allowed back in stadia after lockdown ends next Wednesday.

A maximum of 4,000 fans can initially be admitted to venues in tier one areas, while that figure drops to 2,000 for places in tier two.

Full details: Government sets out return of fans next month

The city of Oxford was placed in the second tier shortly before lockdown and United's managing director Niall McWilliams expects that to remain from next week.

He told the club's official website: “It’s fantastic news for sport in general and for Oxford United fans who have waited so patiently.

"It has been tough for everyone and the first thing to do is to thank fans for sticking with us and following the club safely from home.

“Now we have light at the end of the tunnel and over the next day or two we will sit down with the Safety Advisory Group and all of the relevant parties to discuss how we can make this work.

"Obviously we have to plan ahead for when the tiers are confirmed and see what category Oxford falls under - we expect tier two and that would mean 2,000 fans."

McWilliams revealed the club have already submitted plans for a trial game with 1,000 supporters, which could be used in the coming weeks.

He added: "It may be that we have to be patient just a little longer and trial it with that plan and then step up to a larger number for the next game and hopefully keep building from there.

“Until we have those meetings we can’t really say too much without raising the expectations of fans, who I am sure are just as excited as we are about being united again.

"All we can say right now is that we will work as hard as possible to have fans safely back at the ground as quickly as we can do so.

"If the last few months have proved one thing, it is that football without fans just isn’t football.”