‘FA didn’t have to end the have restarted in April and Season now, we could again in August ...’
‘Sooner or later you want to start promoting and relegating teams,’ says Fareham boss
Pete Stiles believes a campaign curtailment for clubs from steps 3-6 of the non-league pyramid could have been avoided.
The Fareham Town boss suggested the authorities should have paused and continued proceedings from August instead of bringing a second successive non-elite season to a premature end.
Unsurprisingly, the FA curtailed another pandemicwrecked campaign with immediate effect with an announcement on Wednesday evening.
Despite the unprecedented circumstances, clubs are still having to come to terms with another season being ended early after last year's null and void verdict.
But Stiles - whose side had played just 11 Wessex Premier games in 2020/21, only Brockenhurst had played fewer - is adamant there should have been a different outcome.
He says seasons could have been restarted in April, paused again for the summer, and completed next term to make it a 2020-22 campaign.
That way clubs wouldn't have to be dealt the blow of all the hard work over the past two years feeling like it was for nothing.
Twelve per cent of Wessex League clubs told the FA, via the survey they completed in January, they favoured an August restart.
Stiles said: ‘I still don’t know why they didn’t do the season over two seasons, like I’ve said before, because you don’t know what’s round the door.
‘If this pandemic comes back again you could have gone in and played another month's worth of games this season, still had a break to get your pitches up together and resumed from where you left off and added extra cup competitions in next year.
‘That way you wouldn’t have had two seasons null and void.
‘Instead of having 40 games to play you might have had 25 and to make up the shortfall of games you just turn around and add some more cups in.
'At least that way you’re going to get a result. I could look at it as I’ve been at Fareham four seasons and two of them have been null and void.
‘Sooner or later you want to start promoting and relegating teams and if you keep nulling and voiding every league it’s never going to happen. ‘Whether it takes two seasons to play a season or whatever, you need to get some results in.' Fareham's season is not completely over, though, after they were informed the FA Vase would be played to a conclusion. The Reds have a daunting third round trip to Plymouth Parkway to look forward to in April.
In preparation for that, Stiles revealed he'll have his squad back in on March 30 - the day after Government restrictions allow.
And he revealed his squad will not stop training right through until May - even if they exit the FA Vase in west Devon.
He added: 'I’ve got them out running now individually. Some of them are alright but some of them have eaten
I still don’t know why they didn’t do the season over two seasons
Pete Stiles
too much and drunk too much and they’ve got to start getting themselves into shape.
‘We’re not going to stop. We’re going to tick over from now until the end of the season; whether that’s a meeting once a week or a fortnight, we’re going to keep ticking over.
'Players have never had this long off before so it’s going to take them time to get back up to speed.
‘There’s no reason why they can’t get in and tick over.'
Stiles has told the FA to take into consideration the additional preparation time players will need to get up to speed when arranging the Vase restart date.
He also believes the governing body should step in and subsidise travel costs for away teams if supporters are unable to attend any tie.
Fareham, on the joint best Vase run in the club’s history, will travel to Western League
VASE PROGRESS Fareham, left, celebrate a goal during their 4-1 second round win against Roman Glass St George at Cams Alders. Above - Fareham about the score during their 3-3 second qualifying round draw with Badshot Lea. Below - Fareham convert one of their penalties during a 3-0 shot-out victory over Badshot Lea
Premier Division leaders Parkway in early April.
To play all the remaining rounds on weekend dates, the three outstanding third round ties - initially due to have been played on December
19 - would need to be played on April 10.
But Stiles has warned the FA clubs will need sufficient time to get back up to scratch, having been without competitive action or training since mid-December because lockdown restrictions.
In all, Fareham have only played three times - including two Vase ties - since November 3.
Stiles reckons players will require at least a ‘couple of weeks’ worth of training before being asked to travel to west Devon.
He said: ‘The FA are intending to complete the Vase and they’re looking to play it in early April, but we can’t get back to train until March 29.
‘They’ve got to give us a couple of weeks because you’ve got to bear in mind my players haven’t done a thing - I say haven’t done a thing, they haven’t kicked a ball.
‘You’ve got two problems, you’ve got to get players up to match speed in a short time and you got the logistics, you’ve got to get down there and the financial burden on the away club.’
Fareham’s visit to Plymouth will work out at around a 330-mile round trip.
Under normal circumstances, the team at home in an FA Vase tie foots the bill for an away side’s travel expenses from gate receipts.
However, with ties potentially being played behind closed doors, or in front of restricted numbers, Stiles says the FA should ‘subsidise’ some of the four-figure costs he claims his team will incur to make the trip.
‘The funding in the Vase isn’t brilliant anyway, it’s not like the FA Cup, so when you’ve got to pay £1,000 to travel on a coach to Plymouth someone has got to pay for it,’ he stated.
‘We’ll look pretty negative if we say we can’t afford or aren’t doing it because it’s not worth a grand in what is a tough game anyway - you’re not guaranteed the win money.
‘I think there should be some sort of subsidy if possible.’
Fareham have so far won £2,450 from winning through three Vase rounds, with a further £1,125 if they can pull off a stunning triumph at Western League leaders Parkway.
That £1,125 is the same amount clubs get from winning an FA Cup extra qualifying round tie. of
You’ve got to get players up to match speed in a short space of time
Pete Stiles