Brackley boss Wilkin only looking ahead

The 2020/21 National League North season is expected to officially be declared null and void today (Thursday)
Kevin WilkinKevin Wilkin
Kevin Wilkin

Kevin Wilkin insists Brackley Town will now look ahead to next season after any hopes of a supplementary competition for the National League North and South divisions were ended.

The Step 2 season was all-but declared over late last week after the FA Alliance Committee rejected plans put forward by clubs backing the ‘Let Us Play’ campaign.

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Wilkin confirmed Brackley would have been interested in taking part in any such competition but with the season set to be declared null and void by the FA Council at a meeting today (Thursday), he is now fully turning his attention to next season.

It’s a long wait with pre-season not set to start until late June or early July.

But Wilkin confirmed Brackley will continue to invite their players in for training once a week until what would have been the end of the current campaign.

“That’s all any of us can do, we have to look ahead,” Wilkin said.

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“You have to feel for the guys lower down in the Southern League and below who have had no football for much longer than us.

“We will be looking to train once a week just to get the boys in and ensure that period of inactivity doesn’t end up being any longer than it needs to be.

“We have things to iron out as far as contracts are concerned so everyone knows where they are going.

“But it’s a long old while to not be playing or doing any work on the field. Unfortunately, it’s where we find ourselves.

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“Hopefully, over the next couple of months we will have a start date and things will be clear so we can get back to some sort of normality.”

The proposals for any supplementary competition would have seen those clubs in the National League North and South who wished to play on playing each other once and battling it out for two promotion places - one automatic and one through the play-offs.

The proposal also included a suggestion that would have seen clubs starting with their points per game average, multiplied by 15.

And while Wilkin admitted Brackley would have got involved, he conceded the format proposed didn’t have “any legs”.

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“Yes, we were very much interested in joining in any competition,” the Brackley boss added.

“We had got ourselves into a decent position and our form up until the lockdown was very good and we would have wanted to take part in it.

“I am not sure we would have agreed with the format that was being mooted. We would have taken part but did we feel it really had any legs? Probably not.

“But you aren’t going to rule yourselves out of carrying on with football and a chance of getting promoted.”