Wilkin looking for another way at Saints

Wilkin said: “I honestly don’t know what will happen next but we’ve got to get over the worse of the outbreak before we can start to think about football again. It’s much bigger than football but I just hope that those running our league have got contingency plans in place ready for any eventuality in case it resumed in May or June for example.

“It makes sense to plan for every outcome and I’m sure other leagues will wait and see what happens with the Premier League. But Premier League clubs don’t rely on the income through the gates like clubs lower down the pyramid do.”

With Brackley Town Saints due to fold at the end of the current season – whenever that is – Wilkin applauded the idea but said it was just too big a gap for players to bridge from Hellenic League to Vanarama National League North football. However, Wilkin hinted that the club may have other ideas about the future development of young players in the area.

He said: “It is too big a gap for players coming from Hellenic League football into Conference level. I don’t know of any other club in the country which links its first team up with another one and you don’t see many clubs at our level use players who have come through the youth team.

“The idea was great and they had a go at it but good young players need to go and learn their trade at the next level to get the required experience and that usually means at another club. However, when they go elsewhere they don’t always come back so you lose them anyway.

“Perhaps it’s time to look at things from a different angle, I know the club want to be part of the community and is very pro-active. If the first team could get promoted then perhaps that would open up doors for something new at the club.”