WHEN Oxford United beat Lincoln City on Boxing Day 2019, it was their 21st game of the Sky Bet League season.

When the U’s host AFC Wimbledon on December 26 this year, it will be match number 18.

That is unsurprising considering the 2020/21 campaign began more than a month after its usual start date, but it will not end later than normal – United’s final game is scheduled for May 8.

The postponement of tomorrow’s visit to Bristol Rovers raises the question: will this season end on time, if at all?

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United have already had fixtures called off four times in 2020/21 and each time this happens the EFL needs to find a rare free midweek for the game to be rearranged.

With mass vaccinations still a while away, we are likely to have more postponements due to Covid – and that is before we take inclement weather into account.

A week that also saw Sunderland call their next three games off – affecting four teams in total – has increased the likelihood of a major fixture backlog.

Will the EFL run out of free Tuesdays in the calendar? Time will tell.