Frustrated Corby boss Mills expects season to be declared null and void

Gary Mills believes the Pitching In Southern League Division One Central season is destined to be declared null and void again.

Mills arrived at Corby Town last summer and proceeded to oversee an encouraging start to the campaign as the Steelmen won five of their first seven league matches to sit on top of the table when things were halted at the end of October due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

It’s now been nearly three months since Corby kicked a ball in anger and Mills remains frustrated that he and his players haven’t been able to build on their good start.

Clubs from Steps 3 to 6 were recently asked for their views on how the 2020/21 season should be concluded in a Football Association survey and, while a final decision is yet to be made, the Trident Leagues (Southern, Northern Premier and Isthmian Leagues) made it clear that their view is the season should end now and be declared null and void.

The results of the survey are now being analysed before the FA Council make a final decision on how the season should be decided.

However, null and void is a fate Mills is now almost resigned to.

When asked about the current situation, Mills replied: “What do you say?

“Like for everybody, it’s an absolute nightmare for us.

“A final decision hasn’t been made yet and everyone seems to think only one decision will be made and that is going to be null and void.

“When you speak to some people they are hoping that something can be done to finish the season one way or another, whether that is playing each other once or two mini leagues but when is that all going to start to happen?

“I am like everybody else. I am frustrated and the most frustrating thing is that right from the word go in August I had to get a mentality into Corby Town about what it takes to be successful and what road we need to go down both on and off the field.

“And it was starting to come to fruition. I was so pleased and, going into the next game, the confidence of everyone at the club was really high.

“That was taken away from us and that is the hard bit for me because it doesn’t just happen.

“Myself and (assistant-manager) Darron Gee worked so hard in those few months to get that mentality on and off the pitch.

“There was a great feeling around the club and it was taken away. Now we just don’t know.

“I am frustrated and I can’t wait to get back. When that will be? I don’t know, nobody knows.

“Is the season going to end? I think it will. Then we will just have to see how long this goes on for.”

Mills, meanwhile, is hoping his players will be doing all they can to stay as fit as possible during the extended break from training and playing.

The Steelmen boss is keen to pick up from where they left off whenever they get the chance,

And he added: “We obviously didn’t know it would go on for this long when we had to stop.

“But the players were given the plans for what to do and they got a good talking to from me about the mentality we have got into of doing whatever it takes.

“The players had to be strong themselves with no excuses and they had to stick to the regime of working hard to keep themselves physically and mentally fit.

“Darron is keeping in touch with the players to make sure they are doing that but now it comes down to the individual, we can only do so much.

“We have to make sure that when we do start back that there are no excuses.

“We know they aren’t going to be 100 per cent and we will need time to get them back to where they were. But they have to do everything they can on a personal level to make sure they’re ready.”

Corby and other clubs between Steps 3 and 6 are now able to apply for grants to help see them through the period where they are unable to play and host any football after Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston announced this week that £10m has been made available to protect the immediate future of approximately 850 clubs over the winter period.

Clubs were able to make an application from today (Thursday) with funds to be distributed through the Football Stadia Improvement Fund.

It is the first award to be announced from the Government’s £300 million Sports Winter Survival Package that is focused on helping those major spectator sports severely impacted by coronavirus restrictions survive the winter.