After returning to Peninsula football with a defeat at Ilfracombe last Saturday, Covid has again interrupted the schedule for this weekend.

The Vikings were due to make the long trip to Plymouth Marjon but a case within the home club has forced the inevitable postponement.

“I believe they had a Covid case at Marjon and the 14-day isolation period obviously comes into play,” said Sidmouth manager Danny Burwood.

“It is unfortunate because, with the bad weather coming in, it would have been a guaranteed game on their artificial pitch.

“It is a circumstance happening all over football and difficult to see how things will improve. It is very frustrating and I can only hope it doesn’t carry on because it is impossible to find any rhythm at a football club.

“We’ve now got two massive games over the Christmas period against Honiton and Crediton.”
While the first-team emphasis is understandable at any club, the fact that Sidmouth continue to run four sides at a senior level is testament to work behind the scenes. Having that conveyor belt of talent is crucial to future success.

“It is massive for Sidmouth to have a number of teams and I can only applaud the club for running four sides,” added Burwood.

“Everybody at the club puts in a massive shift every season, making sure players are given game-time and the opportunity to play.

“It is a system of feeding players through the club. Mark O’Connor has a fairly young team with the 2nds, mixed with some older players, so they will learn from each other.

“Our first-team is a young side and we’ve gone through a massive transitional period, with a lot of former stalwarts no longer playing.

“This year was about getting all four teams training together on the same night and getting that conveyor belt working for Sidmouth. It allows players to progress because there might be one or two within the club that can make that jump to the first-team.

“A prime example is Will Jenkins, who scored on Saturday at Ilfracombe, and started in fourth and third team football.

“He was given the chance to play with the first-team and he was outstanding last year. It is massive for a club like Sidmouth and we need that competition.”