COUNTY chiefs say club consultations will make up the backbone of their decision over whether to null and void the Herefordshire Football League for a second season running.

With the new national lockdown currently running indefinitely, the grassroots game is suspended until further notice.

With many of the teams in the Herefordshire League having only played around a third of their fixtures, cancelling the campaign is an option, county FA chief executive Alan Darfi admitted.

But he insists thorough consultations will be made with all clubs before a decision is made.

“There’s all sorts of possibilities and the management committee for the county league are going to be discussing that point shortly,” Mr Darfi told the Advertiser.

“They are canvassing the views of all the clubs at the minute. They are going to take that feedback and discuss a number of different options.

“I think it’s difficult without knowing when we will be able to come back. No one really has any idea about that and I know leagues up and down the country are grappling with this issue at the minute.

“It was already getting a bit tight with the month-long lockdown but we will hopefully be coming back in a period of decent weather which would help.

“But I think a lot will depend on the clubs’ approach. It’s not for us or the county league to dictate to people – the last thing we want is people begrudgingly playing football.

“So if everyone turns around and says ‘actually we’re not that interested’ then it’s not for us to tell them that they have to play, so we’ll always go with what the majority view is.”

Tenbury United boss Aaron Morris, who side are top of Division One, wants the season to go on but fears that struggling sides or those with little to play for will vote for a void campaign.

He said: “I don’t think we will play again because they reckon this lockdown might go until April – but I would like to play again.

“If it gets cancelled again that would be two years on the trot when it’s happened and we’re top of the league. But you are going to get teams at the bottom who just say ‘yeah, cancel it’.

“It’s going to be a split bag but they could extend the season until the end of May.

"Being tucked at home doing nothing, to having a chance of going out and playing football, players will want to play.”

Mark Tonkinson, boss of mid-table Premier Division side Ludlow Colts, added: “It would be good to start again just to get people out and about but to be honest I think they will knock it on the head.”