Preece’s fury at Magpies’ run of fixtures on road
Chorley boss Andy Preece has hit out at the National League over the scheduling which means they face three back-to-back away trips in the next week.
Tonight they travel to Telford aiming to get their bid to close the gap of the play-off places back on track following Saturday’s 1-0 home defeat by Radcliffe in National League North.
Then on Saturday they must make the long haul to Bedford, before another Tuesday night journey to Spennymoor Town next week.
“It shows the total lack of understanding in the National League – they’ve no clue unfortunately,” Preece told Chorley FC TV.
“We could have rearranged this game for the first week in March with Telford and they insisted we played on the 17th, meaning we have to go away to Telford, away to Bedford, away to Spennymoor.
“I don’t get it – I totally don’t get it. Obviously administrators, they’ve never played the game, they don’t understand the game.
“They put the players at risk – and I’m not saying on the pitch, I’m talking about off the pitch – travelling late at night.
“And it’s not the first one, it’s an accumulation of playing, travelling, getting back, going to work and then going away to Bedford, doing the same, then you go to Spennymoor away.
“Again, lads are travelling so I’m worried about the lads travelling and I won’t let anyone drive on their own coming back from any of those games, because it ‘s very easy when you’re tired...it’s all right when you’re full-time; you’re playing and then you can go, you can recover, but I don’t get it.”
Preece says the club has a responsibility towards the welfare of their players and feels the league should have the same.
He added: “We have to protect the players because they have to get up early and go to work and that week period is going to be really tough for them.
“So we need to make sure we look after our players, protect them and make sure nothing happens but it won’t be down to the National League – they just need to look at themselves. It’s nothing short of a disgrace.”
Of Saturday’s defeat by Radcliffe, the Magpies boss said: “I can’t complain about the performance. I think we were a little hard done by not to pick up something from the game.
“But credit to Radcliffe. They dug in, in that first half-an-hour and put their bodies on the line, and when you do that, away from home, sometimes you deserve a little bit of luck.”