Dale Eve was relieved to have his patience rewarded after making his league debut for Spennymoor Town last weekend.

Having signed for the Vanarama National League North outfit last month, the Bermuda goalkeeper has had to bide his time for a chance to cement his place in manager Jason Ainsley’s starting line-up, despite impressing in a 4-1 win over Stockton Town in the Durham Challenge Cup semi-final.

However, the 25-year-old was handed his opportunity to build on his previous solitary performance and did no harm in staking his claim by keeping a clean sheet in a 4-0 victory over visiting Hereford.

Eve was delighted to finally feature in the league and spoke of the tactical reasoning behind his inclusion as the one change in Ainsley’s starting line-up.

“The wait was finally up. Patience paid off and I’m just glad I was ready for the opportunity,” he said. “During the time of not playing the manager just told me to stay focused and that my time was coming

“We knew Hereford’s tactics were to try and be good from set pieces and crosses. Having me as the change to the line-up led to the interruption in their plans for the day.

“With myself coming for the majority of the crosses, it gave them little chance to penetrate us.”

Eve’s patience is set to be tested once again after the National League suspended all fixtures until at least April 3 due to the global spread of Covid-19.

The announcements came as the Football Association recommended that “all grassroots football in England to be postponed for the foreseeable future”.

Eve said: “Obviously we are all a bit gutted to have to go through this worldwide epidemic, but we respectfully understand the crisis we are in and fully support it for the benefit of health across the country.”

The decision came days after action was taken to suspend all elite level football in Britain including all games in England’s Premier League, EFL, Women’s Super League and Women’s Championship, as well as in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, being postponed.

As a result, a host of non-League fixtures continued as scheduled last weekend with Eve and compatriot Justin Donawa both featuring despite concerns over the growing threat of the virus.

“I didn’t bother worrying about the other leagues being suspended while we still played,” Eve added. “My main focus was on my own 90 minutes.”