News in Atherstone

The Adders' Sheepy Road ground is hosting the first match in the regional group of the new Emergency Services Football League on Sunday (11 Oct).

Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service's team will be facing West Midlands Ambulance Service Coventry in the Midland 2 League game, starting at 1pm.

TONIGHT'S MATCH CONTINUES COVID PATTERN BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

ADDERS LOOKING FOR FIRST WIN IN AUGUST FRIENDLIES' CAMPAIGN

FOOTBALL'S REALLY COMING HOME WITH ARRIVAL OF THE 'ARMCHAIR FAN' AT FIRST OF SEVEN FRIENDLIES FOR ADDERS

TONIGHT'S PRE-SEASON OPENER IS BEING LIVE-STREAMED FROM NUNEATON BOROUGH'S YOUTUBE CHANNEL

FAMILIAR NAMES IN THE LIST OF WARM-UP MATCHES BEFORE 2020/21 TERM GETS UNDERWAY

STAND-OUT GAME AGAINST NEIGHBOURS NUNEATON BOROUGH WITH THE ADDITION OF EX-FOOTBALL LEAGUE STAR LEROY LITA

STRAPPING CENTRE-FORWARD PROVED 'NEVER MAKE IT' VILLA YOUTH COACH WRONG AND DID SHEEPY ROAD FANS A HUGE FAVOUR

LIKE his international footballing idol David Beckham – it's just as well Atherstone Town's vintage striker Joe Obi took no notice of his early mentors in the game.

ATCFC OVERLORD STEPS AWAY AS VICE-CHAIRMAN NICK CORBETT TAKES OVER REINS WITH MAJORITY SHAREHOLDING

OUTGOING football chairman Brian Henney has walked away from his beloved Sheepy Road a week earlier than planned with one big lingering doubt after reflecting on "doing my best for Atherstone generally".

PLAYERS HAND OVER END-OF-SEASON KITTY, WIN BONUSES, FA VASE EARNINGS AND WAGES FROM LAST GAME TO HEAD-SHAVE FUNDRAISER

PLAYERS and staff at Atherstone Town have dedicated their heartache season wrecked by Covid-19 to the best possible cause tackling the virus – the NHS.

STAR MAN SAYS ONE WEEK OF DAILY EXERCISE AND THE SCALES ARE TELLING HIM: I'M FINALLY OUT OF THE HEAVWEIGHT DIVISION

THEIR PROMISING season may have come to a premature end but Atherstone Town joint manager Adam Davies and star striker Joe Obi are running with the only message that matters now when tackling an opponent in the Covid-19 'shirt' that's been declared public enemy number one.

Atherstone Town has been rocked by chairman Brian Henney's decision to step away from running the club at the end of a season in which lower league football finds itself teetering on the brink of extinction from the coronavirus outbreak.

Chairman Henney has cited being the victim of "disgraceful verbal and almost physical abuse aimed at him personally" as a significant reason for serving notice on the Sheepy Road club that he will not be putting himself forward for any committee positions at its annual general meeting in May.

Kirby Muxloe 2 Atehrstone Town CFC 1

Atherstone Town succumbed to a bout of travel sickness as the all-encompassing effects of coronavirus swirled around them on Saturday. Administrators pulled the plug on most sporting action yesterday but Adders' encounter at Kirkby Muxloe went ahead against a backdrop of the Midland Football League deciding that halting the season now would prove "disastrous for many clubs". But Adders went down 2-1 – unable to take advantage of a window of opportunity to close the gap on their fellow Division One promotion contenders or runaway leaders Leicester Road which they meet next Saturday at Sheepy Road. Although gatherings of more than 100 people may about to be banned by the Government, it didn't stop Kirby's aptly-named striker Mass piling on the agony for an Adders side who didn't get out of the starting blocks quickly enough in the first half. Mass struck in the 16th minute and Nasoor added a second 20 minutes later. Two down at the interval, the visitors revival began with a well-struck penalty by Joe Obi seven minutes into the second half. But Adders ran into more trouble just past the hour when Ben Ashby was given a straight red and now the side faces three games without his services. In the end the Adders couldn't get on level terms despite six corners and seven shots on target. The win for Kirby moved them up to seventh in the table – one place and eight points behind the Adders but having played five more games. Only one other result went against the Adders – Leicester Road beating Coventry Copsewood 3-2 and, following their narrow 1-0 win at Uttoxter on Wednesday,, they are now 31 points ahead of the Sheepy Road side with Adders only having nine games in hand (27 points maximum). Adders will also have to keep winning their games in hand on their promotion rivals if they want to catch Uttoxter, Studley and Brocton for a top four spot. What happens next is anyone's guess. The Adders are due to play a double header in 48 hours against Lichfield City – away in the JCHW cup tomorrow and at home on Wednesday. The MFL board, caught between a "rock and a hard place" in going against the decision by the Premier and EFL leagues to cancel all games until at least April 3, will monitor the situation "as events escalate" and meet again on Monday to review its decision on Friday.