Portsmouth winger Ronan Curtis' view on finishing season behind closed doors and Republic of Ireland ambitions

And the Pompey winger told of his frustration he was denied a potential Republic of Ireland recall because of the coronavirus crisis.

The pandemic has suspended English football until April 30 at the earliest.

And with the virus accelerating across the country, it’s almost certain that date will be pushed back.

Pompey haven't trained in more than two weeks, after they were sent home from their Hilsea base a day before their League One clash against Accrington on Saturday, March 14 was postponed.

The Blues sit fourth in the table, just two points outside the automatic promotion places, while they’ve booked their return to Wembley in the Leasing.com Trophy final.

When the campaign recommences, it’s still unclear whether supporters will be allowed to attend matches.

But Curtis, who celebrated his 24th birthday yesterday, feels that may be the best solution so the season can be completed.

He told the Derry Journal: ‘We’re in a fantastic position in the league and we’re in the cup final at Wembley and we can’t play that either.

‘It’s frustrating but we’ve got to keep going and hopefully Uefa can come to the decision to play games behind closed doors, otherwise it will impact on next season as well.

‘We can’t go anywhere so we’ve got to sit and wait for word. It’s annoying. It’s hard when you’re used to training everyday and preparing for games.

‘The past two weeks we haven’t and it’s weird seeing Saturdays and Tuesdays roll by with no games or training.

‘It’s really hard to get used to but you have to get used to it, everything has changed so much over the past week or so.

‘I’m just like everyone else really, trying to get my head around things but I can’t wait to get back playing games.’

The shutdown meant it was a double blow for Curtis.

He was hoping to be included in the Republic of Ireland’s set-up for their Euros 202 qualifier in Slovakia.

Eire boss Mick McCarthy had been impressed with Curtis' form since being omitted for games against New Zealand and Denmark in November.

The ex-Derry man's response was emphatic, registering 10 goals and 10 assists to propel Pompey into the promotion race.

Nevertheless, Curtis still has ambitions of again pulling on the green jersey.

He added: ‘I was playing well and Mick was getting good feedback on me.

‘It was hard not getting into the last squad but I really want to get into the next one and represent my country again.’