Lancaster are still in limbo as they look to lay plans for the future

Lancaster City boss Mark Fell says he is still waiting to put ‘pieces in the jigsaw’ when it comes to trying to plan for next season.
Lancaster City boss Mark Fell (Photo:Tony North)Lancaster City boss Mark Fell (Photo:Tony North)
Lancaster City boss Mark Fell (Photo:Tony North)

Like many clubs, the Dolly Blues are somewhat in limbo in terms of when they might train and play again.

The 2019/20 campaign was halted by the Covid-19 pandemic with Fell’s men in the NPL Premier League’s play-off positions.

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They are anxious to build on the season’s achievements in 2020/21 but when that will be is not yet known.

Fell told the Lancaster Guardian: “Every club is in a similar position to us but it is my job to plan for what is best for us.

“I’m waiting for the pieces of the jigsaw to fall into place in terms of planning for next season.

“There are loads of things to consider, work through and wait for.

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“It’s painful almost for the lads at the moment, they haven’t played since March and just want to know when they might train again.

“Last season we trained at Lancaster University which was a superb facility for us.

“But in three weeks when normally we would come back for pre-season training, what happens if the university hasn’t opened?

“In the terms of adding to the squad we are tentatively been putting irons in the fire.

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“But I can’t really go knocking on the chairman’s door asking for a budget because there are so many uncertainties.

“We don’t know if we will have crowds or not, while commercially companies who have sponsorship with us could well have tightened their belt.”

While clubs higher up the football pyramid can still bring in some revenue from television rights and solidarity payments – the Championship and Premier League are due to start this month behind closed doors –that is not the case for the Dolly Blues and clubs at their level.

Crowds are the lifeblood, they bring money through the turnstiles and spend cash in the grounds.

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Fell said: “I’d hope that we could have fans in the ground when we start again.

“Ours is a big ground and we could socially distance.

“However, what happens when you score a last minute winner and the fans want to celebrate?

“We could manage it in our ground but it will be an issue for FC United and South Shields who pack plenty in.

“Hopefully we will get more answers as we go along but these are uncertain times and we want to get going.”