Opening round offers the chance of a TV lifeline for non-league clubs amid a crippling Covid lockdown
When the
Football Association announced this week that all activities for non-elite clubs would be suspended for a month, it caused a fright among the 10 lowest-ranked teams left in this weekend’s FA Cup first round. Happily, clarification soon came that those clubs would, in fact, be allowed to train in preparation and that the dispensation would be maintained if they reached the second round, although they would not be allowed to contest league matches in the interim.
This, then, is a uniquely exciting and challenging time for those clubs, who come from step three or lower of the National League system.