Dev calls for more clarity on postponing matches
United boss wants to know why certain matches have been called off while others go ahead
Alan Devonshire has called for further clarity from the National League over its protocols relating to clubs postponing football matches when positive COVID-19 cases are discovered.
The Magpies manager say it feels like there’s one rule for some clubs and another rule for others, after his side were encouraged, against their wishes, to play their match at Notts County earlier this season after the hosts revealed a number of positive cases in their squad.
However, late last month their trips to play Barnet on December 28 and Wealdstone on January 2 were both called off due to reported positive cases.
The Magpies manager says he doesn’t understand what the procedure is for having games called off at late notice.
Some clubs, he says, are able to isolate individuals in order to play, while other clubs have called matches off and gone through a 10-day period of isolation before playing again.
According to Devonshire, there’s little clarity from the league as to why this is the case. The National League ultimately decides whether matches can or can't be postponed, and each game is judged on a case by case basis, however, in recent weeks teams who have reported positive COVID cases have generally been able to call a game off at short notice.
Last month’s postponements mean the Magpies haven’t played a league match in almost six weeks heading into Saturday’s home game against Yeovil Town, with Devonshire fearing their lack of competitive action could count against them this weekend.
“Through no fault of our own we haven’t played in three weeks,” said the Magpies’ manager.
“It’s ridiculous and without a doubt a disadvantage going into the game. Listen, should we be playing at the moment, I don’t know?
“It’s going to take a big effort. Yeovil have won at Torquay and beat Weymouth.
“I think we really need to know what the protocols are. I was told that if you had a couple of players who had positive tests, you could leave them out, they self-isolate and you play the game missing those players. But it seems that teams are just doing what they want. I just don’t know what the protocol is.
“Barnet played last week, their game was on the telly, but now they’ve had another positive test and their games are off again. I just don’t know what’s going on. People are getting games called off and I don’t know what the protocol is for that.”
Fortunately, Maidenhead are yet to report a positive COVID19 case, after undergoing semiregular testing. The whole squad and coaching set up were tested once again on Thursday night, due to the recent spike in infections, and, as a precaution while the club awaited those results, their planned friendly against Ebbsfleet United on Saturday was cancelled.
Devonshire believes they’ll be short of match-fitness for Saturday’s visit of Yeovil, a side who’ve turned their
season around in recent weeks, winning four of their past five matches.
“We were tested on Thursday night,” said Devonshire.
“Because it seemed the virus was rife and because, if we’d got four or five positive cases, and everyone had to isolate for 10 days we’d have only missed the Yeovil game.
“But we were lucky that we were all ok. We were also tested about five weeks before that. We do it when we feel it’s necessary. We don’t just test when everyone is fine.
“But I just want to be clear on this protocol. We had to play Notts County and we didn’t want to because they had COVID in their camp.
“They had four players who were taken out of the squad and they isolated, and we played against them. But then there are sides getting games called off with just one or two cases. I would like to know what the rules are for getting a game called off. There’s rules for some and rules for others.
“We had to play that game with the fear of us catching it.
“Derby had to play their youth team/u23s the other day,
“Aston Villa had to play their u23s in the FA Cup. If you’ve got five players out, maybe ok, but these teams have squads’ of 18/19 players, they should be playing the games.
“If they’ve had to close their training ground because of this, you’d understand it, but when there’s one or two people getting it, then surely you can test the rest of the squad and if they’re ok then the game should be on. There needs to be some proof of what’s happening.”
He added: “There has to be some hard rules put in place, or they may just have to stop the league again if that’s what they want to do,” said Devonshire.
“People are dying, and the issue is worse now than it was in March and April. But football is a release for people.
“If there’s no football going on, what are people going to do instead when they’re stuck at home anyway. I think the Premier League deal with this issue and if a side must play, they play. We were told we had to play at Notts County and we played, so why are these teams in our league getting games called off. We’ve had a couple of boys with family members who had symptoms. We’ve told them to stay away from the squad. They’ve had a test and they’ll take another test before they come back.”
W Maidenhead's game at Barnet has been rearranged for Tuesday, March 23, 7.45KO.