THE clocks have gone forward, the white balls have replaced the yellow ones. It can only mean one thing – we are into the business end of the football season.

But while one campaign is nearing its finale in all four professional divisions in England and also abroad, another is just around the corner in the shape of the European Championships, or Euros as we like to call them these days.

You know it is getting closer when the soft drinks adverts saturate your television screen and the official sticker album comes out – cries of ‘got, got, need’ will be echoing around playgrounds all over Bolton for the next two months no doubt.

But another sign of an impending international tournament is the flurry of unfortunate injuries that at any other time of the campaign would be a blow but not as catastrophic.

I bet Roy Hodgson just wants to stick his fingers in his ears and lock himself away in a darkened room in case there is some bad news lurking around the corner.

We have already seen goalkeeper Jack Butland, albeit possibly the number two with Joe Hart’s position pretty safe, ruled out after his broken ankle in the friendly win against Germany last month.

Northern Ireland have lost West Brom’s Chris Brunt while the Republic of Ireland added talented Brentford forward Alan Judge to their casualty list this week, joining Newcastle keeper Rob Elliot in putting the passport back in the drawer.

Further afield Germany skipper Bastian Schweinsteiger looks set to miss what could be his last Euros after an injury in training with the national team recently.

You feel for the players, particularly those like Brunt who may never get another chance.

It makes you wonder how many others may have it in the back of their minds as the domestic season draws to a close.

All players are professional and will tell you they do not think further than their next game.

But it must be human nature not to cast an eye forward, particularly if your club’s season is petering out.

I am not suggesting for one minute there will be any lack of effort but there may be the odd 50-50 challenge that some don’t fancy with a trip to France around the corner.

It is a crucial time for players who will be involved.

A decade ago, Wayne Rooney’s World Cup was in doubt after he broke a metatarsal (what happened to those injuries?) in a late-season clash between Manchester United and Chelsea.

While he was naturally disappointed, it was the look on the faces of England team-mates John Terry and Frank Lampard that spoke volumes about his importance to the team.

He made the trip but was clearly not fully recovered and it ended with his infamous red card and that wink from Cristiano Ronaldo.

As the season enters the final month, there will be plenty of players hoping to avoid injury for a variety of reasons.

There are those looking to put themselves in the shop window and earn contracts elsewhere.

There is an example closer to home of how that can be a big blow.

Young wide man Rob Hall was expected to leave Wanderers at the end of his contract this summer anyway but after a cruciate knee ligament injury in training at loan club MK Dons, he now faces a long road back.

For his sake, I just hope he can find a club after a full recovery.

And for England’s sake, let’s hope the likes of Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Jamie Vardy are still stickers of relevance come June 10.