Well, who predicted this? Where once Barrow AFC’s main challenger was Harrogate, now we face a much greater foe in coronavirus and a decimated sporting calendar.

Uncertainty and confusion are already overwhelming club officials, fans and the wider community.

So where exactly are we? Well, right now the National League is still going. By the time you read this column, that decision may have been reversed.

Continuing to play football at our level while almost every division above and below had suspended competition was a decision that wouldn’t have looked out of place in rugby league, a sport known for the borderline insanity of its administrators.

It might well have been a calculated choice to help lower level clubs bring in more gate money before the inevitable shutdown, but the misguided foundation of that choice was shown within hours.

Wrexham, Barnet and Harrogate were all quick to announce that their teams were unable to honour fixtures. Now into the general disruption you add uncertainty around whether clubs are using this situation to their advantage.

But what happens next? That remains anybody’s guess. Some experts will tell you that sporting integrity demands that the season is finished.

“Move the Euros,” they say, “and play league games in June and July.” A solid plan to those who don’t have to worry about the detail, maybe, but what about player contracts that expire in May?

What about a crucial off-season for a club like Barrow, who have major ground work to undertake to comply with Football League regulations?

We’d all like to know how we can install a roof on the Holker Street End in the approximately nine hours it seems that clubs would be left for pre-season if we extend our current fixtures long into the summer.

Then, of course, comes the debate about promotion, relegation and titles.

Few would deny the logic of crowning Liverpool Premier League champions, such is the size of their lead. But is the size of the lead relevant?

If Liverpool are champions, are Barrow champions too? If we choose to promote clubs while not relegating any, how would the extra fixtures be added to next season’s calendar?

At the moment, there are lots of ideas but there has been little attempt to work through the detail, and for clubs like Barrow and others in the upper reaches of non-league it is the detail that will dictate our future and, in some cases, our financial survival.

* Amongst the sporting desolation and the complete absence of any feel-good stories to warm the heart, it may yet be that Barrow AFC could provide the nation with a rare chink of light (unless you come from Harrogate perhaps).

So much of sport is about the stories. Tennis fans are gripped by the Federer / Nadal / Djokovic rivalry in much the same way as others would follow Eastenders or Breaking Bad.

You only have to watch the latest Play Your Part video from the Bluebirds Trust to see the real human impact of our football club and how its destiny will shape the future of this community.

So into the melting pot of potential scenarios, consider this one: due to the demise of Bury, Barrow AFC may yet right the wrongs of so many years ago by being effectively voted back into the Football League.

No matter which way authorities choose to proceed, even if you take the transparently self-serving views of Karren Brady, the Football League is short by one team.

It’s very difficult to make a logical case for anybody other than Barrow AFC to take that slot.

So for now, keep calm and keep safe. These things have a way of working out, and for Barrow AFC it could yet conclude in the most poetic way imaginable.

* Saturday’s game against Wrexham may have been postponed, but that didn’t stop the Bluebirds Trust from doing everything in its power to raise money for Barrow AFC.

We’re all aware that the club now faces huge cash flow uncertainty, and that in order to see out this period of uncertainty everybody will need to come together and play their part.

Saturday saw an appeal for fans to ‘chip in’ the cost of their admission or a couple of pints. Through everybody’s generosity we raised over £2,000 which will go toward maintaining the Trust’s 10 per cent stake in the club.

But let’s be clear what that means. Some fans get caught up in the detail of ‘raising money to maintain our stake’.

Yes, in essence, that’s what we’re doing. But this money doesn’t disappear down a hole never to be seen again. Every penny goes into the club, its running costs and its future.

Now more than ever we need to secure that future.

And the proud institutions of the Trust don’t stop just for a global pandemic. Andy Leitch will still be waiting in the bushes with a football card and Russ Rawley’s half-time draw continues at pace.

To buy a ticket for our half-time raffle, please follow this link: https://www.bluebirdstrust.co.uk/product/russ-virtual-half-time-draw.