Curle urges everyone to follow government advice as Cobblers cancel training plans

Manager Keith Curle has urged everyone to heed the government's advice and stay inside their homes after confirming Cobblers have shelved their plans to return to training this week.

Curle had put a schedule in place for his players to do some ball work after they were told to maintain their fitness levels at home last week, but it's a fast-moving situation and things have changed dramatically over the past few days.

It culminated in Boris Johnson enforcing a nationwide lockdown on Monday night, which will last for three weeks to limit the spread of the coronavirus, and Curle has encouraged players and fans to follow that advice.

"The important thing is that people's lives are at stake and that's the mindset for everyone now," he said.

"Football is secondary in every aspect and I think everybody is in tune with the updates that they're getting daily from the government and we as an industry have to be exactly the same.

"We have to follow those guidelines individually and collectively. A lot of people use sport and football as an escape from life but this is real and this is affecting everybody and every industry and every household.

"All we can do is listen to the governing body and abide by the restrictions that are being put in place for the benefit of everyone."

While he won't be able to meet his players in person for the foreseeable future, Curle will remain in regular contact.

"It's about being creative," he added. "We divided the players up between the coaching staff and they've all been in contact with the fitness coach so we have regular contact with them.

"Sometimes it's just a 5-10 minute chat to see what they've been up to and what their plans are and make sure both them and their families are well.

"We had plans in place to go back to training this week and we had a programme in place to cover technical, tactical, fitness and mental challenges but that's all changed now.

"Situations are changing on a daily basis and we have to react to it and be creative but also we have to abide by the guidance because the social distancing is there for a reason and we don't want to put anyone at risk.

'We are a community club and we want to be back in the community, but most of all we want our community to be safe and healthy and enjoy the football club."