Half of teams in leagues may go bust, Port boss fears

HALF of the teams in the National League pyramid could go bust if the league is delayed or fans not let in, Liam Watson believes.

The Southport manager fears any change to the schedule caused by the latest Government restrictions could have a devastating effect on teams across the National League and its North and South feeder divisions.

Watson’s fears were expressed as Southport’s plans for a ‘test event’ match in front of fans this weekend were kiboshed by the rules due to high Covid rates in Sefton – meaning Sandgrounders must now play their final pre-season match away from home at AFC Liverpool.

The latest government-sanctioned rules covering match attendances have put an end to plans for a game at the Pure Staium – initially with National League side Wrexham pencilled in, then against a replacement opponent.

Southport’s wesbite states: ‘‘We had originally agreed to play Wrexham on Saturday, at home at The Pure Stadium.

‘‘As a club we have worked around the clock to have our protocols in place to welcome fans back as part of a test event.

‘‘The National League requested that we put ourselves forward to be considered for a test event which we were more than happy to do.

‘‘At the time of this request, and is still the case, Wrexham were unable to play in front of fans and as a result we agreed to play alternative opposition. We thank Wrexham for their understanding.

‘‘Unfortunately, but understandably, the test event was rejected by DCMS (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport) on the grounds of the high infection rate within Sefton which now stands at 63 per 100,000 people.

‘‘We will now play away at AFC Liverpool on Saturday, September 26 at The Marine Travel Arena, kick-off 3pm.’’ ●●Liam’s league fears: p36