Conor Chaplin cautious over an early return to playing at Barnsley

Much focus is centring on how English football can restart the season, suspended since mid-March due to Covid-19 – but many in the game have also countered that it is not a priority right now.

Among that number is Brighton chief Graham Potter, with the comments of the ex-York City player – who has lost both parents in the past year – resonating with Chaplin.

The Reds forward also believes that a number of players, as it stands, will also be fearful of taking the field in behind closed doors games due to the fact it would not preclude close contact with a number of people.

Chaplin said: “Some lads definitely would be. Graham Potter touched upon it on Sky Sports News in talking about fans not being able to come into stadiums and there still being everyone else – the players and the coaches.

“He said that we should not be really talking about it (now) which I do agree with. I don’t really understand why we are because we‘ve still got to go to the ground and play games. There are going to be a lot of people there.

“It is difficult, but the money in the game has taken over a bit. It is sad, but it is nothing to do with that at the moment.

“We are exactly the same as everybody else. Just because we play football doesn’t make us different. People seem to overlook that at times.”

Chaplin’s hope remains that in time – but only when it is safe to do – that football will resume and the 2019-20 season will be played out to a conclusion.

Currently propping up the Championship table, Barnsley would be the beneficences of any decision to scrap the season and make it null and void, but Chaplin feels that finishing is the only fair way to settle the campaign.

He added: “You do want to do stuff on merit, 100 per cent. (Although) We fall into that little per cent that would benefit.

“I was listening to one of my ex-managers Paul Cook and he said that there were teams like Charlton who have been in the relegation zone for twenty minutes of the season and literally have just gone into it and would it then be fair to say they would be relegated (now)?.”

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