I’m not going to stand on the rooftops shouting ‘That’s a bad decision, what about me?

Lewes manager Hugo Langton / Picture: Angela Brinkhurst

And the Lewes manager says he will accept whatever is decided about when football can safely return.

The boss of the Isthmian premier division side was speaking after the new national lockdown imposed by the government put paid to any hopes of football at their level restarting before the end of February.

With well over half the season’s fixtures still to be played, hope is fading fast that the 2020-21 season can be played to a conclusion, or settled in way that means promotion and relegation issues can be decided.

Some in Isthmian League circles believe it is inevitable a second successive season will be declared null and void.

Lewes Women, meanwhile, are one of the lucky teams. Their level, the Women’s Championship, is classed as elite so they can play on – albeit behind closed doors.

They host Durham at The Dripping Pan on Sunday and that game, like many other upcoming women’s fixtures, will be live-streamed.

Langton said the FA and league officials had an impossible task deciding how to proceed where the men’s non-league game was concerned.

“We haven’t played since October 31 and were only able to train between December 3 and 20,” said Langton. “Then we moved into tier four and now it’s a full lockdown. You’re getting to the point where the lay-off will have been as long as it was last spring and summer. But if they say we should come back and play ten games in April and May, for example, we will.

“I’ve been doing an awful lot of research into player preparation.

“I don’t envy the FA. Whatever they do, some people will whinge. I long for the day I can walk out with the team at The Dripping Pan and there are fans there, but at the moment people’s health is more important.

“Whatever the FA do will be fine by me. We’ll adapt to it.I’m not going to stand on the rooftops shouting ‘That’s a bad decision, what about me?’.”

Langton is keeping in touch with his players and said he’d been heartened they felt able to call him and talk about football and other matters.

“We’ll be keeping in touch with them and making sure they are okay physically and mentally,” he added.