Torquay carry on regardless as they await league decision
GARY Johnson is keeping his eye on the ball and not on off-the-field problems as the National League decides what to do about the remainder of the season - but the Torquay United manager does think ‘there are a lot of people who want to see our league season continue.’
With the Gulls taking on Altrincham tonight, clubs in the National League are waiting on the outcome of discussions which could see Torquay’s season end abruptly, just as it did in the 2019/20 campaign when coronavirus first broke.
With the National League North and South divisions suspended, and talks ongoing about the future of the top division, it is possible that the FA and National League will make an announcement sooner rather than later.
But Torquay pulled further clear at the top of the table on Saturday with a 2-0 win at bottom-of-the-table Barnet on Saturday, and now they face an Altrincham side who sit in seventh, 13 points behind after playing 20 games - the same as the Gulls.
Johnson said: “You can’t waste 20 games - we are halfway through the FA Trophy and there have been a lot
of games. There are a lot of people who want to see our league continue, for sure.
“I don’t know about the North and South, I don’t know if that’s a different situation, but certainly, if we want to keep ourselves aligned with the EFL, then we are going to need to carry on while they are carrying on.
“That’s very important and it’s very important for us and for many teams in the National League - to get back in the Football League.
“There are a lot of teams that have been out of it for a long time - your
Wrexhams and Notts Countys, big teams - and surely they are not going to leave those teams adrift, along with ourselves of course.
“So we will keep going. They have made the right decisions so far and we will see what comes next.”
The National League has asked for the minutes of a key meeting called by Government last November where it claims assurances were given that it would not have to pay back coronavirus crisis funding.
The 66 clubs in the National League and the North and South divisions below it are set to vote this week on whether or not to cut the season short, after learning that £11 million due to be offered as part of the Government’s Sports Winter Survival Package would be in the form of loans rather than grants.
It is understood each of the three leagues will take separate votes over whether to play on, with a resolution set to be sent to clubs in the first part of this week.
In correspondence seen by the PA news agency, the National League claims it was told at a meeting called by the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) on November 17 that “the second tranche of monies for January/February/March 2021 would be on the same principles as the initial tranche ie grants”.
National League clubs were supported through the period between October and December of last year by a Government-brokered commercial deal with the National Lottery which did not involve any repayment, but they are now very concerned about their ability to make ends meet.
If everyone is fit, meanwhile, it is unlikely that Johnson will make many - if any - changes to the team that beat Barnet for this home game.
However, Jake Andrews looked good when he came on at the Hive and the midfielder scored a cracking 83rd-minute goal to make it 2-0 following Ben Whitfield’s seventh minute opener.
The 23-year-old has mostly been used as a sub this season but Johnson was impressed with what he saw on Saturday.
“In training in the last week, Jake was the top goalscorer by a million miles - and he has got a hammer of a left foot. We have just had to get him a little bit fitter because he had a long injury early on when his knee blew up, and he has been doing great, and he earned that little recall and his goal.
“Actually, a lot went through him and he will only get better and better now and he knows he is a very important part of our squad.”
Dean Moxey might return at left back, however, after his one-game ban, which means Johnson may return to four at the back instead of the flexible three-or-four formation he played on Saturday.
Altrincham have had a mixed season but two wins in two games against Barnet and Wealdstone - following two draws means Phil Parkinson’s side go into the game undefeated in the league in 2021.