Hello......

If next season kicks off on time and our ground isn't ready you might have some old friends playing at Twerton Park when you're away!

You're always welcome at Twerton Park, Neil.
Maybe you will enjoy our company the following season?

Thanks. I work until 1.40 on Saturdays, it's hard enough getting to Evesham!

Don't want to go back in the south either.

This is what Tigerroar is alluding to (from GloucestershireLive):

Gloucester City ground-share in place as back-up to Meadow Park that could see them play 45 miles away

The Tigers could play at Bath City's Twerton Park if new stadium is not ready

The National League have received their application to play at their new stadium subject to meeting ground grading standards and Twerton Park in 2020/21 and are expected to approve it at a meeting today.

Gloucester have not played in their own city since the old ground on the site was destroyed by floods in 2007 but work begun in January on building a new 3,208 capacity ground, which will have a 3G pitch.

They have been hoping to return in time for pre-season ahead of the next campaign but progress has slowed down since the country went into lockdown eight days ago due to the coronavirus pandemic, increasing fears that it will not be ready in time.

If Gloucester are unable to start next season at Meadow Park, it means they will be playing home games 45 miles away at Twerton Park, which has a capacity of 8,840.

Their current groundshare agreement with Evesham United expires at the end of this season – which is currently suspended – and new ground grading rules mean they would not be able to keep playing in the sixth tier of English football there next season.

As previously reported by Gloucestershire Live, Oxford City and Kidderminster Harriers were also under consideration for what chairman Alex Petheram described as a fall-back option.

Writing on the Gloucester City website, Gloucester City co-chairman Alex Petheram said: "We don’t know when we’ll be back to full speed ahead at MP and we don’t know if we’ll have to revert to our plan B. We have spoken to Bath City as an option if we’re delayed, but as we don’t even know when this season will end and how long we’ll be in ‘lockdown’, looking forward to next season would just be guessing."

In the post, Petheram also said the build is "slowly progressing under the strict government guidelines."

He also confirmed that the club have placed staff and players on furlough leave, using the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme that allows companies to claim 80 per cent of a person's monthly salary up to £2,500.

Gloucester City have been approached for comment.

Bath makes sense cos Alex lives down that way!