Colney Heath will have to launch their bid for a rightful Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division title without leading scorer Jon Clements.
The Magpies were six points clear and with a game in hand when all non-league football from step three down was voided in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Clements led their scoring charts with 17 in the league and 32 in total but has now joined Walthamstow in the Essex Senior League, themselves cut down in their push for promotion to step four when the season ended.
The Stow are managed by Max Mitchell who took on the job after a brief spell at the Recreation Ground.
Speaking on their Twitter account, Clements said: “Walthamstow are a big club with big ambitions. They had a strong campaign last year and were pushing for promotion.
“I know the club are eager to succeed and play at the highest level possible and it would be great to be a part of the club’s journey.”
One player returning to the black and white stripes though is young midfielder Harry Shepherd after a season spent with both Walton Casuals and Dunstable Town.
He was part of another successful training session on Saturday when the club also hosted a works party, allowing them to spruce up both the clubhouse and the ground ahead of the new season.
They have been aided in that work by a grant awarded to Colney Heath Ladies from the Football Foundation that will allow them to make sure the playing surface is in tip-top condition.
The pitch perfect fund has already benefitted a number of clubs, including St Albans City, and was set up to support clubs, all of whom have been hit financially by the suspension of football and the closing of their revenue streams.
That lack of income meant some were struggling to carry out the annual and essential work on their pitches to make sure they are ready to face the rigours of another season.
The grant can be used towards the cost of materials, work such as verti-draining, chain harrowing, rolling, over-seeding, fertilising, weed-killing, and routine preparatory work such as grass cutting and the setting out and line-marking of pitches.
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