Woking boss Alan Dowson is urging fans to stay home after telling The Non-League Paper how he feared he was a “goner” when he was struck down by the coronavirus.
The former Walton & Hersham, Kingstonian and Hampton & Richmond manager reveals his COVID-19 nightmare in this weekend's NLP, published as digital paper on Saturday night before it landed on newsstands on Sunday morning.
Now recovering at home as the Cards and the rest of the National League's clubs prepare to be polled on the outcome of the season, the popular Dowson had been incapacitated for the last three weeks. His own “completely horrendous” experience, started within days of the National League season being suspended.
At one terrifying stage, the 49-year-old Gateshead-born boss was treated in hospital in Surrey with oxygen as his body battled to fight off the killer virus that has so far taken the lives of more than 15,000 people in the UK.
Sunday's NLP:
DOWSE: I THOUGHT I WAS A GONER!@wokingfc boss reveals his Coronavirus scareExclusive interviews with:
?Chris Wilder on his rise to the Premier League
?Stuart Pearce recalls his Non-League memories
Digital edition?https://t.co/UDnlQ90nBf pic.twitter.com/DCjYNQ4vxf
— The Non-League Paper (@NonLeaguePaper) April 18, 2020
The former defender tells The NLP: “It was horrendous, completely horrendous and I thought I was a goner. It really knocked the wind out of me. At St Peter's I was pretty out of it but I did get the sense that there were people around me who were a lot worse off than I was.”
Backing the government's current lockdown measures, he delivers a heartfelt message to fans in Sunday's paper with the UK set to be locked down for nearly three more weeks and probably more.
“Just stay at home,” he declares. “Look after yourselves and your family and make sure you stick to the social distancing rules. If you get a bad dose of this virus it is horrible. I really thought I wouldn't make it. It's not worth the risk, just stay indoors.”
In print and online 24/7 as a full digital replica since midnight on Saturday, The NLP's news pages are the only place to get the big picture in one place as the global pandemic continues to ravage society and sport.
Step 3 & 4 sponsors BetVictor pulled out of their title sponsorship last weekend and Northern Premier League chairman Mark Harris has his say on the blow and on what's next for the game as the National League's clubs prepare for historic votes on how to conclude their own suspended campaigns.
Sunday's #NLP ?
Paul Doswell says Non-League football must brace itself for a tsunami of pain – and the @HWFCOfficial boss hit out at the lack of equal voting rights for Step 2 clubs
SUBSCRIBE:
? – https://t.co/biCFjLQhYU
?? – https://t.co/qH2k5sLbE8
— The Non-League Paper (@NonLeaguePaper) April 18, 2020
Get ahead of the game with our free weekly newsletter and never take a chance on missing your NLP on a Sunday or Monday again!
Subscribe today to have the printed edition delivered to your doorstep or enjoy the full digital edition from the comfort of your own home or wherever you are when it pops up on your PC, mobile, tablet or device!
Images courtesy of The Non-League Paper
