HOPES have been raised that Swindon Town fans may be allowed to return to the County Ground as early as December 12 after the government proposed measures on Monday to bring supporters back into stadiums.

A maximum of 4,000 fans will be allowed at outdoor stadia in tier one areas after the second national lockdown ends on December 2.

However, if Swindon is designated a tier three area, no fans will be allowed to return to SN1 until coronavirus cases lower and the town becomes a tier two area.

Teams in tier two will be allowed up to 2,000 fans inside stadiums. The measures are expected to be a part of the new coronavirus restrictions in England only.

MPs are set to vote on the plans this coming Thursday. If given the go ahead, Swindon Town could potentially welcome fans back for the game against Fleetwood Town on December 12.

The news comes just days after testing got underway for a coronavirus vaccine which may speed up the return of fans to live football matches.

Swindon Town coach Tommy Wright revealed he has always been optimistic a successful vaccine would not be far away due to the country’s great medicine department.

The 56-year-old is especially keen to see seats filled as the club continues its fight for survival in League One.

Wright said: “I tend to be quite positive in my outlook anyway, but I’ve always known we’ve got great medical people and scientists in this country.

“I’ve always been confident we’d get a vaccine sooner rather than later because the world desperately needs it, not just us, but everyone.

“Hopefully, we can get this vaccine available and get the fans back in because we need them to cheer us on, like every club.”

Wright continued by saying he greatly misses the matchday complaints and cheers from the stands – something that has potentially prevented all teams from altering results so far this season.

He said: “Hopefully, we can get back to a bit of normality with people moaning and people cheering the team on because I miss that.

“I said after the Accrington game, if the fans had been here, they might have driven the team on and given the players a bit of a kick up the backside after we conceded the first goal.

“If you look at the results around the league, there are not many comeback wins, and I think that’s due to the fans not being there.”