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Surely the club could find some boys or girls who would like to do this.
Relying on the players to get the ball slows the game down and helps the opposition to waste time.
Teams will raise their game at Plainmoor and many will look at waste time. We should do all we can to maximise our home advantage.
To me this seems symptomatic of what's wrong with the club, top to bottom.

Least of our worries!

Chrisjb66 wrote: ↑12 Aug 2023, 19:46 Least of our worries!

But an easy one to put right.

Their initial disappearance was down to Covid rules. To take their place sterilised replacement balls were kept at the side of the pitch for the players to use. Why they have not been reinstated is anyone's guess - maybe to do with stringent safeguarding regulations and constant vigilance required today to keep children safe.

We didnt even get a fourth official today, what chance people to collect the balls.

Also what is the whole can’t pay by card /cash at turnstile on day, that’s silly .

Even more stupid is not able to pay by card for chips etc inside the stadium - i literally wanted to spend money & wasn’t able to. Just the club isn’t making good decisions lately all over the shop

Gull1899 wrote: ↑12 Aug 2023, 22:05 Also what is the whole can’t pay by card /cash at turnstile on day, that’s silly .

Even more stupid is not able to pay by card for chips etc inside the stadium - i literally wanted to spend money & wasn’t able to. Just the club isn’t making good decisions lately all over the shop

Haven't been able to pay at the turnstile since football returned after the lock downs, about three years.
I believe the food outlets in the ground are franchises and not run by the club, so have their money handling policies.

culmstockgull wrote: ↑12 Aug 2023, 21:37 We didnt even get a fourth official today, what chance people to collect the balls.

You don't get a fourth official at NLS level.

Very sad, perhaps we can’t afford a coke and a bag of crisps!

Perhaps they are looking for Gary Johnsons balls. If he had any he would have resigned 2 years ago.

Not sure there's a conspiracy, however I sit just behind the Home dug out, and there was certainly a young lad by there in the high viz Ball Retriever bib.

He was on our side of the fence though, maybe it's a cunning plan by GJ to simply not allow the opposition to attack quickly and give our lumbering team a chance to regroup?!

Think I'd have my subs warming up strategically along the one side of the pitch, ready to return the ball quickly to our player if needed. But hey that's just me.

DB57 wrote: ↑12 Aug 2023, 22:39 You don't get a fourth official at NLS level.

Yup, and just as a suggestion, the club might want to tell their 'substitution monkey'... whoever holds up the board for you... that because of the lack of a fourth official, its actually THEIR job to use the board to inform the crowd how much time has been added on for stoppages.

No-one had a clue yesterday what the scale of the stoppage time was

They didn't inform him/her of this because presumably they were blissfully unaware themselves.

Likewise on the subject of 'ball-non gender specific operatives', I can't recall a single NLS club that does have them.

It feeds into my earlier observation on another thread about half your problems starting with the clubs entrenched EFL mindset.

They are in regional non-league football, how do they hope to get out if they don't understand where they are and how things operate here?

The stoppage time was shown, 3 minutes, however it was a blink and you'll miss it event by someone sat on the bench. I was sat 20ft away and still nearly missed it. It shows just how amateur we are/this league is.

A few comical moments showed the passion or ineptitude of Downsie, a couple of times he turned arms raised to berate the fourth official over some perceived injustice, then realised there wasn't one standing there. I just have to laugh, overwise I'll get angry.

For our supposed high tempo pressing game, why haven't we arranged to have ball boys (ball retrievers) there? For someone who does their homework, why is something so basic ignored?