Clachnacuddin chairman Chisholm thinks full Highland League fixture list is unlikely on restart
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Clachnacuddin chairman Alex Chisholm expects it to be a challenge to fit a full Highland League schedule into the calendar.
League secretary Rod Houston said earlier this week that they were hoping for an October restart, in line with plans for the Championship, League One and League Two.
However, those three divisions anticipate playing abridged, 27-game campaigns next season, rather than the usual 36 matches.
Work has been on-going on potential fixture lists since last season was brought to an early end, but until given a definite green light from the government, it is impossible to plan with any certainty.
It is possible regional cup competitions at the Highland League’s level could be moved, shortened or cancelled altogether, because Chisholm thinks trying to squeeze the normal number of games into seven months could prove to be a step too far.
“There are plans there for us to pick from when we get a timescale, but we need to get the go-ahead before we decide on them,” he explained.
“If they said October, we would work around that to get the league finished by next April for the pyramid.
“I think a full season is quite difficult to fit in with the full fixture list, so we’ll need to look at that.
“It’s a bit frustrating for everyone, there won’t be any real developments until we get the government go ahead, then we’ll have to sort out social distancing.”
The Betfred Cup could yet have a knock-on impact on the Highland League’s start date too.
An announcement from the SPFL earlier this week confirmed that the opening group game for the competition would be played on Tuesday, October 6.
The SPFL also planned to liaise with the Highland and Lowland League champions, Brora Rangers and Kelty Hearts, over possible involvement.
For Chisholm, that opens up the possibility that Highland League clubs could try to get back in action before the start of October.
“We are always throwing dates about, and I suppose October was based on League One and League Two going back at that time,” he reasoned.
“If Brora are invited to take part in the Betfred Cup with Kelty Hearts, that would be starting in early October, so if you’ve got a Highland League club taking part in a national competition I don’t know how that will pan out.
“Maybe that brings forward our start date.
“It won’t be the SFA that dictates that though, it will be he government’s instructions on when we can get back and do our thing.
“We’ll do what we can to keep people safe at the moment. We’ll get back at some point, but it has to be done at the right time.”
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