NO York City fans will be able to attend this weekend's game against Chester at Bootham Crescent.

Last week York was placed in Tier 2 by the Government, meaning that a maximum of 2,000 fans would be allowed in to watch City's home matches - the first time Minstermen fans have been eligible to attend since March.

However, York have said that they are unable to open the Bootham Crescent doors at present as they await "external providers to certify parts of the stadium".

It is not yet known whether this situation may change in time for next week's home games against Kettering Town and Spennymoor Town.

In a club statement, York said: "When the Prime Minister announced, on the 23rd November, that fans could attend football matches we knew it was going to be a race against time to get the necessary certificates and approvals for Bootham Crescent.

"As previously communicated, we have been poised to move out of Bootham Crescent and into the LNER Community Stadium for a number of months and as such we have been careful not to unnecessarily invest important club funds into Bootham Crescent.

"Despite a huge amount of effort from staff and our loyal volunteers, we are unable to welcome fans back on Saturday 5th December as we are still waiting for external providers to certify parts of the stadium, work which will surpass the deadline given by regulatory bodies.

"We know fans will be disappointed, we understand and share that feeling but safety must be our priority and we cannot welcome fans to a stadium which is not properly certified.

"We’ll continue to work hard to get Bootham Crescent ready for fans to come back as soon as possible and share updates when we can."

York are continuing to stream their matches at a price of £7.99. Full details can be found on the York City website.