Andy Myers’ development squad were due to face West Ham at Rush Green on Friday night, before Ed Brand’s Under-18s were scheduled to welcome Brighton & Hove Albion to Cobham on Saturday morning.

However, due to a number of positive Covid-19 cases being returned in recent testing of those age groups, all Academy activities have been suspended for this week. Those affected are currently all self-isolating in line with UK Government protocols.

The situation and timeline for return will be kept under review in the coming days and new dates for both postponed fixtures will be announced in due course. Due to the separate bubbles in place at Cobham, no other teams have been affected.

Elsewhere in the Academy, young striker Jude Soonsup-Bell has signed his first professional contact at the club.

The young forward has been in good form and bagged himself 16 goals in 12 Academy games prior to the Christmas break, including the haul he scored against Barnsley to become the first player in 59 years to score four for Chelsea in the FA Youth Cup.