Torquay United skipper Asa Hall lifting the Vanarama National League player of the month award for February 2020 has provided the Plainmoor faithful with some light relief following the announcement that the National League has suspended all playing activities.
During the course of the month, United lost narrowly to league leaders Barrow - Hall's former club - before recording back-to-back wins against FC Halifax Town and Chorley.
This news comes following the announcement on Monday that the National League announced that it would be falling into line with the Premier League, Football League and Women's Super League and suspending all matches until April 3rd, 2020.
In the meantime the Gulls' players have been sent home and manager Gary Johnson has given the United squad their own individual fitness programmes, which includes running, injury prevention exercises and yoga, to follow which Johnson and his coaching staff will be monitoring via a smartphone app. The app will record all the running activities that the players have been given and Johnson has also had each player weighed and is expecting them to return from their enforced break the same weight as when they went away.
Thankfully none of the United have tested positive for the Covid-19 virus, or have shown signs of any symptoms.
In addition to this, Plainmoor will be closed until March 25th and all of the age groups in the club's Junior Premier League set-up has been suspended.
The perilous nature of non-league football was reflected by a news item that emerged from the National League this week. Barnet, who the Gulls famously met in a final-day relegation decider in the 2000-01 season from Division Three - now League Two, have served all of their non-playing staff with redundancy notices.
With many clubs in the National League for whom gate receipts and other match-day income make up a large part of their turnover, hopefully all member clubs will receive the sufficient level of support during what is proving to be an extremely testing period which is unprecedented in modern times.
