Sheffield United's Boxing Day game at Preston North End postponed because of Covid-19

Under Football League rules only clarified this week, teams with fewer than 13 outfield players and a goalkeeper are able to request their matches be postponed. Preston have told the Blades they will be unable to raise a side for the game.

It took the number of Football League games postponed on the most lucrative day of the English football calendar to 15.

Sheffield Wednesday, Barnsley and Bradford City, who were due to host Harrogate Town have also had matches postponed, as have Conference side Halifax Town. At the time of writing, no Premier League matches have been called off.

The Premier League and Football League both decided separately this week to try to play their Festive matches wherever possible but events are taken the matter out of their hands in many cases.

On the one hand, the games are an important occasion with attendances usually boosted by the presence back in their home towns for Christmas and families taking advantage of time off work, making them an important source of money particularly for the Football League clubs more dependent on gate receipts than broadcast revenue. There are also concerns that calling off matches which could be played will only add further to an already congested fixture list.

On the other hand, some teams are unhappy at having to play without a number of key players and with fewer substitutes at a time of year when the sheer volume of games necessitates squad rotation. With cases growing exponentially, Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel is worried the virus could be spread by a player not picked up by that day's test spending a lot of time in confined locations with his team-mates, on team buses and in changing rooms.

Some feel it will damage the integrity of their leagues.

The Blades have won their last four Championship matches - the most recent three under new manager Paul Heckingbottom - and would have preferred the opportunity to continue that momentum if possible, but the virus has decided otherwise.

Both the Blades and Preston had games called off for the same reason last week - although in the former's case it was down to positive tests were from their opponents, Queens Park Rangers, rather than their own camp. Oli McBurnie and David McGoldrick missed Monday's match at Fulham because they were isolating or ill.