Dean Edwards is making the most of the good bits of lockdown – and wondering whether the changes it has brought on will radically alter our football thinking in the future.
The former Wolves striker has noticed the effects of the stay-at-home orders more than most as he lives on the holiday trail in Torquay.
“You would not normally be able to move in the resort in this sort of weather,” he said. “But there have been some really quiet days down here.
“There’s no comparison with what we are used to. You might see an occasional barbecue and some people dotted around on the beaches but it’s very different.
“I worry about what it’s doing to the area. It’s going to cripple the economy, the hotels especially, and hearing that the Shearings coach company had gone bust will alarm people locally because we are so used to seeing them pour into the area with holiday-makers or day-trippers.
“I love to see the whole place thriving and hope those days come back as soon as possible but you have to enjoy what advantages there are for now.
“One thing I noticed, for example, is that the sea is lovely at the moment. I could see the fish a lot easier in the harbour. I’m not sure I have ever seen the bottom there before but the water is so much clearer now that there isn’t much going on.
“And the weather has been sensational. I have got a better tan than when I went to Egypt on holiday – it’s just a shame the tourist trade hasn’t been able to enjoy the benefits of that.”
On August 2, Edwards is due to welcome the Wolves All Stars team to Barnstaple Town – the Southern League Division One South club where he was named manager last autumn.
But, like everything else, the charity visit is subject to satisfactory progress being made in combatting coronavirus. And non-League football remains very much on hold after its early termination this season.
“With the Premier League being played behind closed doors from the middle of this month, I do wonder whether the idea of summer football will be discussed again soon,” Edwards added.
“We had 65 per cent of the matches in January called off because of the weather and that figure rose to 70 or 75 per cent with some other leagues.
“The events of the last couple of months have slowed everyone down and given us thinking time and maybe people will start to think that more games in summer is an idea worth considering.
“It is going to be a new experience for us all when it resumes here in two or three weeks and I can certainly see some attraction in it…..watching a match on a warm night and then going for a beer afterwards has to beat going out in the freezing cold in January.”