John Pemberton on when he thinks Chesterfield will next play after National League season suspended over coronavirus outbreak

John Pemberton believes Chesterfield could have to wait until at least May to play their next match because of the coronavirus outbreak.
By Liam Norcliffe
Published 17th Mar 2020, 12:39 BST
Updated 17th Mar 2020, 16:45 BST
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

The National League season was suspended on Monday until at least April 3 due to the pandemic.

It means Town’s next three fixtures against Maidenhead United, Yeovil Town and Woking will not go ahead.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“It is a sensible option and the right thing to do,” he said of the decision to suspend the season. “It coincides with the guidelines that everybody else is adhering to and it just makes sense. It is getting worse at the moment so it is the best thing to do. We just have to be completely sensible and I think football has to be secondary to this definitely.”

As it stands Chesterfield’s season will resume on April 4 against Boreham Wood at the Proact but Pemberton is not convinced that will happen.

“I think it is a long haul,” he added. “I am not sure we will be playing any games in April.”

The Proact has been shut down this week and the players have not been training as a precaution but will be sent individual fitness programmes to keep them “ticking over,” Pemberton told the DT.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The Spireites caretaker manager slammed the National League’s decision to let matches go ahead last weekend despite all fixtures in the Premier League and EFL being suspended until at least April 3.

Chesterfield manager John Pemberton thinks it could be May before the Spireites play their next game.Chesterfield manager John Pemberton thinks it could be May before the Spireites play their next game.
Chesterfield manager John Pemberton thinks it could be May before the Spireites play their next game.

It meant that Chesterfield were forced to make the 500-mile round trip to Dover on Saturday which has had knock-on effects for him and his players as coronavirus symptoms do not necessarily appear straight away after exposure.

He said: “I have got an 81-year-old father who at the moment I can’t go and see and we have got some of our players whose wives are pregnant at the moment and there was new advice issued about that on Monday.”

Defender Haydn Hollis did not travel with the squad to Dover due to respiratory problems but he has not been diagnosed with coronavirus and no other players have shown any symptoms so far.

Pemberton added: “We have no idea what we are dealing with so we have to be sensible with this.”

Related topics:ChesterfieldNational LeagueWokingMaidenhead United