Beckenham Town: Would someone from the League please tell us what is going to happen this season?

BECKENHAM TOWN assistant manager Billy Walton fears their Southern Counties East Football League Premier Division campaign will be abandoned again.

 

The Eden Park Avenue outfit were sitting at the top of the tree when the campaign was called to a halt in March and The Football Association controversially declared the 2019-20 campaign null and void owing to the Coronavirus health pandemic.

The Football Association should have restarted that campaign during the months of August and September to settle promotion and relegation issues and the way the club were treated still leaves a bitter taste.

The UK Government has placed London Boroughs in Tier Two restrictions, while all clubs in Kent have been placed in Tier Three.

That means, Beckenham’s National League neighbours Bromley will be able to attract fans to Hayes Lane next weekend but their Tier Three neighbours Dover Athletic will still have to play games at Crabble behind closed doors.

The Southern Counties East Football League has been suspended until Saturday 26 December 2020, while all FA Vase ties are going ahead next weekend.

Sheppey United and Kennington – both based in Tier Three – have advised their supporters not to travel to their FA Vase Second Round ties at Littlehampton Town and Glebe respectively next Saturday.

Walton said: “Would someone from the League please tell us what is going to happen this season?

“Will we stop playing in January, February or March, or will they let clubs waste their money again like last season?

“The FA are a joke! They have stopped all football (below the National League) except their own competitions, playing The FA Vase next weekend is unfair and dangerous.

“Teams in the Vase can train and play competitive games and the rest of us can’t do anything, which will give these teams a big advantage in their fitness levels and game time.

“The FA were wrong to do what they did last season and the clubs that voted for it.

“We should have finished the season off and started next July.

“How is the League going to be decided on this season? Will it be points per game or points after so many games? Is it the top two that go up or will there be play-offs? No one knows.”

Managed by Jason Huntley, Beckenham Town went into the second national lockdown (which ends on Wednesday) in fifth-place in the table with 24 points from their 13 league games, six points adrift of leaders Chatham Town, who have a couple of games in hand.

Visit Beckenham Town’s website:  www.beckenhamtownfc.com