Scarborough Athletic boss Darren Kelly keen to push on with 2021-22 plans

Kelly has been busy preparing for the 2021-22 season for a while now, and he has admitted he is just waiting for the ratification of the decision to curtail the season by the FA Council before he can properly kick on with his plans.

He said: "The announcement earlier this week means we can all now look forward at Scarborough Athletic, although until we get the ratification from the FA Council I am still holding off with most of my plans and meetings.

"Once the decision is officiaI, and it seems 99% sure that the season will be curtailed, I will be able to talk to the board about our plans with players and pre-season games. It will be nice to have been given a clean slate.

"I will be able to talk to players who have been at the club as well as some of the targets that I have also identified, as when the season is null and voided officially they will be out of contract.

"We will need clarification on whether fans can come back for next season but it is sounding very positive that this could happen and to me this is crucial. We are looking at mid-August, around the 14th or 17th, for a date for the start of the NPL season.

"It is great for myself, the players and the club to get back playing, but the main thing is for the fans to be back in the grounds, for them and for us.

"I am a Spurs fan, and I have tried to watch some of the matches on TV recently, but I have to admit that I cannot manage to watch a full game as without fans it is not the same at all."

Kelly has already been chatting with some other managers about returning to action in the summer.

He added: "I have had some talks with other managers about getting some pre-season matches set up."

The Boro boss also did not rule out the possibility of some games in April and May, but admitted this could prove tricky with regard to contracted players.

Kelly said: "No-one has contacted me yet about playing in April or May, and while I would not rule this out, we have to be careful about players coming back too soon after being out of action so long and this could also cause some issues regarding contracted players if the season has been curtailed."