Clyde “shafted” by SPFL and SFA
Lennon’s blast amid cup exit and fixture pile-up
Danny Lennon feels the SPFL and SFA have ‘shafted’ lower league clubs with the congested fixture schedule after they crashed out of the Scottish Cup to St Johnstone.
Clyde have endured a ridiculous schedule since League One and Two returned and they’ve played 12 games across a 28 day period.
Part-time players have to combine the exhausting amount of games with their jobs outside football and with no opportunity to recover, the experienced boss is deeply concerned.
The Bully Wee fought valiantly against Saints in Perth on Saturday by goals from Guy Melamed and Michael O’Halloran in the first 21 minutes sealed their fate.
“We’ve not got the violin out but I just feel like the lower league clubs have been really shafted here,” Lennon said on the treatment of part-time clubs.
“It’s been a very, very challenging month.
“For all part-time clubs but for us in particular because we still had a couple of games to catch up on. In terms of the demands that are placed on the players and the welfare.
“Even with the demands of the game today, we have to play Thursday then we have to come and play a full-time team that has had a full week’s break.”
The Scottish Cup defeat to St Johnstone was Clyde’s second game in less than 48 hours and Lennon revealed that the SFA wanted them to play in the morning – but Saints boss Callum Davidson helped facilitate a later kick-off.
He said: “We’ve had to play Saturday, Tuesday and Thursday then come and play here.
“I have to thank St Johnstone and Callum in particular for agreeing to a 5:30 kick-off because the SFA wanted us to play at quarter to 12.
“Their argument will be that you wanted it so go away and get on with it but why at the top end of the Championship, why are they having to wait for the Premiership to finish in two weeks?
“We were on our knees with the players that we had to leave out. The bench looked strong but it wasn’t at all.
“Everything is geared for the big clubs. The Scottish Cup is a great romantic story but it feels like it’s geared to getting all the big ones in there.
“There are no sour grapes, I wish St Johnstone all the best and they thoroughly deserved their victory but everything is geared towards the big clubs this year - even the way Dumbarton had to play Aberdeen in the last round.”
Lennon feels the footballing authorities don’t do enough to protect the welfare of players in the lower leagues.
Unlike full-time clubs, players aren’t afforded rest days and they have to work - many in labour intensive jobs throughout the week, during a gruelling fixture schedule
Lennon added: “Why couldn’t they have given the lower league teams a wee bit of grace and fitted other games in?
“I’m going on a right rant here because it’s bugged me for the last month if I’m perfectly honest.
“Let’s take what these guys are going through and you’ve got the momentum of the part-time players where they are out there and giving absolutely everything.
“On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays for the last four weeks and they’ve got to get up and do a shift every morning - so there is no recovery.”
As the Reformer went to press, Clyde travelled to Forfar in their final League Two game before the split.