A GAME OF TWO HALVES...

In the quiet backwaters of English football there has been a sorry tale to tell.  It concerns Dover Athletic Football Club who, until very recently, were doing their thing in the National League - the fifth tier of the English game.  Now like so many other clubs up and down the country, Dover suffered from financial difficulties thanks to Mr. Covid and his assorted variants.  But after playing 15 of their games this season, their financial problems became so acute that they could no longer carry on, although the other teams in the National League somehow managed to do so.

Having `failed to complete their fixtures,` an Independent Panel of the FA met to consider Dover`s case and those of a number of other clubs in lower leagues.  As a result, Dover will play no further part in the current season and all their results to date have been expunged.  (What a dreadful word that is - I think it should be expunged from our lexicon.)  In  addition, Dover have been `awarded` a 12-point deduction for next season, should they be able to resume business again; and a fine of £40,000 has been issued - this representing a 20% reduction from the usual amount of the fine in order to reflect the current financial situation and the approach taken in other cases.

The Panel also considered ``the integrity of the competition` and the actions taken by Dover in relation to the other 22 clubs in the league who continue to incur costs as they fulfill their own fixtures, costs which Dover had avoided by curtailing their season.

A couple of curious things here.  Firstly, what on earth is the point of awarding an albeit `reduced` fine of £40,000 on a club which clearly doesn`t have the money to pay it? If it did have, it wouldn`t have been expunged. Secondly, Dover have apparently lodged an appeal against the Panel`s decisions and are `taking legal advice.`  Doubtless the legal advice will either be of the budget variety or offered by a Dover supporting legal eagle.  

Whatever the outcome, I hope it is one of hope for the club, perched as it is on the edge of a white cliff of its own - and for its supporters who perhaps deserve better.  

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(PS : Once again not much to report on the playing surface - Forest Green went down again, this time 1-0 at home to Bolton Wanderers but once again hats off to Gillingham for their excellent 1-1 draw away at League leaders Hull City.  For both clubs, the play-offs might just beckon.  Oh, and Brechin City lost again.)