Matt laments fact Bees may never play again

Oct 6 2009 by Brian Dick, Birmingham Mail

CAPTAIN Matt Long has lamented the fact Bees may have played their last match.

The evergreen prop led a brave but under-prepared Birmingham & Solihull side in Saturday’s 29-0 defeat to Rotherham.

Uncertainty still surrounds the cash-strapped club, who must either enter voluntary liquidation or pay the tax man £93,000 by tomorrow.

While there are negotiations behind the scenes to secure a new investor, a deal has not yet been struck and it is not clear whether Bees will be able to put out a side at Bedford this weekend.

If they can’t, Saturday’s shut-out at home to a very ordinary Titans side, played out in a funereal atmosphere, will be the final entry into what has been an illustrious history.

And Long says that would be a devastating blow.

“I really do hope it’s not the last game,” said the former Moseley man.

“Most of the players don’t know whether it will be or not.

“I hope it’s not because although the place isn’t wonderful, the team and the coaches are usually all up for it.

“It would be absolutely devastating if it ends like this.

“I have been here seven years and was hoping to finish my career here. We have done some good things in that time.”

Most frustrating for the 36-year-old would be not knowing how good Russell Earnshaw’s men may be.

Bees won the National Two title last year with a thrilling brand of rugby that would have posed dangers to every team in level two.

“It would be lovely to see where this team can go,” he said.

“With a bit of a different background we would have found it tough but we would have picked off a few teams.

“From that point of view it is disappointing. If we could have kept last year’s team with the boys we have brought in, we would have got stronger and stronger and I think we would have picked games like Saturday’s off – and a few others.”

But that has become increasingly difficult with leading players leaving the club.

Mark Woodrow has moved to Viadana while prop Craig Voisey has joined Rotherham and Rob Connolly and Darren O’Reilly have returned home to Ireland.