Why can’t you just play more games at the start of the season so for August, September and even into October, you play Saturday-Tuesdays like the Bostik League do, says Beckenham Town assistant Billy Walton

Wednesday 02nd May 2018

BECKENHAM TOWN assistant manager Billy Walton says the Southern Counties East Football League should replicate the Isthmian League when it comes to fixture planning.

It has been a hectic last couple of months for many club’s in the Premier Division with teams playing three sometimes four games a week over a long period of time.

Walton said: “It’s ridiculous! Why can’t you just play more games at the start of the season so for August, September and even into October, you play Saturday-Tuesdays like the Bostik League do.

“I don’t understand it! So they know every year when the bad weather kicks in, there’s a backlog especially like Whitstable and you’ve done well in the cups and you’ve got all those games to fit in.

“It’s so unfair if you’re successful then you’ve got to get more players in, you’ve got to pay them more money. People haven’t got this sort of money or revenue.

“It can be organised better! All the manager’s say the same thing, so why don’t people running it listen to us? Put more games in the start, less games in the winter when games get called off.”

Beckenham Town finished in fourth-place in the table this season after coming away from Crayford with a 4-0 win over fourth-from-bottom side Erith Town on Monday night and finished on 69 points from their 38 league outings.

Walton has called for play-offs to keep teams seasons alive at this level because their game at Erith Town on Monday was a dead rubber.

“If you have the play-offs and every team in this league would say that they are going to be challenging have got the facilities and the grounds to go up so why on earth don’t we have a play-off in our league is beyond me,” said Walton.

“It keeps the league going because if you think you’re going to finish in the top-six and get in the play-offs our game at Erith Town wouldn’t have been a dead game.

“We could’ve been seventh or eighth and had to win to get in the play-off.  I think they should look at it. I’d like to see it come in.  It will be exciting for everyone.”

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