No big teams here - Conference South 2014-15

[Bored Of Education]

As I went to my first friendly on Tuesday - a creditable defeat to an excellent Jacks' U-21 team, I suppose I should start this.

Bath City are going to be flirting with the play-offs again at best and relegation at worst. We have kept most of our good players, jettisoned a couple of older more expensive players like Josh Low, made some interesting signings and have some promising kids coming through again. We played lovely football against the Jacks but, as they do as well, it was the match to do it. Tonbridge Angels away may be a different proposition.

Having a look, if I am reading odds correctly, the current favourites are looking like Ebbsfleet, Sutton United, Bromley , Havant and Waterlooville and Wealdstone which sound plausible but I reckon it is going to be another season where the points spread from top to bottom is going to be fairly narrow again.

[Gangster Octopus]

No big teams here - Conference South 2014-15

Bugger, I meant to start this. Before this season, I've only seen one Conference South match.

[slackster]

No big teams here - Conference South 2014-15

Unless I've missed the very latest instalment of the AGM Cup, Bored will be relieved to know Ton Angels relegation to the Ryman Prem means you'll all be spared our local cloggers this season.

[Bored Of Education]

No big teams here - Conference South 2014-15

I had actually forgotten that but the point still stands.

[Crusoe]

No big teams here - Conference South 2014-15

However many days it is until the season starts and Farnborough still haven't assembled a team of eleven players, let alone a squad. I think we currently have 8 contracted players. The Blackpool approach.

[Bored Of Education]

No big teams here - Conference South 2014-15

It's the Vanarama Conference South now.

[JVL]

No big teams here - Conference South 2014-15

H&Y squad is still not sorted yet - our confirmed signings seem to be De'Reece Vanderhyde from Orient and a few others, but the website only shows seven players so far.

Will be happy with a season not spent sliding towards relegation, and no participation in the AGM Cup please. Hopefully the move to Maidenhead will encourage a few more people to the games - it's a hell of a lot easier to get there from the Hayes are a than it was to get to Woking. I'm not making any predictions about when our own ground will be finished.

[JVL]

No big teams here - Conference South 2014-15

Good start for us, a 1-0 win at St. Albans.

Cost of an adult ticket at Clarence Park this season: 15 quid.

[Cardew The Cad]

No big teams here - Conference South 2014-15

Saw my first ever Conference South game on Saturday. Wealdstone looked brighter and went in a goal up. Eastbourne well worth the 90th min equaliser. Decent opening day crowd for us of just over 700. Statistics show we are the best supported team in the division this season.

That thumbs-up Vanarama logo is marvellously cheap looking. Like someone had 2 minutes to find an image before they went to print.

Surprise result of the day was probably the H&Y win at St Albans, although newly re-moneyed Whitehawk's home defeat to Staines runs it close.

Stones have a midweek trip to Stortford before a weekend overseas visit to Gosport. Who can refuse going to a game by ferry?

[Bored Of Education]

No big teams here - Conference South 2014-15

Keen observers may have noticed that I have been a touch quiet and, perhaps, linked this to our two opening games where we shipped 7 goals and 6 points. I saw that worst City performance chart I have seen last Tuesday when we were 4-0 down after 26 minutes but, apparently, our first weekend performance away to Canvey, where we lost 3-0, was worse. Thankfully, my wife's root canal work stopped me travelling to that.

This set of results showed how pre-season is no predictor of league games as we had a brilliant set of friendly results. However there was a feeling that no-one knew our best starting line-up, formation or system even when this was going on. This definitely has followed on into the first two games.

Saturday was ok - nothing more, nothing less - we could have won it 2 or 3 nil but equally we could have lost to a snatched goal from Chelmsford. The clean sheet, better performance and, genuinely, best players playing in a 4-4-2 formation that they seem comfortable with has stopped to the flow of opposition goals and, while a home 0-0 draw shouldn't be celebrated too much, at least some confidence has returned.

In off-field news, I have found dealing with Bath City as frustrating as dealing with lower-division Cardiff City. It really is worrying how thrown together many football clubs are. At least, Bath City have the excuse that it is mostly run by volunteers.

[rick derris]

No big teams here - Conference South 2014-15

maidenhead 100% record so far

[Cardew The Cad]

No big teams here - Conference South 2014-15

Ditto Wealdstone. Albeit 3 draws.

An odd end to Saturday's goalless draw at Gosport. An injury time acrobatic volley from 40-something Scott McGleish (correctly) ruled out as the throw-in leading to it was deemed a foul one by the lino, some 30 yards away. Foot over the line. There'd been a good twenty seconds of celebration before it was realised that the referee had blown up for an infringement. How we chuckled.
And here it is.

We've looked the better team in two of our three games and nearly won the other one, but at this rate we could be relegated without losing a game.

[Bored Of Education]

No big teams here - Conference South 2014-15

That Gosport kit is lovely.

The lino on Saturday ruled a player offside from a throw. Despite the ref overruling him, play carrying on seamlessly and the lino mouthing "I know" and giving a thumbs up upon this being pointed out, he got dog's abuse for the rest of the game. It really is a psychological release for some, isn't it?

[Cardew The Cad]

No big teams here - Conference South 2014-15

Clearly you mean the Stones kit. The Robin Friday Cardiff strip turned 90 degrees.

[Ray de Galles]

No big teams here - Conference South 2014-15

Officially OTF's Kit of the Season last campaign.

That truncated pitch invasion is fantastic, the leader of it (coming in from the right of the shot) looks wonderfully like he's wearing Flavor Flav's clock (though I know it's actually a dap bag).

[Seven Saxon Kings]

No big teams here - Conference South 2014-15

JVL wrote: Cost of an adult ticket at Clarence Park this season: 15 quid.

I've only just read this but it's completely shameful.

[Bored Of Education]

No big teams here - Conference South 2014-15

Cardew The Cad wrote: Clearly you mean the Stones kit. The Robin Friday Cardiff strip turned 90 degrees.

Of course I did.

[Cardew The Cad]

No big teams here - Conference South 2014-15

Just checking.

Gosport's kit is difficult to have an opinion on. They got to the Trophy final last season - dicked by Cambtidge in the final - and therefore trousered a decent amount of cash. Apparently their ground has had some sort of refit.
I did notice a rather incongruous building at one corner. A A two-story breeze-block set of ten office cum ahem, executive lounges. Non-league needs more of this of course.
No raised or covered terraces at all, but an area behind the goal just outside the bar where the local drinking club can antagonise any away support. Wasn't so keen.

Our tinpot pitch invasions are something of an embarrassment.

[imp]

No big teams here - Conference South 2014-15

I'm thinking of going to Boreham Wood v Bath this Saturday. If anyone knows of any reason why this is a bad idea, please feel free to speak up.

[via vicaria]

No big teams here - Conference South 2014-15

Borehamwood is really not the nicest of grounds to visit. Nothing wrong with it physically, it's decent for the level. But you'd be dealing with Borehamwood fans.

[Bored Of Education]

No big teams here - Conference South 2014-15

imp wrote: I'm thinking of going to Boreham Wood v Bath this Saturday. If anyone knows of any reason why this is a bad idea, please feel free to speak up.

Well, you are guaranteed to see 3 points for the home team. We are shit at the moment.

[Cardew The Cad]

No big teams here - Conference South 2014-15

'Wood are mostly known in non-league circles for having a rent-a-mob that they call upon whenever they need a bit of edge to a fixture. I think their play-off victory over Kingstonian (3 seasons ago?) was the last time they performed. One of them striking the K's centre-back - and disappearing back into the crowd.

They're pretty much a model for clubs of that size. Their chairman has built a number of non-match day income streams. A 6th form college, all weather pitches for hire and links with Arsenal - both Ladies and (I think U21's) play there. It's very difficult to get a sizeable following in the London area if you don't have a decent history to begin with, and albeit that they are slightly removed from London almost everyone in the town supports a bigger side.

So Borehamwood FC are a small part of a local businessman's enterprise and locals remain uninterested, despite the fact they're competitive at this level and have a very nice ground to watch football in.

Don't go.

[Cardew The Cad]

No big teams here - Conference South 2014-15

...and FFS Stones are home to Bromley down the road.

We're going to win a game eventually.

This league proving rather tougher than the Ryman. Four draws and a defeat see us four places off the bottom. Goalless at much-fancied Ebbsfleet yesterday. They were reduced to ten, then had their penalty saved and both sides missed one chance each but it was not pretty. Locals unimpressed.

Fleet are full time apparently with 23 professionals and are backed by a Kuwaiti Holdings company. Crowd of 900 yesterday. Warms the heart this innocent non-league football huh.

[Paul S]

No big teams here - Conference South 2014-15

The Kuwati Holdings company you refer to are the same people who are involved with plans to build a huge £2bn film world in north Kent.

[Ray de Galles]

No big teams here - Conference South 2014-15

There are rumours of someone from/connected with the FA who was at the Gosport game demanding sanctions for Wealdstone after some very minor incidents following the disallowed goal.