Amid a global pandemic that is altering the trajectory of life as we know it, with several aspects of society shutting down one by one, the temporary suspension of English football's fifth tier feels futile. However, at a time where the glorious escapism of the beautiful game would be very welcome, it was a bitterly disappointing albeit an overwhelmingly inevitable decision. The National League said that they'd tried to keep the season going 'in the face of unprecedented adversity' but now had 'no other choice' but to postpone all fixtures in its three divisions until April 3rd at the very earliest. This unavoidable conclusion will hit non-league teams very hard and this was emphasised by the news, just a day after the National League statement, that Barnet FC had put the entirety of their operational staff across all areas of the club on notice. Our managing director Steve Thompson told the BBC that clubs at our level need up to 20 million of government money to survive. Barnet, though not exactly a model example of how a club should be run, are just the first of so many who will be affected by the Coronavirus. Much like the remainder of society the task is simply to withstand the pressure of the subsequent months and rebuild afterwards. Quite simply they cannot afford to lose the income that would've otherwise been generated by the completion of their fixtures. They need the campaign to reach it's conclusion though there are obviously logistical issues to this. Completing the season within the current timescale is unfeasible and will almost certainly require a significant extension into the summer, which then heavily affects the 2020/21 schedule too. Similarly inconvenient is the notion of rendering 2019/20 null and void as that not only deprives lower-league clubs of critical income but also is unfair on those who are on the verge of a great achievement like Barrow, who may never be in this position again. There is no perfect solution. So, where this weekend we would ordinarily be entertaining Halifax Town at home, Victoria Road will instead lie empty, as will most of a society that is dismantling before our very eyes. Mainline train stations, usually teaming with passengers, will be deserted. London's most renowned tourist hotspots will be devoid of their usual custom. Most importantly, a country that thrives on going out will be restricted to the confines of their home for the foreseeable future. The absence of football is insignificant compared to the wider implications of the virus but it reaffirms how important the sport is to us all. It plays an integral role in people's lives. Nobody could've possibly anticipated that after the gates shut following our crushing last-minute defeat to Fylde on the 10th March, that they may not re-open again for another three months or however long it will take for normality to be restored. How nice it would be to wake up at 5am and trek to some Northern outpost in the hidden corridors of England. Instead, there will be months of relentless boredom and monotonous pastimes. Eventually our lives will return to normal and we can go back to furiously discussing the latest infuriating defeat, but for now everything is shrouded in uncertainty. We don't quite know when it will resume, but for now the McMahon revolution is on hold and it will be all the more immersing when it returns. It's just a case of riding the storm during this defining period in our existence. I will keep finding things to discuss about the Daggers in the meantime and here are three stories from the club in the past few weeks: Reece Grant joins the Shots on loan
About an hour prior to kick-off in the reduced National League schedule on Saturday 14th March, it was announced that Reece Grant has joined Aldershot Town on loan and he was thrust straight into their starting lineup for an away game at Fylde that they lost 1-0. Along with Joe Quigley to Billericay and James Dobson to Hemel Hempstead, along with the rumours of Joan Luque being offered to Concord Rangers, this reinforces the idea that McMahon is slowly cutting certain players out of his plans for 2020/21. Grant and Dobson are both under contract for the next campaign but we might have to cut our losses there. Statement on Woking Postponement There was much confusion regarding the postponement which, in the words of Woking, was sudden and unexpected. On Monday 16th March, the Daggers issued a statement to document their reasoning behind having the fixture cancelled, explaining that there were no issues until two players informed the Sports Therapist that they were unwell, after which the club triggered the process of having the game postponed. Dagenham apologised for the frustratingly late call but reasoned there was no need to call it off any earlier. Of course, this is largely immaterial now because of the league suspension. Steve Thompson on effect of National League suspension Dagenham Managing Director Steve Thompson gave an interview to the BBC in which he outlined the problems facing lower league clubs in this crisis. He said that there needs to be 20 million generated in order to address the severe problems caused by Coronavirus, and that this fund needs to be government-led.
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May 2024
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