The reorganisation of the Joma Devon and Exeter League has been particularly harsh on Feniton, who were a long way clear of the Premier East Division before lockdown.
Unfortunately, only five clubs have chosen to resume in the top flight, which all means that Fenny restart on nine points, just three ahead of their hosts this weekend, Lyme Regis.
“It is very disappointing that the Premier Division only has five teams remaining,” said Feniton manager James Hiscox. “A number of teams have opted not to restart, which is something we obviously respect as their choice.
“There might be various reasons; some might not want to continue because clubhouses can’t open, changing rooms are still shut and possibly some teams with ambitions to win the league, who might have felt there wasn’t much point as we were so far ahead at the time.
“I don’t blame any club for not wanting to continue. Some players might not have felt it was safe to continue as well.
“It is disappointing for us because we were enjoying such a good campaign. We’re now down to the five clubs and our aim is to finish top, as the Devon and Exeter League have said the champions from East and West will meet in a final.
“It gives us something extra to try and achieve, but we first need to be ready for a tough game at Lyme Regis on Saturday. We were due to play them before lockdown and we now go there with just a three-point lead.
“We’ve trained twice this week, just to get the players ready. Nobody will be match-fit, obviously, but we want to prepare ourselves as much as possible.”
Further down the line for Feniton is a chance to move up the football pyramid, as they have applied to join the Devon Football League.
“We’ve got our fingers crossed that we can finish top of the Premier Division and the Devon Football League will accept us as members next season,” added Hiscox.
“We know there are a lot of other teams that have also applied for promotion but hopefully success on the pitch will put us in a good position.”