Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

[Ray de Galles]

Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

Hoping to get to the big Staines Lammas v Bedfont Sports "Heathrow Derby" in the FA Cup on Friday night. Is there a thread for this year's competition yet?

[Kevin S]

Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

Just had a search and can't find one. Guy posted the fixture lists for the Cup, Trophy and Vase a while back but that was it I think.

[Kevin S]

Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

Quick bit of analysis of the Extra Preliminary Round Draw.

184 ties, 368 teams:

94: Town
35: United
11: Athletic
10: Sports
8: City
6: Rangers, Rovers
5: Borough
3: Sporting, Star
2: Collieries, Manor, Old Boys, Swifts, Wanderers, Welfare
1: Celtic, Forest, Railway, Roofing, Tigers

[Ray de Galles]

Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

I feel the need to record my local side's Molesey's pretty impressive start to the season;



.

[Paul S]

Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

kevchenko wrote: Quick bit of analysis of the Extra Preliminary Round Draw.

184 ties, 368 teams:

94: Town
35: United
11: Athletic
10: Sports
8: City
6: Rangers, Rovers
5: Borough
3: Sporting, Star
2: Collieries, Manor, Old Boys, Swifts, Wanderers, Welfare
1: Celtic, Forest, Railway, Roofing, Tigers

This is the sort of analysis I like!

However, you've missed one off. What about Papers Mills and Vale? Cray Valley Papers Mills v Raynes Park Vale was played yesterday.

[JM Footzee]

Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

Reading this short report about the finances of one of my former local clubs, AFC Totton, I happened across this snippet:

We have also set up an Executive Club which will work out of our Executive Box in the main stand on match days, this will be run by Woggy Taylor, former Kit Man at Southampton FC who hopes to bring along with him ex-Saints players as the season progresses.

Hmm, I'd probably drop that nickname, Woggy.

[Kevin S]

Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

It's a Suffolk one-two in the ECL Premier after four games, as Ipswich Wanderers and Hadleigh United are both on ten points, with a draw against each other (2-2 at Ipswich on Wednesday) and three wins apiece.

At the other end, my local side Ely City are still yet to get off the mark; Hadleigh put them to the sword 0-3 at the Unwin yesterday, but they are kept off the foot of the table on goal difference by the orange-clad Diss Town, who lost 6-0 at Stanway Rovers yesterday.

[slackster]

Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

So, the 2014/15 FA Vase, then.

R4 was virtually wrapped up yesterday. I saw Tun Wells lose their replay to Highworth on penalties after a close 2-2 draw. TW's penalties were hopeless with only 1 finding the net. The visitors tucked all theirs away and were marginally the better team in front of a decent 800ish crowd at The Culverden. Can't see them going all the way, though.

The R5 draw looks like this.

Fixtures
Tuesday 27 January 2015 Fourth Round Proper
Kick Off No. Home Away
19:45 1R Shaw Lane Aquaforce VS Walsall Wood
Saturday 7 February 2015 Fifth Round Proper
Kick Off No. Home Away
15:00 1 Bradford Town VS Highworth T
15:00 2 AFC St Austell VS Stanway Rovers
15:00 3 Ascot United VS Norwich United
15:00 4 Walsall W / Shaw Lane Aquaforce VS Flackwell Heath
15:00 5 Glossop NE VS Dunston UTS
15:00 6 Holbeach United VS Erith & Belvedere
15:00 7 North Shields VS Phoenix Sports
15:00 8 AFC Mansfield VS Tadcaster Albion

Will a Northern League representative prove too strong for the rest of the field again? Be nice to see Glossop NE have a decent run and a bit of limelight.

[longeared]

Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

If we're going to have an NCEL club in the latter stages of the Vase I'd much rather it be Tadcaster than fucking Shaw Lane Aquaforce. (I'm assuming they will beat AFC Mansfield)

[KGR]

Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

longeared wrote: If we're going to have an NCEL club in the latter stages of the Vase I'd much rather it be Tadcaster than fucking Shaw Lane Aquaforce. (I'm assuming they will beat AFC Mansfield)

Excuse my ignorance, but what's wrong with Shaw Lane Aquaforce, apart from their awful name (presume it's a sponsored name)?

[Gangster Octopus]

Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

Money.

[Grimmer]

Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

Gangster Octopus wrote: Money.

Any details? I'll assume we aren't talking Russian oligarchs here. A quick google didn't throw up anything too horrific (other than a sponsored name).

[Kevin S]

Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

Has everyone's local league's AGM gone ok?





The Eastern Counties League didn't promote anyone this year, with double (ECL Premier Division and Challenge Cup) winners Norwich United opting to stay in the league. The manager accepts that some of the players may leave and join a Ryman League team as a result but feels the club itself is not yet ready.

This meant that three went down to Division 1 (my locals Ely City, plus Diss Town and Wivenhoe Town) and three came up (Long Melford, Swaffham Town and Saffron Walden Town). Saffron Walden secured promotion over direct rivals Great Yarmouth Town with a 1-1 draw in front of the Bloods' biggest ever league attendance - 762. (That's in the ninth level of football...)

Downham Town's ground has been approved after some improvements and there are 20 teams in the Premier and, unfortunately, only 19 in Division 1 - six of which are the reserves of teams higher up the pyramid.

[Kevin S]

Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

slackster wrote: Will a Northern League representative prove too strong for the rest of the field again? Be nice to see Glossop NE have a decent run and a bit of limelight.

And, er, yes.
http://www.wsc.co.uk/wsc-daily/1196-may-2015/12448-film-follows-north-shields-and-glossop-to-fa-vase-final

[longeared]

Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

The NCEL had their AGM in a rather dowdy-looking hotel in Scarborough on Saturday. They made the draw for the ever-bewildering League Cup (some winners of the 1st round proceed to round 2, some to round 3, no me neither) and confirmed the divisions.

Three clubs left - Shaw Lane Aquaforce financially doped their way up to the NPL. Heanor Town moved across to the Midland League, ostensibly to reduce travelling costs but you wonder if they feel they have a better chance of promotion there. Louth Town took a drop to the Lincolnshire League because of ongoing ground difficulties, meaning a late reprieve for Grimsby Borough.

In come Brigg Town and Rainworth MW from the NPL, and Hull United and the splendidly-named Westella VIP from local leagues. Swallownest MW were disgracefully not admitted to the league after they upgraded their ground and just missed the deadline to do so (the fact that they are close to me has no bearing on my opinion here, oh no)

The divisions are back to equal size of 22 teams each, which meant only one relegation in Glasshoughton Welfare and promotion for Clipstone and Pontefract Collieries. The main change this year is play offs for an additional promotion place from the 1st division, which will give some poor buggers even more football given the usual fixture pile up in the spring.

Only one team gets promoted to the NPL, Worksop Town will likely start as favourites for that. Season starts August 8th, some teams are playing friendlies as soon as next week.

[Kevin S]

Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

Cheers longeared, shame about Swallownest - that's a great name. So they struggle to do a sensible Cup draw for 44 teams? They just need to play twelve first round matches and they are away (all of Div.1 plus a couple of teams from the Premier), with 32 in the second round, surely?

Still, sounds like you have plenty of teams kicking around the place. Excluding the reserve sides the ECL is down to 33. Doesn't really seem to be thriving.

[nmrfox]

Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

Delighted to have moved house and I can see Kiveton Park FC's stand from my bedroom window. They play in level 13 - division 2 of the Sheffield & Hallamshire County Senior Football League, laughably now renamed Pete's Patisserie County Senior Football League.

They finished 13th out of 14 last season, but looking at the Div 2 line-up this year, have now been joined by the reserve teams for a few clubs, including Shaw Lane, plus the additions of Denaby Main and Denaby United from the Doncaster League. Despite the new additions, there are now 13 clubs in the bottom tier. Will certainly be wandering over a few times when the season begins.

[longeared]

Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

I heard last week that Kiveton are planning to spend £1.7 million (!) on a new clubhouse / community facility, if that comes off I imagine they'll be attempting to move up the pyramid a bit.

The NCEL Cup would be easier to have a 1st round to reduce it from 44 teams to 32, though the competition regulations exempt all Premier Division teams and the holders from this round, so they have this weird structure to get round that. I also enjoy the fact that the final can be a single match on the ground of either of the finalists, a single match on a neutral ground (which is normally the case) or a two legged match!

[nmrfox]

Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

From what I can gather, its part of a new sports complex with all-weather 7 a side pitches that is to be built on some waste ground next to the cricket pitch, which will then be in the middle of the football ground to the east and the new complex to the west. Most of the funding has been from various community trusts and projects so doesn't appear to be costing the club anything.

[Janik]

Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

Kevchenko wrote: Saffron Walden secured promotion over direct rivals Great Yarmouth Town with a 1-1 draw in front of the Bloods' biggest ever league attendance - 762. (That's in the ninth level of football...)

10th, surely? The ECL Premier is the ninth, so a match aiming for promotion to it must be one lower.

[Kevin S]

Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

Er... yes. Whoops.

[Ray de Galles]

Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

Even though my local club Molesey managed to win it and be promoted to the Isthmian South I still have an affection for the Combined Counties League.

I'm concerned that their inability to corral enough proper teams together for their second tier has led to them allowing reserve sides in though. I know it's commonplace but it damages the integrity of the competition for me:

In accordance with the relevant article, the Board of the CCL has now set the constitution for next season, having decided upon a 22-16 split.

The Divisions will be made up as follows:

Premier Division (22 clubs)

AFC Hayes, Ashford Town (Middlesex), Badshot Lea, Bedfont Sports, Camberley Town, Chertsey Town,Chessington & Hook United, Colliers Wood United, Cove, Epsom & Ewell, Farnham Town, Guildford City,Hanworth Villa, Hartley Wintney, Horley Town, Knaphill, Raynes Park Vale, Redhill, Spelthorne Sports,Sutton Common Rovers, Westfield, Windsor.

Division One (16 clubs)

Abbey Rangers, Ash United, Banstead Athletic, Bedfont & Feltham, CB Hounslow United, Cobham , Dorking, Epsom Athletic, Eversley & California, Farleigh Rovers, Frimley Green, Sandhurst Town, Sheerwater, South Park Res, Staines Lammas, Worcester Park

Apparently South Park Reserves have been joined by two more clubs' second strings since the announcement above.

Sutton Common Rovers are the much renamed and previously nomadic Mole Valley SCR (originally Sutton Common Road/SCR) who will now play at Sutton United's Gander Green lane's new 3G pitch.

[Janik]

Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

longeared wrote: They made the draw for the ever-bewildering League Cup (some winners of the 1st round proceed to round 2, some to round 3, no me neither)

Struggling to get my head around how they have done this. The obvious solution, if the 22 Prem sides get a bye through the opening round, is to have a Preliminary Round of four Division 1 sides. That then cuts R1 to 20 teams, which halves to 10 to add to the 22 given a bye to R2.

Presumably this is in effect what they have done (i.e. some sides have to play one match to reach R3 and others two), but are being disingenuous in not calling it a Preliminary Round. Only equivalent matches can be in a round of a competition, and pretending otherwise is just that, pretending.

[Seven Saxon Kings]

Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

Harry Truscott wrote: Even though my local club Molesey managed to win it and be promoted to the Isthmian South I still have an affection for the Combined Counties League.

I'm concerned that their inability to corral enough proper teams together for their second tier has led to them allowing reserve sides in though. I know it's commonplace but it damages the integrity of the competition for me:

In accordance with the relevant article, the Board of the CCL has now set the constitution for next season, having decided upon a 22-16 split.

The Divisions will be made up as follows:

Premier Division (22 clubs)

AFC Hayes, Ashford Town (Middlesex), Badshot Lea, Bedfont Sports, Camberley Town, Chertsey Town,Chessington & Hook United, Colliers Wood United, Cove, Epsom & Ewell, Farnham Town, Guildford City,Hanworth Villa, Hartley Wintney, Horley Town, Knaphill, Raynes Park Vale, Redhill, Spelthorne Sports,Sutton Common Rovers, Westfield, Windsor.

Division One (16 clubs)

Abbey Rangers, Ash United, Banstead Athletic, Bedfont & Feltham, CB Hounslow United, Cobham , Dorking, Epsom Athletic, Eversley & California, Farleigh Rovers, Frimley Green, Sandhurst Town, Sheerwater, South Park Res, Staines Lammas, Worcester Park

Apparently South Park Reserves have been joined by two more clubs' second strings since the announcement above.

Sutton Common Rovers are the much renamed and previously nomadic Mole Valley SCR (originally Sutton Common Road/SCR) who will now play at Sutton United's Gander Green lane's new 3G pitch.

I guess we could have entered our reserves in it if we had a stadium to be able to field a reserve side.

[hawkvshandsaw]

Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

gonna go to some Farsley Celtic FC fixtures next season, having wanted to for a while and finally stopped working silly hours.