Cardiff boss Mick McCarthy was happy to see fans back in the stadium but distraught his side could not deliver a winning start to the Sky Bet Championship campaign.
The game against Barnsley ended in a 1-1 draw after goals from Marlon Pack and Toby Sibbick.
"It was emotional and having fans back in was great, it was a shame we couldn't turn it into a win," said McCarthy.
"You won't have a tougher physical game than that and if you aren't going to win, don't get beaten. I've been around a lot of crowds and that was as good as any.
"I hope we can improve on that and give them something to really shout about. There are about eight things we are unhappy about with their goal, little mistakes.
"We should have kept the press on and then they wouldn't have been able to find that pass. We had the better chances and we both had a goal disallowed.
"We had two headers straight at the keeper and Leo (Bacuna) had two chances. I think we had the best of it, so there is disappointment.
"But there is a lot to be happy with. You can't knock the team for effort and work rate and playing for the shirt."
For new Barnsley boss Markus Schopp it was a point to take from his travels on his first outing in the Championship and he was also happy to see fans returning to matches.
"Having the crowd back again makes the game different. From Barnsley to Cardiff is far so we appreciate all the fans who came. It is nice that we could get a point for them," he said.
"I remember the shot of Cauley (Woodrow) and the finishes of Carlton (Morris). Cardiff also had chances but, over the 90 minutes, we had a bit more."
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