The business end of the season for clubs like Portsmouth - but it's far from business as usual after latest announcement

But the latest announcement from the football authorities proves its anything but business as usual.

Instead of focusing on the job at hand and working towards a common goal – in this case promotion for Pompey – the shutters are down, the workers have been sent home and a period of leave has been enforced.

It’s unprecedented times for the vast majority of us as football’s operating hours come to a temporary halt.

That joint statement released by the FA, Premier League and EFL on Thursday afternoon confirmed what we had all feared – that the current suspension is inadequate and that this season’s games would not resume until Thursday, April 30, at the earliest.

An additional 27 days imposed on the three-week hiatus enforced because of coronavirus on Friday, March 13.

Blues games against Accrington, Doncaster Rovers, Ipswich and Oxford now have company in the form of Salford, Rotherham, Blackpool, Southend and Bristol Rovers.

Matches that will need to be rescheduled in a brand new calendar that has no set end date – with the campaign ‘extended indefinitely’.

At present, Pompey’s trip to Burton on Saturday, May 3 – the initial final day of the season – is the only point of business that hasn’t been disrupted.

Yet there’s no guarantee just yet it won’t suffer a similar fate to those that were meant to precede it in the fixture list, such is the sporting climate we currently face.

It could conceivably get to the stage were yet more emergency meetings are held and further extraordinary measures are required.

There’s not a football fan the length and breadth of the country who hopes that will be the case, though.

The sporting authorities for this game we all love already have enough on their plate without further bad news and delays.

Indeed, with issues likes emergency funding for clubs having to be ironed out, problems with player contracts to be sorted and contingency plans put in place for non-playing staff members’ futures, there’s already enough on the to-do list.

And then there’s, of course, the problem of shoehorning up to eight remaining league fixtures into what will be a confined time frame, which for Pompey will be congested further by the Leasing.com Trophy final and potentially three play-off games.

The players will have needed the near 50-day down time they’ll have probably racked up by the time that potential trip to Burton comes around.

And so he lies another issue that is left to clubs like the Blues to contend with in the aftermath of bombshell announcements by the powers that be.

Just in terms of fitness and form, will teams be expected to simply pick up where they left off on the resumption of action, whether that be May 3 or not?

Or will they be permitted to play friendlies as they prepare for that promotion push?

Surely, teams need the proper preparations for such an important run of matches, while the risk of potential injuries in that quick turnaround needs to be taken into consideration.

More problem-solving measures are therefore required from the likes of chief executive Mark Catlin and Kenny Jackett on one specific area of interest.

Yet there’ll be more than that dropping into their inbox trays over the days and weeks to come.

What about pre-season plans? Potential transfers? The scouting of players? And, dare I ask, how will remaining games will be scheduled. Will they follow the original fixture list order? In fact, at this moment in time, will the Burton game be the Blues’ next game?

There’s still more questions than answers at this moment despite the latest announcement from the leagues.

Being a fan is tough enough. But who’d want a job in football admin at his moment in time?

Certainly, not me.