Talking sport: Return of crowds and grassroots sport? Don't forget the three key words...

Latics have played the season out in front of empty stands

Glued, because they started a drinking game.

If the Prime Minister says ‘alas’, they take a gulp. ‘Ramp up’, another swig.

And on and on.

His appearance on TV on Monday was quite possibly the most anticipated for weeks, given he was revealing the ‘road map’ (another drink) out of lockdown.

And as soon as he announced dates, plans were quickly drawn up.

On Twitter, fans debated when they may return and in what numbers, and on Facebook I saw two local restaurants starting taking reservations.

On my phone, it wasn’t just my old uni’ pals clinging to what Boris said; family members were discussing barbeques for the end of March, summer breaks, and so on.

Which was understandable.

We have been living under such tight restraints for so long – barring the brief spell late last summer when Rishi chipped in for our pub lunches – that the sheer prospect of a return to normality, to gyms, to games, to pubs, to shops, to seeing friends and hugging loved ones, was enough to warm the coldest of heart.

But as I read the ‘road map’ in closer detail afterwards and saw highlights on the TV news, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I, my beer-swigging uni’ mates and many, many others had overlooked the three most important words that Boris said.

‘No earlier than’.

Every date revealed was proceeded by those three words.

I expect children to return to schools on March 8. Half-expect golf, grassroots sports and the rule of six be allowed from the 29th.

But after that? I’m not too sure. There have been so many unexpected twists, turns and surges during this pandemic, I’m going to wait and see how it pans out.

I’m certainly not going to fall into the trap of crystalising those road map dates as definite markers. The idea that June 21 will usher in a return to normality, the day before England play at Wembley, seems fanciful to me.

‘No earlier than’, remember.

And if I’m wrong, well... I’ll drink to that.

Jonathan Jackson’s departure as a director of Wigan Athletic was, as he put it, a formality.

He had been made redundant as chief executive when administrators took charge and as a director, the old company would have closed if (hopefully, when) the club is bought, and a new company is created. But even so, it severs his official ties with the club he had served for a decade and supported even longer.

And when you consider his dad Stan was a director and a president of the club it marks something of an end of an era for his family.

Good luck to Jonathan. If he’s not the classiest operator I’ve dealt with over the last 10 years, he’s on the podium.