Leek Town forward Tim Grice says reaction to the season being null and void comes from the top

Leek Town forward Tim Grice says the way the club has handled the decision from the FA to Null and Void the season comes from the top and, it sums up the persona of club chairman Jon Eeles.

The Blues were sitting top of the BetVictor Northern Premier League South East division before the coronavirus pandemic caused the season to come to an early conclusion.

Grice said: “It came from the chairman, who I’ve got a good relationship with and I can vouch for him that he is that sort of person who would have always accepted the decision whether he was chairman of the team top of the league or not.

“Jon has looked after us all really well during this and, it shows what Leek is all about and why I’ve been here for so long. It’s at times like this you want to be at a good club.

“No disrespect to any other clubs but I can imagine some clubs are having a tougher time off the pitch than Leek right now.

“We’ve seen teams folding for whatever reason, but Leek is a well-run club and that starts from the top.”

Despite being top of the league, the Blues were just two points ahead of second place Stamford going into the final month of the season.

The two teams were due to meet on the last day of the season at the Zeeco stadium and, had both teams maintained their form then it would have led to a massive title showdown in Lincolnshire.

Grice said: “We were eight points clear at one point just before the virus kicked in and, then it got a bit too close for comfort.

“However, we still had a game in hand against Cleethorpes Town and had to go to Stamford on the final day of the season. It would have been close no doubt about it.

“I know the Stamford manager came out and said his team could have won the league, which he would always say, we would say we could have won the league, it’s just how it is.

“Either team could have won the league because of the consistency of both teams.”

Grice was also closing in on a personal landmark as he scored his 199th goal in the game at Lincoln United, which turned out to be Leek’s final goal of the season.

However, the long serving forward hasn’t been focusing on that target.

He said: “If I’m being honest, I haven’t given it much thought that it was my 199th goal.

“I spoke to the chairman (Jon Eeles) around Christmas time, and he wanted me to stay on.

“With him saying that it’s not given me a cushion as such, but there is no rush to get it done. If this was my last season and, I finished at 199 goals, then it would be frustrating not to get to that milestone.

“But I certainly haven’t thought about it. I think mainly because of where we were in the league that took priority, had we not been in contention for the title then maybe I would have put more onus on personal achievements.

“However, I would have taken no goals this season if it meant we were to win promotion because of how long we’ve waited for it.”

Richard Scott
Richard Scott
Sports Reporter

Latest Local Sports News

Must Read News