Stenhousemuir chairman’s diary: Saying goodbye to Billy

At the end of last week, we said our goodbyes to Billy Kilpatrick.

Billy was a friend to the club and like his wife Margaret our general manager, he was a big part of the club and a friend to many.

Although the service adhered to the new social distancing guidelines, a number of friends from the club, including myself, were able to attend. It was a stark reminder of the impact of this deadly virus and reinforces the reasons why we need to persevere with the Government guidelines to stay indoors where possible.

It is also the main reason why football is taking a back seat at the moment. It will return, but only when it is safe and that should always be the priority.

The football authorities have begun to plan ahead and look to when that return might be. As part of these deliberations, and as a way to deal with issues from the implications of ending last season early, league reconstruction talks have begun.

There are many different ideas and suggestions and just about every club has its own preferred model. Clubs in League 2 have made an attempt to form a unified position so that we can hopefully help simplify the task for our league representatives on the reconstruction group, and to reduce the number of different voices around the table.

Where those talks go is anyone’s guess, and where we end up is yet to be decided. Whatever route we go down, I just hope that the new model deals with more than just helping avoid relegation for one or two clubs.

It’s a chance to create something better or even to begin the process for future meaningful reconstruction that involves supporters, players and wider opinion.

I just hope that all clubs enter the discussions in the right spirit with a desire to improve the whole game.