Hawks’ National League season could soon be over as majority of sixth tier clubs appear keen to null and void 2020/21

Hawks’ season could soon be over.
Hawks players react as Ebbsfleet take an early lead at Westleigh Park at the weekend through Rakish Bingham. Fleet won 2-1 in a game which saw five red cards, including both managers. Pic: Daniel Haswell/SPPHawks players react as Ebbsfleet take an early lead at Westleigh Park at the weekend through Rakish Bingham. Fleet won 2-1 in a game which saw five red cards, including both managers. Pic: Daniel Haswell/SPP
Hawks players react as Ebbsfleet take an early lead at Westleigh Park at the weekend through Rakish Bingham. Fleet won 2-1 in a game which saw five red cards, including both managers. Pic: Daniel Haswell/SPP

The majority of clubs in the sixth tier of English football appear to want the National League South and North divisions ended now and declared null and void.

Clubs have been voting since February 1 on how to bring the pandemic-scarred 2020/21 campaign to a close in the wake of the funding crisis.

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While most clubs in the South tier appear happy to carry on - Hawks included - the overwhelming majority of North clubs want to stop.

Dominic Poleon, second left, celebrates his goal just 24 seconds after coming on as  a sub for Ebbsfleet at Westleigh Park at the weekend. Pic: Daniel Haswell/SPPDominic Poleon, second left, celebrates his goal just 24 seconds after coming on as  a sub for Ebbsfleet at Westleigh Park at the weekend. Pic: Daniel Haswell/SPP
Dominic Poleon, second left, celebrates his goal just 24 seconds after coming on as a sub for Ebbsfleet at Westleigh Park at the weekend. Pic: Daniel Haswell/SPP

Though clubs have 28 days in which to reply, it is understood that most have already cast their vote.

For the South and North divisions to be stopped, the National League’s resolution 1 - giving clubs the chance to decide the fate of their own step - must be passed with a 75 per cent threshold.

With National League clubs apparently ready to carry on, that resolution should go through - all 23 NL clubs have one vote each while the South and North divisions have just eight between them.

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If it does, it only needs a majority vote among the 43 clubs - 22 in the North, 21 in the South - for the sixth tier clubs to stop playing.

Hawks right back Aryn Williams, right, in action against Ebbsfleet's former Westleigh Park loanee Will Wood. Pic: Daniel Haswell/SPP.Hawks right back Aryn Williams, right, in action against Ebbsfleet's former Westleigh Park loanee Will Wood. Pic: Daniel Haswell/SPP.
Hawks right back Aryn Williams, right, in action against Ebbsfleet's former Westleigh Park loanee Will Wood. Pic: Daniel Haswell/SPP.

Simple maths state that 22 clubs must want to null and void the season in order to bring it to a close.

In the South division, Slough Town, Bath City, Chippenham Town, Maidstone United, Hampton & Richmond, Dulwich Hamlet, Tonbridge Angels and Braintree Town are likely to vote to stop.

Of those, only two - Hampton (6th) and Maidstone (10th) are in the top half of the table.

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Bath - who have not played since beating Hawks 2-1 on January 19 - say they have ‘worked tirelessly’ on reducing their losses, from £139,000 in 2017/18 to £62,000 in 2018/19 and to £20,000 in 2019/20.

‘We also have a £1m debt that we aim to clear via a redevelopment project … on that basis we are not prepared to take on new debt to complete this season nor play matches while we await the outcome of the voting.’

Bath believe the National League presented them with a ‘purely binary choice of cessation or continuation’ and insist ‘other options that should have been discussed.’

They include a longer suspension than two weeks, to ‘allow for a more concerted campaign to push for grants not loans and to allow meaningful time to apply for any grant and understand if it was successful’.

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Alternatively, clubs should have been given the option to ‘withdraw from the season.’

Slough, Chippenham and Dulwich have joined Bath in refusing to fulfil fixtures since the sixth tier’s two-week suspension was lifted on February 5.

Hawks were due to travel to Chippenham this coming Tuesday but the Wiltshire club contacted them on Friday to say they would not be fulfilling the fixture.

Tonbridge, Maidstone and Braintree, meanwhile, have all furloughed their first team squads and will play youngsters and loanees if forced to carry on.

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A Maidstone statement said the club ‘now have a significant revenue shortfall and are not prepared to gamble the future of this much-loved community asset by taking out a loan or mortgaging the stadium. Such action, at a time of continued uncertainty, would merely be a sticking plaster over a deep wound.’

Tonbridge chairman Dave Netherstreet said: ‘This is an extremely unfortunate situation, but we have no choice in the matter. The National League has failed to provide clear guidance for its clubs, but we need to preserve our status and as it stands this (furloughing players) is the only way through.’

Hampton chairman Jacques Le Bars, meanwhile, said he feels the season is ‘now beyond salvation’.

Elsewhere in the South, Concord Rangers chairman Ant Smith has been a big critic of the National League in recent weeks but his club did honour their fixture at Eastbourne at the weekend.

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In the North, 15 clubs appear keen to null and void 2020/21 – to add to the eight in the South tier, making 23 in all - with only Gloucester, AFC Fylde and Chorley publicly declaring they want to carry on.

Gloucester are top of the table and targeting a place in the top flight of non-league football for the first time in their history, Fylde are third - but have games in hand on second-placed Chester (who want to null and void the season) - and Chorley, boosted financially by their memorable FA Cup run to the fourth round, are in the play-off zone.

Even if the majority of clubs end up voting to continue with the season - admittedly unlikely, but who knows? - the fixture list is going to be hectic.

In the South, Slough have only played 12 league games - meaning they have 28 left to fit into 15 weeks before the regular league season is due to end on Saturday, May 31. That is almost two matches a week EVERY week, and that is on the basis they return to action this week, which isn’t looking likely.

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In the North division, the situation is even worse. Give there’s an extra club compared to the South, teams have 42 league fixtures - and Darlington have only played 11 of them.

That means if they resumed playing this week they have 31 games to play in 15 weeks - meaning three games in one week and two in the other 14.

If they are forced to carry on, let’s hope for good weather in the north of the country!