A season circuit breaker is the last thing that in-form Pompey would want
IT’S Boxing Day – but it’s starting to feel like March all over again.
A new strain of coronavirus is raging across the country, causing Christmas plans to be axed and more stringent measures being put in place.
As things stand at Pompey, Jack Whatmough and four other senior players have tested positive for Covid-19, bringing the season to a standstill.
Kenny Jackett’s usually reluctant to call off games unless he has to.
When players have been called up for international duty in the past, he’s normally quite happy for them go ahead as planned.
Yet with whispers of a circuit breaker potentially being introduced in football, Pompey would be powerless if one came in.
When the pandemic first ground football to a halt, it put paid to the momentum Jackett’s men were building towards the business end of the 2019-20 season.
After a well-documented stuttering start, the Blues finally clambered their way into the automatic promotion hunt.
There was a club-record nine straight victories, a return to Wembley sealed and evergrowing belief among the squad the Blues could go all the way.
But then came months of uncertainty before the League One table was decided by an unweighted points-per-game formula.
However, the impetus the
Blues had built had been derailed, nadiring in another meek play-off semi-final defeat to Oxford.
While the gap would likely be nowhere near as long this time around, it’ll still be an unwelcomed hiatus by those at Fratton Park
In Pompey’s past nine games, they’ve delivered five wins, three draws and suffered a solitary loss to Blackpool.
What makes it even more impressive was in that run there has been wins over promotion rivals Lincoln, Peterborough, Ipswich and most recently Hull.
Now the Blues are forced to lay dormant, initially for two games, and have to rebuild their burgeoining momentum.
Today chief executive Mark Catlin tells The News he’s opposed to a circuit breaker.
It’s a noble stance when, in truth, a blanket suspension of the season would be better than Pompey reluctantly putting their feet up while many of their rivals continue as normal.
At least everyone would start back on an even keel. But a pause of the campaign is the last thing the Blues want.
The number of games Pompey have lost in their last nine games.