Blackpool boss Neil Critchley warns: The season could have to stop

It follows news that Blackpool have become the latest League One club to return positive Covid-19 tests, with Chris Maxwell and Matty Virtue to self-isolate for the following 10 days.

With Maxwell now unavailable, the Seasiders have moved quickly to bring in Reading goalkeeper Sam Walker as an emergency seven-day loan.

Fellow third tier sides Bristol Rovers, Ipswich Town, Peterborough United, Portsmouth and Sunderland have all suffered outbreaks in recent days, causing a number of games to be postponed.

The Seasiders’ Boxing Day clash at home to Rochdale is due to go ahead as planned, with the remainder of the squad showing no symptoms.

Maxwell and Virtue returned their positive tests during time off, with head coach Critchley not taking training sessions on Sunday or Monday following Saturday’s goalless draw at Accrington Stanley.

When asked for his thoughts on a potential suspension of fixtures, Critchley said: “I don’t think you can rule anything out unfortunately.

“My preference, like most people, would be to keep football going. We’ve gone from pre-season until now and there have been some incidents around the country of games being called off, but generally the season is flowing.

“I don’t think anyone would want the season to stop but we’re in the midst of a pandemic and it’s very hard to predict.

“You only have to look at what’s happened in the last week, with different parts of the country going from tier three into tier four and they’re talking about a potential national lockdown after Christmas. Anything can happen.

“Football could take a bit of a circuit break but hopefully that doesn’t happen.

“We’re all desperate for the game to come back the way it was before, aren’t we?

“You get the crowds a little bit, with some sides getting 2,000 back only a week or so ago, and now it seems like that is going to be taken away again.

“It’s just a horrible feeling for everybody in the country who loves football and loves their club.”

Critchley admits there is no obvious solution to the crisis, given the situation is changing on a daily basis.

“It’s so difficult. It’s the unknown and there is no right or wrong answer,” Pool’s head coach said.

“I’d love to be able to tell you this is what we’re doing and this is why, but it’s moving parts and we don’t really know, so we just have to do what we think is right all the time.

“We discuss right across the club: what is the best thing to do? What is the best course of action? How do we deal with it? You can only control what’s in front of you.

“It’s no good speculating in a situation which is already so difficult. There are so many scenarios, you’d end up feeling all over the place with questions in your head.

“I’m just a football coach trying to prepare a team to try and win a game of football – I’m not a politician or a medical expert.”

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