I FEAR WE ARE BEING TOO HASTY

I’VE spoken to numerous managers in recent weeks and we all agree it’s great to be back. Training has restarted at many clubs and we seem to have got the buzz back. But let’s just take a big deep breath here.

- Spencer Day Farnborough manager

Hosting the National League play-offs last week was nothing short of a footballing miracle. No-one gave them a chance of being staged a few weeks back but thanks to the incredible efforts of those working behind the scenes at the host clubs, they managed to pull them off to great success.

But there is a bigger picture here – and one which I believe is being ignored and underestimated.

It’s all well and good welcoming fans back to stadiums and giving them football to watch – but that is the easy bit.

At Step 5 and below it’s doable. There are very limited crowds and, geographically, the matches are close by. But when you get to elite football, Step 4, Step 3 and above, then it’s a different story, you start to encounter problems.

My biggest concern is away travel. Let’s take a worst case scenario. In Southern League Premier South, we, at Farnborough, have to travel to the likes of Truro, Tiverton, Taunton – trips which can take three-and-a-half hours – on a good day.