Fears for Parkway and Tavi

THE managers of both Plymouth Parkway and Tavistock admit they are fearing the worst in terms of being promoted to the Southern League this season with the Western League confirming yesterday that it is suspending all fixtures until further notice, due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic.

The two clubs were denied promotion in 2019/20 when the spread of the virus first sent the country into lockdown and the Western League decided to null and void the campaign in late March with pretty much three quarters of the season played.

This time, there is a huge discrepancy with the number of games teams have played so far ranging from Bitton, who have managed eight, to Buckland Athletic, who have played the most with 15. Parkway and Tavistock are on 13 and 11 respectively and it seems certain that the league season will now be cancelled.

Clubs have been sent a survey asking for their thoughts on how best to conclude the campaign and Hobbs and Henderson, whose sides are first and second in the table respectively, fear their hopes of promotion to the Southern League will not be granted with the majority of clubs preferring instead to null and void the campaign for a second time.

Asked if he felt he would be preparing for a season in the Southern League, Hobbs said: “A part of me would love that but, if I am being honest, I think it will be in the Western League again.”

Henderson added: “If I am being totally honest, I think Lee is probably right. It’s really frustrating for us and Parkway because we are the teams that would go up. I think the season is over as far as playing is concerned and now it’s a case of whether they accumulate the points from the last two seasons, or null and void it again.”