Protecting your own interests is understandable but teams undermine academy-raised players by refusing to trust them
![Premier League postponements are a betrayal of a club’s younger players | Josh Gowling](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/cdd2ee465a70cf87d271ce18a5564a4361f1bd93/0_116_2827_1696/master/2827.jpg?width=1200&height=630&quality=85&auto=format&fit=crop&overlay-align=bottom%2Cleft&overlay-width=100p&overlay-base64=L2ltZy9zdGF0aWMvb3ZlcmxheXMvdGctb3BpbmlvbnMucG5n&enable=upscale&s=ba63a3dca79f317b7817a3b31f7450c7)
I have been given a simple mandate by my board at Hereford for the rest of this season: regardless of Covid-19 cases or injuries we must fulfil every fixture, even if I have to take five or six players out of the youth team. We have already had several games postponed and it does not help financially, so our priority is to get matches on with whoever is available.
The contrast with recent events in the
Premier League is stark.
Arsenal have come under particular scrutiny for their determination to call off the north
London derby and, to be clear, it is obvious nobody has done anything outside the rules. Everybody wants to protect their own interests but, when you see injuries and other absences overriding Covid as the real grounds for postponement, it seems clear the regulations are not working.