On the team front it has now been nearly six weeks since we last played at Redhill in the Surrey Senior Cup. Just four days prior to that game long standing manager Chris Balchin had departed the club. Since that time the club hasn’t stood still. Excitingly ex-Staines Town manager Paul Barnes has been appointed to take the team forward. Not content to sit still and wait during lockdown the new manager and his coaching team have launched into online fitness and position specific coaching sessions to keep everybody on their toes.
The break has also seen some squad changes. Nemo Adams and Luke Beale, both of whom reached 100 appearances for the club this season, have departed with our best wishes. Beale makes the short journey to Wey Court to join Godalming Town. Incoming the club does have a new signing – Barnes first – in the form of 22-year-old Fred Hill. Hill is a left-sided full-back or wide player who joins us from Staines Town. He came through the Sutton United academy system and also played senior football as a 16-year-old at Farleigh Rovers. After a season at Redhill, Hill signed for Chertsey Town for whom he made 20 appearances during their championship and FA Vase double-winning season. Although we will have to wait to see Fred in action, we do issue him a warm welcome to Guildford City.
With football at our level of non-league remaining in lockdown, and seemingly set to stay that way for some time yet, thoughts are turning to how this season might conclude. The FA last week asked all Step 5 and 6 clubs to complete a questionnaire aimed at better informing the governing body as to thoughts within the game. The FA has already said that football is unlikely to resume until all areas are Tier 2 or lower meaning that crowds up to 15% of capacity are enabled, and catering and bar income at grounds is possible. So, the bar is set high before club’s views come into play. Our view, and assuming a March start date, and with two weeks for a “pre-season” is that there could be time to play everyone in our division once before 31 May. This would ensure a league table from which promotion and relegation could be decided. If other options were to come into play, we believe 75% of completed fixtures are necessary for points per game (PPG) to be considered, and also whatever happens the season should conclude on 31 May 2021.
