NORTH Leigh’s Oxfordshire Senior Cup semi-final against Thame United has been postponed as the coronavirus outbreak continues to take its toll.

The Oxfordshire FA today agreed to suspend all county cup competitions until May 5, with Wednesday’s last-four clash the highest profile match affected.

Both clubs met with county FA officials over the weekend and all parties agreed to call off the game, due to be played at Banbury United’s Spencer Stadium.

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The suspension does not apply to the county’s grassroots leagues, who have been left to decide their course of action on an individual basis.

But Oxfordshire FA  chief executive Ian Mason admitted he felt there was no option but to suspend the 14 men’s, women’s and youth competitions within their remit.

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He said: “We think it’s the right thing to do as there’s so much uncertainty and unknowns.

“All the finals we’ve arranged will not take place on the dates issued.

“I know Bill Shankly said football is more important than life or death, but where we are today life is more important.”

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The clubs were notified of the decision this lunchtime and Mason felt it was important they were not left in the dark.

He added: “For so many reasons it makes sense to be proactive.

“The players will probably be okay, but we’ve got to think about the staff and supporters.

“It wasn’t an easy decision. We believe it’s going to get worse before it gets better, so we’ve done this to remove a lot of uncertainty.”