The Club's Chief Executive reacts to the release of the new League Two fixtures for 2020/21.
Fixture Release Day is always one of the highlights of the season for supporters. In normal circumstances we’d all be booking trains and planning overnight stops on the back of this morning’s announcement. Sadly the pandemic means that some of the usual excitement and activity will be curtailed, however this is our first season back in the EFL for 48 years and it’s impossible not to be excited when we see the set of games before us.
True to their word, the EFL have tried desperately to restrict big games in the early months – particularly September – and I think most fans will agree that, with the exception of Carlisle, there aren’t too many away fixtures before December which jump off the page as being highlights of the season. By the time we travel to Morecambe on December 1st, there’s no telling what position the country and football will be in regards social distancing and away day travel.
Starting the season at home on September 12th should have been a gala event in front of a sell-out crowd, but regardless of restrictions we look forward to welcoming Stevenage to the Progression Solicitors Stadium. The early games look like an opportunity for David Dunn and his team to put some points on the board and lay down a marker for the season, and I’m sure the manager will be keen to hit the ground running when they come to town.
These are exciting times to be a Barrow fan. Let’s take a moment to appreciate the fact that we’re now playing Bolton Wanderers and Carlisle United in league fixtures. The strides that we’ve taken as a Club over the past twelve months should not be underestimated, but for the Board and for David Dunn this is very much the beginning of a journey, not the end. We want to ensure that fixtures like the ones that you see this morning are the norm for this Club for many years to come.
So yes, we should all take a moment to reflect on what could have been in the early weeks of September. But restrictions to attendance will lift. The country will return to normal. On behalf of the Club, I can assure every Barrow supporter that we’re doing everything in our power to have as many fans in this ground as early as possible to witness our historic first season back in the EFL first hand. Better days are ahead of us all, and the release of these fixtures is the first step on what will be an exciting journey in the 2020/21 season. Through our collective hard work, sacrifice, fundraising, dedication and passion, we’ve all earned this promotion to League Two.
Now let’s enjoy it.
Levi.