Lowestoft Town FC are due to return to action with an eagerly awaited FA Trophy tie at Crown Meadow next week.
Jamie Godbold’s men will return to the pitch next Tuesday as they host Cheshunt, who are currently second in the Isthmian Premier.
However, a restart of the Pitching In Southern Premier Central League season is looking less likely, with clubs in step 3 and 4 of the football pyramid voting this week on whether the leagues should remain suspended in light of the changes announced last week to the current Covid-19 tiers.
With a mix of tier 2 and tier 3 clubs in the league, Lowestoft were among more than 220 clubs who were called to a virtual meeting this week to discuss football restarting amid the latest government restrictions.
As club officials await the results of the vote, the players – who have been continuing their fitness and endurance challenges over recent weeks – returned to the training pitch last night (Thursday).
Lowestoft’s last match was on October 31 – a 3-1 win at home over Lewes in the Buildbase FA Trophy third qualifying round.
With all league fixtures up until Saturday, December 19 having now been listed as 'postponed' on the Southern League website, it means the focus of attention returns to the FA Trophy.
The Blues are looking to progress past the Buildbase FA Trophy first round stage for the first time since the 1970s when they take on The Ambers next Tuesday.
Godbold said: “We are still in a strange situation of not knowing what is going on with the league season.
“We had to vote, via email, on Wednesday, and with a decision on Thursday I’d be very surprised to see the game at Alvechurch on Saturday be played.
"The FA Trophy will resume, so we are gearing up for that.
“Hopefully people will want their football fix – particularly if we may not be able to play again in the month – so the message to supporters is to turn out, cheer us on and to try and get back to normality.
"We know Cheshunt have started the season really well and they remind me of Rushall in being a big, strong, physical side full of experience – so it will be a real battle.
“They have some high profile players and are doing well in their league so it’ll be tough.
"But the boys are in a good place and we’re looking forward to getting back to it.
“We have a strong squad that has quality in depth and we will need that with the number of games that are remaining in the season.”
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