With our new business friendly Health Secretary insisting the threat of the 100,000 new cases a day he predicted may happen in the coming weeks will not effect "Freedom day" next week and the UK Government insisting there will be no more lockdowns, you have to wonder if this will have any impact on sporting events and domestic football in particular.

The current round of county cricket matches has seen Kent have to pick a well under strength side for their match with Sussex after the selected eleven were forced to self isolate after positive Covid tests in their camp. Today, the game between Derbyshire and Essex was abandoned after one day's play because of a positive test on one of the home side's players.

This is happening with new cases per day being just under a third of the level it's suggested they could rise to and there are eighteen county cricket sides. Therefore, it would seem to follow that with their being more than five times as many teams in the top levels of the English game (not to mention the ones in Scotland and Welsh leagues) and a big rise in new cases per day predicted, are we going to see quite a few first elevens (or substantial parts of them) being told to self isolate every week?

If the Kent v Sussex match becomes any sort of precedent, we could see sides having to field teams full of Under 23 or Academy players or will we see fixture piles up created of the type which cost Rotherham dear last season? Even if the Welsh Government were to allow all parts of Cardiff City Stadium to be open for matches next month, it may be that there will be no game or a mismatch for us to watch or on any given weekend.