The club had been hoping to restart the 2020/21 season next month, having only played four league matches so far and none since the end of September.
However, with leagues in the higher tiers of the English non-league system having already scrapped their campaign, and there being little likelihood that any non-elite football being played before the end of March, the English Football Association decided to bring the season to a premature end for all leagues in steps 3 to 6 and expunge it from the records.
A statement released by the Bulls read: ‘We are disappointed with the Football Association’s decision not to restart to the 2020/21 season, but instead to make it null and void. This is especially frustrating when it follows an already null and void previous season. We do, however, fully understand that this action has not been taken lightly and appreciate the reasons why this decision has been reached. We welcome a definitive course of action at this stage to allow clubs such as ourselves to make future plans.’
The club now hope that a long-mooted restructure of the league pyramid may now take place, which could see them ‘promoted’ to a higher division. Bulls had ‘won’ promotion from Combined Counties Division I in their inaugural season after winning all of their 27 league matches but it was taken away from them in May last year when the FA opted not to adopt a points-per-game solution.
The statement added: ‘The English FA have the opportunity to put in motion their delayed re-structuring of the non-leagues. With several months of inactivity ahead, it’s a great opportunity to address the current imbalance that exists between different leagues without penalising any club. The FA have indicated that they are considering this possible restructure and we can confirm that we would be applying for a promotion if that option is available to us.
‘We are proud to be an ambitious club and we are in a strong financial position. Our vision and mission as a football club from the outset has been to provide a sustainable, successful and financially viable proposition in which we will improve playing standards and offer our elite players the opportunity to play at higher levels on a regular basis. This decision does not change our long terms aims.
‘The health, safety and wellbeing of our players, management team and supporters is of paramount importance to the club, and we look forward to the date when we can play in front of a crowd again We would like to take this opportunity to thank our current sponsors and loyal fans for their ongoing support.’
