Jimmy Brennan thought he'd seen it all in football.

Then 2020 arrived.

"I've been in this game for God knows how long and it was the first time I ever played a professional match without any fans. It was absolutely bizarre," he says with a weary laugh.

And it's why he can't quite contain his excitement at the prospect of having them back in the stands next season.

"The fans drive you forward. They create the atmosphere, the emotion. Hopefully, we'll be able to get them in the stadium to back the team and the club. It's vital that they're there with us."

In a year of instability, sport has remained largely accessible but in a vastly different way. With supporters consuming games from a distance, the tradition and routine of match-day has been temporarily interrupted. Brennan can't overstate the impact empty venues have on players, no matter their level of professionalism. For him, it merely comes down to the comfort of the surroundings: the smells, the sights, the sensations. Take that away and the experience is radically altered.

"You get out of your car, walk into the home dressing room and everything's there for you", he says.

"You're in that space playing football and the fans are behind you. You can hear them. There's so much energy it brings to the table. It does drive you on. Being in your own stadium, in your own dressing room, you're comfortable. It's what you know. That's why there's such an advantage to playing in your own backyard."

Things didn't go to plan at The Island Games tournament earlier in the year, though Brennan is quick to point out that for him - and assistants Paul Stalteri and Camilo Benzi - the entire experience proved an invaluable learning curve. Without a proper pre-season, training was restructured to fall in line with Covid-19 restrictions. The squad setup was massively affected, with new signings Nicholas Hamilton and Brian Lopez both missing out completely. A spate of injuries to some notable players was also less than ideal.

Still, there were some notable high points: a collection of young players making firm statements of intent, a delightful strike from newly-acquired Spanish attacker Alvaro Rivero and a superb 3-2 win over Forge FC. Most importantly, Brennan's managerial boundaries were pushed.

"In football, you have to be able to adapt to situations," he says.

"We played Ottawa in the opener and knew absolutely nothing about them. We went in blind and tried to play a certain way but couldn't really try it out. We started out with a 4-4-2 diamond but I think it was the 50th minute when we had to change and go with a 4-3-3 to try and get things going and find some energy. You're chopping and changing formations the whole time but there's not really a chance to get on the pitch and start working them in training. It was a lot of Zoom calls and having conversations in players' rooms: 'Okay guys - let's try this, let's try that'. It was so difficult but I'm glad we did it. It was a great experience. You were adapting and adjusting so it was good for myself, Stally and Camilo. But we'll love nothing more than to have a full run of games instead of seven. Hopefully, it's not something we'll have to do ever again. And it's nice looking forward now: get the players in, work together with a full squad and get some games under our belt before the season gets underway."

Of course, when Brennan and his players finally do get together, the circumstances will be slightly different. A new name, a new crest, a new identity: York United FC.

"We want to expand now and bring lots of people together to create a bigger fanbase," he says.

"I was born in Toronto and I live in the York region so I have a strong connection to both places and the GTA. I'm sure the fans will embrace us and show up on match-day wearing their York United shirts to support our team. When I played over in England, there was always so much history behind the badge and the jersey. You could see the passion from the fans and they made you aware right away that you don't play for yourself but for the badge and the city. Every time you pulled on the shirt, there was an immense sense of pride. And now it's about creating that culture here. When our guys pull on that York United shirt, they're representing an awful lot of people in the York region, the GTA and the city of Toronto now. They've always got to wear that shirt with pride."

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