Blackpool 'preparing as normal' for Sunderland clash amid fears game could be played behind closed doors due to coronavirus

It comes following reports this morning that English football could be forced to ban supporters from attending games due to the outbreak of the coronavirus.

The Government is set to move to the “delay” stage of its action plan to deal with the spread of the virus and reports claim Premier League and Football League games in England could all go behind closed doors.

A meeting was reportedly held this morning to discuss the possibility.

Speaking ahead of Saturday's game against Sunderland at Bloomfield Road, Critchley said: “First and foremost, it’s obviously not an ideal scenario and it’s quite unique circumstances.

“At the moment we just prepare as normal, we have to, until we hear any different.

“We’re waiting for guidance from the government and the footballing authorities. Until that happens, we just have to get on with our jobs and prepare for what we hope will be a really good game on Saturday.

“Peoples’ health and welfare is more important, so if it does come to playing behind closed doors then so be it, it’ll have to happen unfortunately.”

Should the game be played with fans in the stadium, it will be a bumper crowd on Saturday with Sunderland expected to bring in the region of 4,300 supporters from the North East.

Critchley remains hopeful this weekend's game won't be played behind closed doors but admits it's an inevitability at some point in the not-too-distant future.

He added: “We’ve just undertaken the standard protocol that everyone else has done really about not shaking hands and washing your hands and making sure if you sneeze or cough then washing your hands afterwards is really important.

“We’ve just been told to make sure cleanliness is right at the top of our priorities.

“We’re just doing whatever everyone else has been told through the media, we can only do our part.

“We hope (playing behind closed doors) doesn’t happen, but it’s looking increasingly likely something will happen in the future.”