Clach boss Jordan MacDonald would have no issue if any of his players did not want to play during lockdown restrictions.
The Highland League, for the time being, is among the leagues which have been given dispensation to continue under the professional sport bracket, despite the Scottish Government’s latest stricter guidelines.
Some figures within the league have expressed scepticism about whether continuing in these circumstances is right, given the part-time nature of the league and absence of testing.
There can also be significant journeys incurred by clubs, with teams like Wick Academy and Fort William facing long away trips on every second weekend.
While he would like to continue playing, MacDonald would have no qualms if the decision was made to stop and would back any players who decided not to play on safety grounds.
He said: “If anyone did we would have no problem with it. Everyone has got family members and livelihoods.
“It’s down to the individual. Nobody has said anything yet but if someone came to us (saying they didn’t want to play), it wouldn’t change our opinion of them.
“There would be no concerns from the management team and the club would back them.
“We want to play but it might be taken out of our hands. If it is, then I’ve no issue with it.”
Clach are due to play Lossiemouth at Grant Park tomorrow, if the fixture beats the weather. They have managed just two games so far this season – one in the Scottish Cup against Caledonian Braves and then their first Highland League game against Inverurie Locos last weekend.
The Lilywhites have had Ryan Fyffe on loan from Championship neighbours Caley Thistle since the middle of December, with MacDonald hopeful of keeping the defender beyond the end of his deal this month.
He added: “He’s a good player and we’re grateful to Caley Thistle for giving him to us. He’s just desperate to play games – the Locos game was the first chance we had to get him involved.
“It’s good that we’ve finally got a good relationship (with Inverness) where they feel they can lend us their younger boys that they’ve got high hopes for.
“We’d like to keep him for longer but that’s not a decision that’s up to us.”
