Albion fans were on a high the day they returned to the Amex.

A late goal by Pascal Gross really meant very little given it was a friendly.

But it somehow felt a fitting way to round off the afternoon when spectators were back in the stands.

Those watching were, in a way, under as much scrutiny as Gross was when he put the ball on the penalty spot.

This was the test event, with the Government present, which could bring an end to the Covid-enforced lockout.

The afternoon was nicely pitched. Rules and controls were in place but it wasn’t all “Don’t do this, don’t do that”.

The emphasis was more positive. This is what you can do to help your club and the game in general.

It is widely recognised that the 2,500 present did their bit before, during and after that 1-1 draw with Chelsea.

They were observed by Paul Barber and a high-ranking Government official as they toured the stadium.

The Argus:

It turns out any high the fans were feeling after that game was mirrored on the opposite side of the stadium behind Barber’s dark glasses.

He went home that night thinking Albion had done all they could to state their case.

The expectation back then was that, by now, the club would be readying themselves to welcome fans back again when West Brom visit.

Barber told of his emotions as he spoke to fans in a question and answer session on Wednesday.

He said: “I’ve got to be honest. I finished that game on such a high.

“Not just because we got a late equaliser but because I genuinely thought it had made a real impact with the people who were going to go back to the Secretary of State and the Prime Minister directly and report that this can be done.

“This football club has put its own reputation on the line to do this, they have put a huge amount of work into it, they have trusted their fans, they have shown they can be trusted.

“Now please give us the green light to take that 2,500 up to 5,000 or ideally a bit more than that. I was on such a high that evening.”

There were follow-ups in the form of meetings and a hefty report, made available to the government, the Premier League, EFL and all clubs.

Barber said: “I thought, ‘Wow! We are on our way’. When the announcement came out a couple of weeks ago, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.”

That announcement was to put the plan to bring fans back from October on hold.

The introduction of pay-per-view and season ticket refunds are unwanted measures taken to help cope with that ongoing delay.

Barber accepts the most likely scenario is that the public come back some time in 2021.

But he explained why the club will remain on standby to kick things off earlier than that.

He said: “We hope it doesn’t go beyond October or November that we are having to use pay-per-view for fans to see games.

“We hope to get fans back in the stadium before the end of the year. Two months is long time with this virus.

“When people said to us back in April that we would be playing Premier League football again in the middle of June, albeit behind closed doors, at that point it seemed impossible for us to even contemplate.

“At that point there were nearly 1,000 people a day dying, the NHS was completely overwhelmed, people were in lockdown and couldn’t get to their offices.

“But we were being advised by the government at that time to prepare to play again in the middle of June.

“I have got to say I was one of the biggest sceptics of that happening and spoke against it at Premier League meetings.

READ MORE: Time to speak out for fans' return

“I said I thought it was crazy we were even contemplating playing Premier League fixtures when 1,000 people a day were dying.

“But the reality was the Government have got a much further foresighted view of where this thing could go than we have.

“If we get any indication before Christmas that we could have fans back in the stadium, we have got to be prepared and ready for that, as we are.

“Obviously that would be a marvellous thing. If that doesn’t happen and we go into the New Year, we have still got 11 games at home.

“Hopefully we have got the balance right between giving people some much-needed cash now - and we have given them the flexibility to leave it there and take it at a later time - and hopefully enough cash left behind so that, when we do get fans back in the stadium, through the ballot process we hope people will be able to use that money to attend fixtures and we go from there.

“We are having to make a number of judgements in real time. Quick decision-making time.

“But what we are not going to do ever is rush into a decision.”

That high should be back again - at some stage.