YOU may have seen one or two players, football club owners or even supporters in the last 24 hours or so, walking up and down the streets of Colchester with their “End is Nigh” sandwich boards begrudgingly wrapped around them.

It seems like the feeling is that the curtailed seasons for League One and League Two will have firm lines drawn under them imminently.

In the grand scheme of things, with good people still passing away or falling ill around the country, scrubbing off a few football matches hardly seems very important, but for football fans, and in particular U’s fans and everyone associated with the football club we support, this will be extremely sad news.

You could say that all the hard work behind the scenes and on the pitch, in an effort to win promotion, has all been in vain.

For the fans, perhaps all the time and expense laid out to support the team we love has been wasted.

If the axe does fall, then these will probably be the immediate reactions. In time though views may change.

Personally, my overriding feelings would be to then focus on making sure that the U’s are still around when the time comes to go again, that they can establish a good squad of players to compete strongly, and of course to see that all of the U’s “family” of supporters are back in the stands cheering the lads on. Back to some sort of normality.

Sadly, the truth is that with the perceived costs of even playing behind closed doors escalating daily, at our level I doubt that there is anyway the clubs could have afforded them.

Certainly, no kind benefactor or governing body of the game, was going to step in and help financially, and to be honest you also must wonder how keen some of the players would have understandably been to play on.

We therefore seem to back to the massive disparity between the “haves” and the “have nots” of our great game.

At our level, playing football is a livelihood, whilst in the Premier League, I would say it is more of lifestyle.

Consider that 1,400 players are out of contract in July and salary caps are being talked about, our lads simply cannot afford to take their health for granted.

So, if the curtain falls, so the arguments over promotion and relegation begin. Some clubs will be penalised, some clubs will benefit, and rest simply will not care I suppose, depending on what method is concocted.

I fear that whatever calculation is used, it will not help the U’s.

Let’s look on the bright side, maybe none of this will come to pass. Perhaps a masterplan to finish the season at whatever date will be laid out in front of us this weekend.

Clutching at straws, possibly, but like many of you I am just desperate for some positive news.

To finish on a positive note though, please try and support if you can the top work that the U’s Football in the Community are doing.

Simply search for CUFITC through Just Giving, look for their Coronavirus Appeal and offer what you can.

Look after yourselves U’s fans and I hope you have a really good week.

Colchester United Supporters Association chairman Jon Burns