Sheffield & Hallamshire County Senior League
Wombwell Main manager Terry Simon has defended the County Senior League over the controversial wildcard rule.
Clubs can use the wildcard once a season if applied 72 hours before a fixture but it has been criticised by many who say it has left the league ravaged by widespread postponements.
Simon says the league deserve praise as believes the wildcard, and the three week grace rules have prevented clubs from folding and kept the 14-team Premier Division intact.
“I take my hat off to the league because they are trying to help every club,” Simon told Non League Yorkshire.
“I wouldn’t knock any club for using the wildcard if they’re struggling.
“If you look at Houghton Main, North Gawber, High Green who all asked for three weeks (grace) to try and get squad…fair play to them as all three sides are still in the league.
“I think if the league had turned round and said ‘no’, those three sides could have folded.
“Nobody wants that.
“You’re then going down to 11 teams in the league and the league are trying at all costs to keep it a 14-team Premiership.
“The league doesn’t want to lose clubs.
“If they hadn’t brought the wildcard rule in the league and didn’t have the three weeks grace rule then the league would have been in a position where they would have had to issue a lot of fines (due to postponements for failing to fulfil fixtures).
“There would be chaos.
“What would happen then is clubs would say ‘we’re not going to keep paying £100 fines, we’ll fold’ then you would have an issue with the league.”
What the use of the wildcard, three weeks grace rules and bad weather have done is create a big fixture backlog.
Cast your eyes across Yorkshire and nearly all of the West Yorkshire League Premier Division clubs have played 15 games and they are on course to finish the season.
Fixture congestion does not worry Simon but he does agree a huge issue surrounding the commitment levels of grassroots footballers is emerging and is a key reason for the level of postponements.
Not that anyone reading this needs reminding but Step 7 footballers play football for enjoyment and not monetary gain and Simon believes players at this level have other priorities.
“The league have held back with a League Cup so they have given themselves four weekends free,” he said.
“Although I agree with you that we are three or matches behind other leagues, we have those three or weeks where we haven’t got a League Cup.
“Now what I’m led to believe is if the season gets completed and there’s time at the end, there’ll be a similar cup to earlier this year.
“Is there a lack of players?
“I look at Ecclesfield signings new players on, Dodworth signing a new player recently.
“Across our first and reserve teams we have 60 players signed on.
“People turn round and say ‘why are you using the wildcard if you have 60 players signed on’.
“With my first team I have ten who I know will be there every single week.
“Sometimes you get to Thursday and you’re struggling for numbers and someone will ‘so on so will come and play this weekend’.
“You look at our 60 players signed on and broke it down to who has played more than four games then you’re looking at 25 and 30 and that’s your two (first team and reserve) squads.
“Players are out there but I don’t think the commitment is there.
“That’s the underlying issue and you can’t blame the leagues or the clubs for that.
“I think commitment issues is to blame for the problems.
“We try and be as welcoming as we can be but I’ve had people phone me up at 12 o’clock on a match day and say ‘I’ve just realised I’m going out this afternoon’.
“You know on a Thursday or Friday if you’re going out, you don’t realise at 12 o’clock on a Saturday.
“That’s not just happened this season and other managers say the same thing.
“I think the pandemic has had a big say and I think a lot of people are going out for the day, or on holiday or are working on a Saturday now (instead of playing football).
“I think there’s a lot more things they are choosing in front of football.”
On a humorous note, Wombwell have used the wildcard but Simon must have forgot to check the weather forecast beforehand.
“We have used it and unfortunately the week we used it when we genuinely had seven or eight players missing it snowed so the game was off anyway,” he said.
“I think we have wasted our wildcard on a snow day!”
The Premier Division is almost a week into its winter break and Wombwell sit in fifth after six wins from ten games.
His mission, he says, is working well.
“The centre-half Sam Martin started the season off really well but then he picked up an injury,” he said.
“He is back now but he had been out for six weeks.
“What I’m really pleased with is the reserves which is run by Paul Jackson and he’s doing a brilliant job.
“It is the best reserve side we have ever had.
“I’ve been able to watch them in the last couple of weeks and there’s probably two-or-three who will be making a first team appearance in the next month or so.
“I’m pleased with how it is going.
“It is a learning curve with young lads.
“You throw them in there and it is a case of sink or swim.
“Looking at our results, we have lost three – two were early on when we were struggling for a team.
“The lads are certainly the best group I’ve had since I’ve been back at Wombwell.
“They’re a good set and if we get our strongest side out we’ll be competitive with any side in the league.”