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    #26
    Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

    Our ground's in a posh bit of Walton but the locals and the Council would rather have us out and groundsharing at Casuals.

    Cash-strapped with Theo Paphitis as a director? That's us, apparently.

    Comment


      #27
      Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

      Ibn Pickthall wrote:

      Anyone know how you add a radius & circle to googlemaps? Trying to work out how many clubs are within a 5 and 10km radius of here.
      I knew I'd find the thread where someone posted up a site that mapped your nearest football ground and, er, the person who did it was you, Ibn!

      We even had the same conversation about where I live and who my regular local clubs are. Such is the nature of the board, I suppose.

      .

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        #28
        Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

        I even asked the same question about where you're based. Haha. Embarrassing. Thanks for rooting that out though.

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          #29
          Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

          I shall endeavour to be an occasional correspondent for Southern Counties East League, which is the awful new moniker for the Kent League (step 5). They even tried to shoehorn in a couple of East Sussex clubs this year: Crowborough Athletic and Rye, but those clubs and the Sussex League successfully appealled.

          I'll mostly be keeping an eye on Tunbridge Wells, who are expecting a tilt at the title after reaching the Vase final last season and upping their average League crowds to a couple of hundred, which dwarfs most of the other clubs.

          Comment


            #30
            Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

            I wouldn't have said Walton and Hersham are that unpopular in the local non-league scene, I'd think most people are pretty apathetic towards them. Grounds with running tracks are annoying, that's about the end of it.

            As identified Met Police are far more disliked. Croydon Athletic were also unpopular when they were throwing the money around.

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              #31
              Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

              Another plane photo from Bedfont, from our friendly today:

              On Twitter

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                #32
                Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

                My closest ten:

                Berkhamsted (SSML Premier)
                Tring Athletic (SSML Premier)
                Bovingdon (Herts SCL Premier)
                Tring Corinthians (SSML Div 2)
                Chesham United (Southern League Premier)
                Pitstone & Ivinghoe (SSML Div 2)
                Chipperfield Corinthians (Herts SCL Premier)
                Hemel Hempstead Town (Southern League Premier)
                Kings Langley (SSML Div 1)
                Leverstock Green (SSML Premier)

                The reborn Berkhamsted's rise back through the divisions seems to have come to a halt and they have now spent two seasons in the SSML Premier, but it's a well run club and I'll be at Broadwater when possible to see how they can pick up in the new season.

                Last time out they reached the second qualifying round of the FA Cup where they narrowly went out to a Met Police side two divisions above them.

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                  #33
                  Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

                  Just to note that this year's Non League Day is scheduled for 7th September. Reports of local activity, events and match attendance will be most welcome on this thread.

                  Comment


                    #34
                    Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

                    Exciting times -- after three long months, the new season starts on Saturday for my local clubs in the UCL and SSML. Standout fixtures are both in the SSML Division 2, at Willen FC and one of Auntie Beryl's nearby teams, Pitstone & Ivinghoe.

                    Willen is a small hamlet swallowed up long ago by the development of Milton Keynes, a mixture of old cottages with roses arched round the front doors and 1980s estate housing. It includes a charming 1680 parish church designed by Robert Hooke and, perhaps more surprisingly, a temple associated with the Nipponzan-Myohoji strand of Japanese Buddhism. There is also a large balancing lake popular with watersports folks and birders alike. In the middle of the lake is an island, home to three goats that were placed there by the local Parks Trust to keep the foliage and grass down. The goats hit the headlines some years ago when a couple of park staff nipped over to see how they were getting on only to discover they'd been stolen.

                    For Willen FC, who play out of the municipal sports pavilion tucked away in a corner near the church and lake, Saturday's a very big day, representing as it does their first-ever match in the SSML and the pyramid proper. They kick things off with a derby against Mursley United, a side from a village in open country just to the west of the MK conurbation, who finished in mid-table last season.

                    Pitstone & Ivinghoe, meanwhile, will play host to New Bradwell St Peter, a team from northern Milton Keynes who picked up a degree of attention last year when they drew 6 and lost 34 of their 40 league games. NBSP's preseason has been pretty hush hush so it remains to be seen how much success their new coach has had at bringing players to a club that has a rather prouder tradition than the disasters of 2012/13 would suggest. Can they start to rebuild? We don't have too long to wait to find out.

                    Comment


                      #35
                      Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

                      Interesting stuff, Furtho, keep reporting back.

                      Comment


                        #36
                        Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

                        45 grounds and former grounds within 10 miles of where I live, I feel extremely lucky. 4 miles away from Greenwich Borough which has been mentioned up thread. 2 miles from the Champion Hill Stadium. Didn't realise I was that close to Dulwich Hamlet.

                        Comment


                          #37
                          Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

                          Well, bloody hell. It's been a spine-chillingly terrible start to the season for my local MK & North Bucks sides, is what it's been. Mighty Wolverton Town, at least, managed a win, biffing last year's SSML Division 2 wooden spooners Caddington 4-2. And the above-mentioned MK derby between Willen FC and Mursley United turned out to be an exciting 6-3 win for Mursley. But apart from that little lot, *all eight* local teams in the SSML and UCL lost. Things were particularly cataclysmic for Stony Stratford Town in SSML Division 1, annihilated ten fucking nil at Watford-based Sun Postal Sports. I'm hunkering down in preparation for a tough year.

                          Comment


                            #38
                            Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

                            10-0. Shite. So the SSML has got an extra division compared to the UCL and ECL, then. Presumably the county and combination leagues kick in a step lower there.

                            In the ECL we seem to have trouble finding enough teams from county and combination leagues who want to make step up - they looked really pushed for numbers this year. And the current members include Cornard United, one of the two star teams in last season's 'Pointless' thread (they got four points from their last two games). Cornard got off to a reassurring 0-5 at home to March Town United, in front of 27 lucky souls. Quite what Cornard United think they're getting out of this league compared to the Essex and Suffolk Border League is beyond me.

                            My local side, Ely City, were away to Gorleston in the ECL Premier and lost 3-1. Gorleston were third last season and as such are the highest placed team still in the league.

                            Comment


                              #39
                              Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

                              I like that way that someone might glance at "UCL" or "ECL" and think these are references to the UEFA/European Champions League.

                              Champions League? You're having a laugh.

                              Comment


                                #40
                                Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

                                Gangster Octopus wrote:
                                Originally posted by mirko bolesan
                                My local club Bracknell Town finished fourth in the Hellenic League Division 1 East last season but were awarded promotion after the Hellenic Premier found itself short on teams (the three teams who finished above them remain in HLD1E as their grounds weren't up to scratch).
                                See my post up there. Harrumph.
                                The pictures from Rayners Lane's trophy celebrations were a real treat:


                                https://twitter.com/RaynersLaneFC/status/328560325622382592/photo/1

                                etc.

                                Comment


                                  #41
                                  Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

                                  I watched Bracknell Town's opening Hellenic Premier tie with Wootton Bassett this afternoon. A 4-1 victory for the hosts despite WB dominating much of the match. Very glad football is back and attending Bracknell games now for the first time as a season ticket holder.

                                  One of Bracknell's goals was scored by Ben Knight who has just begun his fifth spell at the club.

                                  Furtho, you may be interested to know that the Berks & Bucks Cup draws were made today:
                                  http://www.berks-bucksfa.com/cups/2013-2014

                                  Comment


                                    #42
                                    Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

                                    kevchenko wrote: ... So the SSML has got an extra division compared to the UCL and ECL, then. Presumably the county and combination leagues kick in a step lower there.

                                    ... Cornard got off to a reassurring 0-5 at home to March Town United, in front of 27 lucky souls...
                                    Yep, there's an SSML Prem, 1st and 2nd compared with the UCL Prem and 1st. As was touched upon in the County Cups thread, the county FA in these parts covers Beds & Bucks as a job lot but although they oversee several cup competitions they don't have a league. The local teams being promoted into SSML Division 2 (all? Mostly?) do so via the geographically vague North Bucks & District League.

                                    You may not know the answer to this one, Kevchenko, but what is it with these tautological team names in the fens and western parts of East Anglia? I'm thinking March Town United and Soham Town Rangers (there may be others). Can't they make their bloody minds up?

                                    @Mirko Bolesan, cheers for the cup draw info. The Beds & Bucks FA seem determined to keep this sort of thing as poorly publicised as they can, but truth will out when activists with Twitter accounts involve themselves. What can you tell us about the Bracknell Town matchday experience these days?

                                    Comment


                                      #43
                                      Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

                                      Cheers Furtho, a look at the Pyramid site suggests two other leagues feed into the SSML - the Hertfordshire Senior County League and the East Berkshire League.

                                      In Soham's case, it was a straight merger of the two clubs Soham Town and Soham Rangers. Soham does have a second team - Soham United.

                                      For March, there was March (Great Eastern Railway) United and March Town, and only the latter restarted football after the war. But Town started to play at United's ground, and duly added United to their name.

                                      Comment


                                        #44
                                        Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

                                        Fine 3-1 win for Musselburgh Athletic at home to Tayport in the opening East Juniors Super League gemme this afternoon. Derby on Tuesday night against the newly promoted Nitten Star who roundly humped Kelty 6-2.

                                        The pot's boiling should any of you be around Newtongrange for say 7.15pm.

                                        Comment


                                          #45
                                          Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

                                          Antepli Ejderha wrote: 45 grounds and former grounds within 10 miles of where I live, I feel extremely lucky. 4 miles away from Greenwich Borough which has been mentioned up thread. 2 miles from the Champion Hill Stadium. Didn't realise I was that close to Dulwich Hamlet.
                                          I think we might have found the venue for our next meet at a match then, AE!

                                          Comment


                                            #46
                                            Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

                                            From the Ryman thread it looks like Toby Gymshorts might be going to Champion Hill in a couple of weeks too. JT Captain Leader Legend went on Saturday. Quite a good concentration of OTFers round those parts then!

                                            Any Northants/UCL fans know what's happening with Woodford United? They were relegated from Southern Div.1C with zero points last season. As far as I can tell, they have been put into the UCL Div.1 rather than the Premier, but it looks like they haven't got any fixtures scheduled?? Loads of problems getting players (and managers) last season I think. Are they actually going to compete this time?

                                            Comment


                                              #47
                                              Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

                                              I'm no expert when it comes to the goings on in far distant Northamptonshire, obviously, but from what I can gather following their relegation out of the Southern League Woodford United were originally placed in the UCL Premier. On Friday lunchtime, i.e. about 27 hours before kickoff in the first game of the season, the club reported they would have to postpone their opening fixture against Sleaford Town. By the end of the afternoon they had requested a place in the UCL Division 1. This they have been given, but it's going to take a while to sort out the fixture list. Clearly Woodford is a club that has got itself into something of a pickle, but in organisational terms it's all rather unimpressive.

                                              Comment


                                                #48
                                                Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

                                                Sounds good Harry.

                                                Comment


                                                  #49
                                                  Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

                                                  Furtho wrote: @Mirko Bolesan, cheers for the cup draw info. The Beds & Bucks FA seem determined to keep this sort of thing as poorly publicised as they can, but truth will out when activists with Twitter accounts involve themselves. What can you tell us about the Bracknell Town matchday experience these days?
                                                  Marvellous as ever!

                                                  I spent a very pleasant evening watching Bracknell storm to another 4-1 victory, this time at Holyport (who play in a rather fetching claret/green/claret combo). It leaves Bracknell top of the Hellenic Premier. Though it's not likely to last long.

                                                  Binfield won their opening game 7-0 and played Kidlington this evening (who had lost their opening game 9-0). The match ended 1-1 with Kidlington spending much of the second half with 9 men! There are no easy games at this level... erm.

                                                  Abingdon Town are bottom of the Hellenic Premier with their local rivals Abingdon United one place above them.

                                                  Hellenic League takes a break for FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round action this coming weekend.

                                                  Comment


                                                    #50
                                                    Local Football, aka the Other Non-Leagues Thread

                                                    Charming photo you tweeted, Mirko Bolesan - it looked like a lovely evening for a 4-1 win.

                                                    Returning to the Beds & Bucks Cup, specifically of the Intermediate variety, it provides a good example of the fixture list problems that have dogged the last few weeks in this part of the world. The Cup draw has on more than one occasion been surreptitiously changed on the B&B FA site. Old Bradwell United's arrangements for the First Round, for instance, were tweaked from initially playing Bucks CC, then to having a bye and now to playing Willen.

                                                    Something similar seems to have happened in Northants, where of course the Woodford United situation referred to above is still hanging over the UCL. In the SSML a large proportion of league fixtures for the whole of the season have simply been re-drafted as a result I understand of dissatisfaction from member clubs with the first attempt, causing slip-ups and confusion all round. I accept that league schedules must be devilishly complicated things to get right, but cup draws? That seems odd to me.

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