SHOW GOES ON AT FYLDE BUT FANS FEAR IT WILL BE THE LAST HURRAH
A BLACKBURN ROVERS supporter stood in the smoking area of AFC Fylde’s club bar sipping prosecco. ‘This is better than Ewood,’ she shouted to a mate. ‘We’re Fylde fans now. They even let you drink out of a proper glass!’
The general attitude was one of glass half-full as the wider footballing world closed its doors to competition for at least a fortnight and, likely, far longer.
Nearby this National League outfit with lofty ambitions lie two of the region’s great footballing cathedrals, Preston’s Deepdale and Bolton’s Macron Stadium — both visible from the M6 and both silent now for weeks to come.
So it all felt a little strange at Mill Farm on Saturday. Supporters wondered aloud why the nationwide suspension did not apply in the fifth tier; others relished the camaraderie such an unusual scenario brought.
A minibus of fanatics from Ayr arrived, having hit the road early in the morning in search of live sport. Those with allegiances to Sunderland, Bury, Preston and Blackpool also knocked about.
There were a considerable number from Aldershot, at least one party of which had drunk the Las Vegas of the North dry the evening prior. And did so again after watching their team’s 1-0 defeat. That all amounted to
Fylde’s fourth-largest attendance of the season, announced as 1,668. It felt like a bonus, slightly surreal afternoon before reality truly hits this corner of England, particularly given the array of late non-League postponements.
Only six went ahead in its top division.
‘We’re lucky here — we’re not as dependent on the gate money,’ Fylde chairman David Haythornthwaite told Sportsmail.
‘Other clubs are not in that position and I fear they’ll be in real trouble. I don’t know how they will handle that. I honestly believe this will be the last game of sport this season — period.
‘We’re only at the start, aren’t we? Nobody has worked out the implications really, we’re effectively heading into a four-month close season. Players on contracts are going to want paying. People say financial implications don’t matter but they do, we could end up with a league that doesn’t exist if five or six clubs drop out.
‘The government will have to step in and provide a package for clubs who can justify the need. I lobbied very hard to get this game played, mainly because I’m a believer in keeping going.’
Fylde manager Jim Bentley still bellowed from the touchline in his thick Scouse accent. He still kicked fresh air in frustration as the hosts wasted a late free-kick, nerves jangling in what would normally represent a seismic day at the foot of the division.
The Coasters went within four points of safety, victory secured on 20 minutes by Danny Philliskirk — possibly the only man in the UK with Champions League pedigree still playing. He once sat on the bench for a European game at Chelsea under Carlo Ancelotti.
But will his clincher be of any consequence? Nobody knows, although try telling that to arguing players at full-time and the coaches cautioned for butting heads as tempers frayed. ‘Today was massive,’ said Bentley. ‘We move game to game.’
The National League insisted they will keep the coronavirus situation under constant review.
Levity filled the cold air in the stands, anyway. ‘If they cancel the season and start afresh, that’ll probably work in our favour,’ laughed home fan Emma Stott. ‘I wouldn’t class these as big crowds. We can stand a metre apart — that’s plenty of space to keep away from each other!’
Those who made the trip from
Aldershot spoke of how ‘completely dead’ they had found London, how ‘eerie’ the capital was. ‘It’s just weird,’ one said. ‘I never thought about not coming. The train and hotel was paid for, it’s my mate’s 60th birthday. There are nine of us here. You can’t let this virus upset things and change your plans.’
Certainly the big sporting names of this county did not alter theirs.
World Rugby chairman and Fylde Coast royalty, Bill Beaumont, lunched with Haythornthwaite beforehand. Accrington Stanley management duo John Coleman and Jimmy Bell took the game in.
Aldershot supporter Alfie Martin was definitely not alone when he stated: ‘Football always matters, doesn’t it?’