Why Portsmouth believe they are prepared for uncertain football future amid Covid outbreak

A number of games across England have already fallen to the increasing cases of the Omicron Covid variant, including the Blues’ trip to AFC Wimbledon.

But before the club had confirmed cases of COVID-19 within its ranks, they were dismantled by a virus which spread through the squad.

This added to the mounting selection woes for the 43-year-old, as the pool of players to pick fell to 14.

Joe Morell and Michael Jacobs were particularly affected by sickness with the Wales international missing out on recent matches against Sheffield Wednesday and Morecambe.

But Cowley was quick to reiterate how he’s searching for solutions, rather than excuses during football’s unclear future.

He said: ‘We’ve had good practice recently because we’ve obviously had a bout of illness ourselves. It’s probably not been until the day of the game where we’ve actually been able to pick a team, so preparation both on and off the pitch has been really difficult in recent weeks.

‘Like we’ve been saying, we’ve been trying to find the solutions rather than excuses.’

The Blues were set to travel to Plough Lane today, until the clash in south London was cancelled yesterday.

A total of six games across the third tier have been moved to a later date, with cases of the disease surging across the country.

That’s increased calls from across England’s four divisions for a pause in all league fixtures until cases decrease.

Cowley wasn’t in this camp, however, as he was hoping to play this weekend.

The former Lincoln boss explained how the club is adapting to ever-changing scenarios.

He added: ‘It’s been in recent weeks where we feel like we’ve put one fire out and another one starts, and you’ve got to put that out. We’re certainly firefighting.

‘There’s no hiding place, it definitely makes you feel uneasy because you don’t quite know what tomorrow brings. So when planning has been a key part of your success it’s certainly disruptive.

‘But like I said, we’re rolling with the punches and we’re trying to be pragmatic and adaptable in equal measure.’

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