Players back in training

Tomorrow morning Lee Bowyer welcomes his players back to Sparrows Lane to start ‘small group training.’

Bowyer sounded delighted to be able to mix with his staff and players again but there are strict protocols that have to be adhered to.

There will be twice-weekly testing and all players were tested at the end of last week. Those results will be announced later on Sunday.

Players and staff need to adopt social distancing and the training pitches will be divided into small groups with a one-way system in place to avoid unintentional contact. All communal areas of Sparrows Lane will be closed and players will arrive in their own cars with their kit on.

Any close-contact meetings are to be held via video conference and all medical staff are advised to wear PPE.

Players will have their temperature checked on arrival, those unwell will be sent home. Both Jason Pearce and George Lapslie’s wives are pregnant, so it is unknown if they will be in for training.

The contract situation is the curved ball though. That is not simple at all.

It’s the same for everyone of course, but Lee did sound far more upbeat in his most recent interview on TalkSPORT.

With the EFL intent on turning a blind eye to those clubs who cheated, and embracing PPG, we look like we are down if that is how the season is ended prematurely. What a mess, and no one with an ounce of integrity, intelligence, compassion, or cash to fight our corner.

Perhaps tomorrow is the road back to fighting for those 27 points fair and square. We’ll see.