Sporting up for the cup after four-way winter tournament announced - The Bromsgrove Standard

Sporting up for the cup after four-way winter tournament announced

Bromsgrove Editorial 8th Dec, 2020 Updated: 8th Dec, 2020   0

A WORCESTERSHIRE winter mini-league is set to offer Bromsgrove Sporting a reprieve during the downtime experienced by the continued suspension of the Southern League Premier Division.

Following the result of last Thursday’s vote, in which clubs voted to pause the restart of football at Step Three of the non-league ladder, a four-team tournament contested by Alvechurch, Redditch United, Worcester Raiders and Sporting will help fill the void and provide the teams involved with much-needed match sharpness.

With matches set to be played home and away, clubs in the area will be treated to six friendlies each against their rivals, with the outright victors battling for the sponsor-named Red Recruitment Cup.

The Rouslers are set to host fierce rivals Redditch in their opening encounter on Tuesday, December 15, before making the trip to Lye Meadow to take on Alvechurch on Saturday, December 19.




Worcester Raiders are the visitors for a midweek encounter on December 22, the final fixture before Christmas, while the Church make the trip to the Victoria Ground for a Boxing Day clash.

Brendan Kelly’s men then round-up their festive friendly programme with a trip to Worcester Raiders’ Sixways Stadium home on December 28, followed by the final fixture at Redditch’s Trico Stadium on January 2.


Speaking on the announcement, Bromsgrove chairman Mike Burke is enthused by the prospect of allowing fans back into grounds through the mid-season tournament.

“Although these matches are friendlies, it will add a bit more prestige to the games, and will give us all some exciting football to enjoy,” he said.

In regards to Sporting’s league exploits, the Government’s next review of the current tier system and coronavirus restrictions on December 16 will play the biggest role in any restart.

Clubs at Step Three and below will have their fingers crossed for a positive outcome in the aftermath of the review, one that will allow competitive football to resume in the New Year.

With the current restrictions causing too many issues in regards to the admission of fans across different tiers, and subsequently an unfair monetary benefit for some teams at the expense of others, an unsurprising 76 percent of Step Three sides voted for the ongoing suspension of the season to continue in last week’s vote.

Buy Photos

Buy photos online from the Bromsgrove Standard newspaper

Reader Travel

Check out all of the latest reader travel offers to get your hands on some free gifts

Recruitment

Find a career you'll love with our free career finder website

Printing

We can provide all of your printing needs at competitive rates