Whitchurch Alport supporters will have to wait a little while longer to see their heroes in action.

It has been nearly four months since the Reds last kicked a ball and a statement released by the FA at the weekend was non-committal about when a return might be expected.

In the meantime the club has stepped up training.

Director of football Lea Edge said: “We’ve got the players in twice a week for training and it’s clear that they’ve kept themselves in good shape during the lockdown.

“We are doing ball work, fitness training and one-to-one sessions.

“What we won’t risk is burnout because when we do return to action we want the players to be at their optimum levels not knackered before a ball’s been kicked.”

Edge says Alport have a clear plan once they get the green light to get started again.

“Our strategy is already mapped out,” he said. “We expect to have seven weeks of pre-season but at our level it’s unreasonable to expect friendlies to be played behind closed doors.

“We’ve already seen at the top end of the game how diluted the game has become and it’s simply not the same.”

Edge has seen several rival clubs announcing signings on their social media platforms but insists Alport have no intention of following suit until the window opens.

“It makes me smile really because no registration forms have been issued by the NWCFL until we have guidance from the FA on when we can start again,” he added

“We’ve retained the majority of last season’s squad and with the players we have we should really be aiming for a top six finish.”

One player departing Yockings is promising young goalkeeper, Jack Atkinson who has joined FC Boca Gibraltar and teams up with former manager Stephen Vaughan at the top level of Gibraltarian football.