Alex defender Luke Offord, says that you can only be excited about the kick-off of a new season, especially when clubs are permitted to play in front of capacity crowds again.

Offord, who is hoping to get the nod to start against Cheltenham Town this weekend and possibly be handed the captain’s armband, believes that having fans back will make a world of difference.

The former Academy graduate told the club’s official website: “It is just exciting to know that the competitive stuff is starting again. The pre-season is all about match fitness and getting back into it and although the games have been good, it is all about three points now.

“As a footballer, you want the competitive games to come around as quickly as possible and it is going to be even more enjoyable now because the fans are allowed back in.

“You could see last season when there was 2,500 in for Northampton what a difference it made. We scored in the last minute and it was a great feeling to do that in front of them again.

“They kept pushing us on in that game and that is what we need from them every week. It is just going to be really good to have them back. They make a massive difference and we are all looking forward to it.

“Obviously we lost the first two games last against Charlton and Hull but we were new to the league and it took the younger ones a bit of time to get used to it. We are used to it now and have shown that we can be competitive in this league.

Luke added: “We have to build on what we achieved last season and aim to finish as high as possible.”