Fixtures come into view for Leeds United but the path is still fraught with obstacles - Graham Smyth

Football, actual competitive football played by footballers who have graced Elland Road with attacking play fit for any stadium in the world, back on our screens, back on the promotion trail, albeit without the in-person backing of their adoring fans.

For Marcelo Bielsa, his staff and squad, the chance to play for the prize they so covet cannot come soon enough and, as difficult and painful as it will be for fans to watch on from afar, many of them feel the same.

The longer this season suspension goes on without a resumption of play, the longer Leeds’ potential Premier League spot hangs in the balance, the more nervous Whites will get that someone will somehow take the opportunity and the possible glory away.

“Get on with it!” is the cry from Leeds fans, each and every time another club or another voice utters something about a further delay or proposes anything other than a resumption or a points-per-game declaration of the season.

And the business-like way in which their club, their head coach, staff and players have got on with life since everything changed in March; the attitude to isolation training, the ‘bring it on, when it’s safe’ mantra repeated in interview after interview, Angus Kinnear’s ribbing of Premier League self preservation, has ensured the Leeds view is now deeply entrenched. Bring on the football.

Yet the path to Championship fixtures is still fraught with potential pitfalls that could bring the attempts to finish things on the pitch tumbling down, which means Leeds fans can only be cautiously optimistic, at this stage – not that supporters of this club need to be reminded that something can always go wrong.

Covid-19 is still appearing and will keep appearing within squads, the second positive test at Preston North End, which reportedly emerged after they had staged a squad match, jolted us back to that reality.

And should, as we get closer and closer to that provisional start date of June 20, a club come down with a raft of positive tests, it would not only throw their preparations into disarray but make it unlikely that they could take part in a competitive game.

Being without key players for key games, might quickly change some minds on how feasible and appropriate it is to play out the remaining games.

The thought of Illan Meslier suffering any kind of ailment or injury is enough to remove sleep as an option for anyone of a Leeds persuasion but, as a club who have called for an on-field conclusion to the season, they know and accept the risks involved. Injuries, like suspensions, can always happen at any time.

Garry Monk received little in the way of sympathy from supporters who once chanted his name, when he voiced his concerns over the speed at which players will have to get ready to play games.

His view that the restart is a little too soon and had been decided without consultation was reasonable, although with such little time to get so many games played, it was either going to be a case of truncating the mini-pre-season or squeezing nine fixtures into an even shorter period.

He raised an interesting point about friendly games too, highlighting the potential risks of infection that could, again, cast doubt on the real fixtures taking place and highlighted the fact that, with now just 16 days between us and the pencilled-in restart, Championship clubs still haven’t had the green light to arrange warm-up matches.

Lee Bowyer, another whose name reverberated around Elland Road, found a slightly more receptive attitude in his old stomping ground when he revealed he has players who won’t play for him if games resume. Some clubs will be at a greater disadvantage than others. That is always the case, though.

Both he and Monk did talk about getting on with it, preparing as best they can and that’s all clubs can do, as everyone around them scrambles to make it possible.

The fixture list has not been confirmed, nor have away travel arrangements and the assurance that each team can use their own ground is yet to come from the relevant authorities. There is a lot to do; there is not a lot of time to do it.

If the EFL, clubs, players and authorities can stay on track then football, some form of it at least, might be coming over the horizon. Are we there yet?