September start is Green Lions' hope

The Green Lions will make their bow at home to Hanwell Town on Saturday 11 September, 28 days after the start of the regular season, and are scheduled for two more home games in September.

But, as Mark Le Tissier, the GFC chairman, admitted everything could change at the drop of the hat and having furnished the local Health department with a copy of the nationwide FA guidelines on Covid, they wait patiently to hear back.

‘We are working with the Health department to find a way to make these fixtures happen, but we haven’t had an update and clearly their priority is what is happening in Alderney and with the outbreak at Notre Dame,’ said Le Tissier the morning after taking part in a Zoom meeting with secretaries representing all the competing South Central sides, plus the league chairman and chief executive.

It was a positive meeting said Le Tissier which discussed lateral flow tests which a lot of clubs will be conducting 48 hours before every game.

‘We have sent those guidelines to our Health authorities so they can look at the situation,’ added Le Tissier.

In England, at present, many pre-season clashes are being postponed due to positive tests or players self-isolating, but the FA have stated no league games will be postponed due to players having to self-isolate.

Complicating matters for GFC staging home games is the current necessity for incoming visitors to be fully vaccinated and, as a straw poll conducted during Wednesday’s Zoom meeting, that has thrown up a hotch-potch of situations.

‘It [the poll] showed that clearly not all the players have had double jabs, some have not had single jabs and some intend not to have any at all,’ said Le Tissier, adding: ‘no one-size fits all’.

Meanwhile, the division is already down a team after the league accepted the resignation of Whyteleafe who were due to host the Green Lions on 30 August.

But GFC will continue to ready themselves for a campaign that starts with so many question marks hanging over it.

‘We are preparing to start on 11 September and we will do everything we can to ensure it takes place. Hanwell are looking forward very much to coming over.

‘I am encouraged that everyone [within the South Central division] seems to be pro-active and understands the situation and are keen to work to ensure we can take part.’