Worthing's wait for Isthmian League news goes on... and on

Worthing celebrate a win earlier this season - but will the campaign be another declared null and void? Picture: Marcus Hoare

Non-league football’s rulers have confirmed they will not make a decision on whether to terminate the 2020-21 season for steps three and below until after prime minister Boris Johnson has outlined plans to start exiting lockdown next week.

He is due to address the nation on Monday, and there are hopes he may give a date for non-league football – along with other local sport – to restart.

With that announcement due, the FA and officials who run the Isthmian League and other leagues at the same level want to wait before deciding their next move.

Worthing’s Isthmian premier season has been on hold since the end of October and hopes of getting enough games played to constitute a season have faded fast in recent weeks.

The Mackerel Men are among clubs across the country backing Prject Non League, which is asking the powers-that-be to use results from two unfinished seasons – 19-20 and 20-21 – to work out points-per-game tables and promote teams who have shown they deserve it over enough games for a full campaign.

If football’s restart is delayed much longer and chances of getting a full set of fixtures played disappear, it would seem the only decision to be made by the FA would be to null and void a second successive season or approve Project Non League.

The FA says it will decide what happens next after next week’s government announcements have been made.