A Waiting Game in the Highlands

A short break in the Scottish Highlands visiting family recently provided a welcome change of scene as lockdown measures continue to be lifted but it was bittersweet in one sense as the conditions were perfect for what would have been the start of the Highland League season this weekend.

Glance through the social media pages of any of the clubs in the league and you will invariably find pristine pitches that have been lovingly worked on over the past few months and that are crying out for football to be played on.

The Highland League clubs collectively took a very early decision to end the 2019/20 season and declare Brora Rangers as champions, their pragmatic approach proved right by subsequent events but soured by the fact that Brora were denied the chance to take their place in play-offs with the Lowland League winner and the bottom side in the SPFL.

Although clearly unhappy at the drawbridge being pulled up, league secretary Rod Houston gave an excellent interview to the Northern Goal podcast earlier this week in which he looked ahead at the practicalities involved in getting a 2020/21 campaign completed if the current mid-October start date for matches to be played in front of supporters is maintained.

One of those factors is the weather in the area which makes postponements inevitable, and sometimes prolonged, during the winter and often leaving a backlog of games to be played which in turn increases midweek calls on players who have jobs elsewhere.

That increases the frustration of no football at a time of year when the Highlands looks so stunning, as in early August 2019 when I was lucky enough to catch a game at the beautiful home of Rothes FC, Mackessack Park.

But there was certainly no axe to grind from the league secretary against the approach of the government in Scotland, merely a refreshing perspective on the wider issues involved.

The Donate a Ticket platform has been invaluable in adding to the club's own fundraising efforts and a warm welcome (as well as change from a £10 note) will await you should you find yourself at a Highland League ground in the future.

It's Good to be Back...

It's nice to be writing about an upcoming season, ticket prices and offers as clubs in England make plans for a September start to the 2020/21 campaign.

A lot of work is being done to make grounds safe for spectators and of course there remains some uncertainty about what lies ahead, in terms of how many people will initially be allowed in and whether the new season will face disruption of its own, but there is also a genuine buzz at the prospect of being able to stand on the terraces and take in a game.

Catching the eye at this early stage are Rusthall FC of the Southern Counties East Football League where an adult season ticket is £60 and you can even pay by instalment at £10 per month.

Adults can watch all home Hellenic League and League Cup games at Tuffley Rovers in the coming campaign for just £40 while at Barnoldswick Town of the North North West Counties Football League it is £80 for an adult season ticket and 2019/20 holders can renew for half price having lost out on a handful of matches following the suspension of action.

Our twitter page is updated daily with news of season tickets, admission prices and more.

What Will Happen to the Inbetweeners?

I always enjoy pieces by Roger Titford in When Saturday Comes that look at the sociological side of the game and there's an excellent article in the recent 400th issues that looks back to the state of the game in the wake of World Wars I and II and how it may look after coronavirus. 

A phrase about those 'in between' the big clubs and those in non-league struck a chord as I have thought for some time that many in Leagues One and Two are stuck between a rock and a hard place as the riches above them get greater. 

Having to run to stand still financially means significantly reduced ticket prices are hard to deliver while all-seater, sometimes out of town, stadiums do not deliver the kind of beer-in-hand vibe of the terraces that some non-league clubs are tapping into. 

As I wrote about Grimsby Town recently, the recent suspension of football has merely reinforced how the Mariners and so many others remain a focal point for their respective towns. 

Fundraising efforts, supporters not claiming season ticket refunds and fans already signing up for next season, without knowing when and what that will look like, have been in evidence from Carlisle United to Crawley Town and all points in between while the Premier League and Championship have been played to their conclusion but the future still remains very uncertain.

Tuffley Rovers FC

*SEASON TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE*

We should soon have a date for the start of the 2020/21 season, so we can confirm the availability of season tickets & the price is unchanged - JUST £40 for Adults; £30 (concessions).

Contact admin@tuffleyroversfc.co.uk for further details. pic.twitter.com/XrKJ23uiYG

— Tuffley Rovers FC (@TuffleyRoversFC) July 15, 2020

Southend Manor FC

Founded in 1955 as a boy's football club, Southend Manor FC compete in the Essex Senior League and are hoping to reach out into their local community and further afield when the 2020/21 season gets underway.

Admission prices have been reduced from £7 to £5 for Adults and from £5 to £3 for Concessions with free admission to all NHS employees as well.

Speaking to the club website, media officer Andy Wilkins commented: "We hope this reducing of prices will mean more people will be enticed to visit us at our Southchurch Park home whether it for the first time or 100th time."

With Southend United having endured a very poor season perhaps one or two of the disillusioned Roots Hall faithful may look for a different football experience next season.

The future of programmes is a keenly-debated topic among the non-league fraternity and Southend Manor are sticking firmly with the printed version, available for £2 on matchdays but for £1 plus P&P for those from further afield keen to get hold of a copy.

Altrincham v Chester – Fan Powered Play-Off

Moss Lane, home of Altrincham FC and a place I know well, would usually be bustling for a meeting between the Robins and Chester FC.

A fairly short distance between the two places, direct train links and supporters able to stand on terraces make for what you might call a ‘proper’ football occasion.

Things will be different next Sunday (19 July), ironically given that it will be a hugely important game with plenty at stake in the National League North play-offs.

The J.Davidson Stadium, as it is now known, will be closed to all but the players and key officials in a scene we have become familiar with over the past few weeks.

But the fact that the game is being played at all is a triumph in itself, firstly on the part of clubs in both the National League North and South who managed to get an original decision that play-offs wouldn’t be taking place overturned and on the part of supporters who have raised funds to help their respective clubs take part and help meet the costs of testing and increased safety measures.

Both Altrincham and Chester, already strongly rooted in their respective communities, have had very successful fundraising campaigns since the suspension of football in March, money that will go a long way to securing each club's future, but that has not stopped their fans from rallying around again in the past week or so to give them a shot at promotion.

It is hoped that the game will be available on a pay-per-view platform and I'll put details on Twitter as and when they are known.

Good Value in The Far Corner

There are plenty of contenders for my favourite football book of all time but there is a clear winner for the one that I have re-read more than any other.

Harry Pearson's The Far Corner is the author's story of his travels around grounds in his native North East of England during the 1993/94 season.

To me it deserves every superlative ever given to it and like many other people I've often wondered whether there would ever be a follow-up.

The Farther Corner is the answer to that and although its publication has been delayed by this year's events it will be gratefully received when I do get my hands on it.

The Northern League provided the main focus of the original book and, at a time when it was still relatively affordable and easier logistically to watch Newcastle, Sunderland and Middlesbrough, the author has since said (in an interview with Mundial) that looking back it was perhaps the lowest ebb in the fortunes of Non-League football locally.

Harry was in melancholy mood after a visit to once-mighty Willington and pondered at another point how so many clubs had shown the resilience to survive in an area continually battered by economic storms.

Survive they have, however, and thrived in many cases as people seek out a cheaper, more enjoyable matchday experience.

In common with so many clubs all across the UK there has been a big fundraising drive over the past few months and an astonishing response from supporters (of the clubs themselves and the game in general).

Having hopefully now come through the curtailment of the 2019/20 season, attention is now slowly turning towards a 2020/21 campaign that may yet look familiar in terms of its length and spectators being allowed to watch.

Season ticket offers that I have come across in the North East so far include £25 at Middlesbrough Women, £35 for an adult at the re-born Newcastle Blue Star (of the Northern Football Alliance and whose classic black-and-white kit is selling very well) and a discount of £15 for Sunderland season ticket holders from the current campaign at Seaham Red Star.