The Non-League Wheeltappers

[whart57]

I know there is a football focus topic but I thought it might be worthwhile having one dedicated to the game where Saudi money eye-watering TV contracts don't reach. It may seem a bit late in the season, but as Sir Alec once said, this is squeaky bum time, and that occurs in the part-time leagues too.

 

For me, today's recovery at the Dripping Pan means the "Great Escape" is still just about on. Lewes' play off hopes in the Isthmian Premier took a hit, but Herne Bay's point means an unlikely survival is still possible. An away win next Saturday against Wingate and Finchley, who are all but safe, is essential, and avoid defeat against Cray Wanderers this Monday and it'll a go to the final Saturday, something Bay's fans hoped for after their unexpected promotion last year. Shame it's table-topping Bishop's Stortford who visit Winches Field. Perhaps they'll have clinched promotion and still have a hangover ........

[whart57]

Saturday's Isthmian Premier scores make good reading on the North Kent coast. Thrashings for Kingstonian and Bowers not only denying them points but also harming their goal differences and a win for Wingate making them safe from the drop help the Bay cause the most.

[The Lurker]

Cray Wanderers were when I moved to Sidcup my nearest team. They were literally round the corner at the Oxford Road stadium. They moved a few years later when they needed better facilities to remain where they were or to progress in the league pyramid. Their headed paper proudly informed us they were the Second Oldest club in the world (after Sheffield FC).

 

I keep an eye on the local teams - Welling, Tonbridge Angels, Bromley,

 

oh and a boy who used to live in the next street currently plays for Bishop’s Stortford, on loan from Colchester. His brother plays for Crewe, on loan from Brighton. The elder was pally with Elder Lurker when they were very young.

[whart57]

Cray Wanderers have a railway link. The club history says that the club was formed as a result of regular informal games between locals and navvies building the Cray Valley viaduct of the LCDR.

[peanuts]

Dont know if i quite fit in here properly Oldham fan experiencing my first season of non league after tumbling out of the efl last year .

[kevinlms]

A look at the National League, reveals a whole set of names that were in the Football League, not so long ago. Some have been there for a while, but my home town side are there on their first visit, after 101 years.

 

The less said about Southend United the better, I fear!

[whart57]

The National League, or Conference as many still think of it as, must be one of the hardest leagues to get out of. Upwards anyway, it's not that hard to drop out of. That wasn't the case when automatic promotion and relegation came in twenty odd years ago. Then the side that dropped out of the EFL was almost certain to go back up as they were the only full time side in the comp. These days there are few part-time sides left in the National League proper. However with only one automatic promotion slot and one decided by the lottery of play-offs it takes the sort of consistency that players at that level rarely have (if they did they would be employed higher up) to get out of that league. But unpredictability is one of the things that makes non-league football fun.

[62613]

3 hours ago, peanuts said:

Dont know if i quite fit in here properly Oldham fan experiencing my first season of non league after tumbling out of the efl last year .

Course you do! For all the Unsworth haters on Faceache, what would you think the first job of any manager appointed this season would be? I would guess to stabilise things. Along with Frank, he seems to be doing that. Over at Stalybridge, I can see us playing Atherton in the last game of the season and the loser being the team relegated.

 

Edited April 9, 2023 by 62613

[Gareth Collier]

Although a Brighton supporter I also follow Eastbourne Borough. I used to live 100 yards from their ground and the parents still do but more importantly I played for their youth teams back in the early 80's when they were still called Langney Sports.

They did manage 3 years in the conference and looked a good bet to return in the 20/21 season until Covid cancelled the season. Not too bad this year but it looks like they'll fall just short of the playoff spots.

[Rivercider]

4 hours ago, peanuts said:

Dont know if i quite fit in here properly Oldham fan experiencing my first season of non league after tumbling out of the efl last year .

There is always hope.

My first team (Exeter City) spent five seasons there - we were nearly not allowed into the Conference

as the club was such a shambles at the time. But once I got my head around the situation it was fine,

you still visit the same pub before the game, still go through the same turnstile to the same terrace and stand with the same mates, and it is still 11 v 11, many of our team were former academy lads, and several took their chance well. As has been pointed out in the highest division half of the clubs are former football league.

 

cheers    

[Rivercider]

I was born in Exeter, so City is my first team, but have lived in Weston for 50 years, so also try and get

to see the Seagulls (Weston-super-Mare) play a few times each season, there are several former Exeter academy players in the Weston team, and generally one or two of their youngsters on loan - Ollie Watkins made a mark here a few years back.

After a couple of poor seasons Weston have been up at the top of the Southern League Premier South for most of this season. Having been points clear and with games in hand they have a problems in recent weeks against teams lower in the division - but it is still within their own destiny to win promotion. Tomorrow is a local derby against Tiverton Town, so I hope to get over to that,

 

cheers

[whart57]

Herne Bay is my home town club even though I no longer have any connection to any more. When I first watched them they were in something called the Aetolian League. They had been in the Kent League but that folded when the Southern League expanded by a division and the biggest Kent League clubs joined that. The Aetolian League also folded when the Athenian League - second only to the Isthmian in prestige within amateur football at the time - expanded with two extra divisions. Bay were in Division Two and missed out on promotion all the years I watched them as a youngster. They finally won promotion to the Athenian League first division the year I left for uni. And a year or two later the Isthmian co-opted most of the top Athenian League sides when they expanded. Bay dropped back into the reformed Kent League.

 

Herne Bay had a good side in the 1990s, they won the Kent League a couple of times but the ground was not up to the standard required for the Southern League - no floodlights - so promotion was ruled out. The noughties were a bit fallow but then another decent side was put together, one that made the semi-finals of the FA Vase and won the Kent League again. This time promotion was secured to Isthmian Division One South East.

 

Promotion into the Isthmian Premier came through the play-offs and through reorganisation of the Isthmian after some clubs withdrew or merged after the Covid crisis. So to say that Bay was prepared for the higher league - one where the top clubs have four-figure gates - would be wrong. Not least a planned 3G pitch installation meant the first home games had to be played down the road at Ramsgate. So to be still in with a shout of survival this far in is much the best anyone hoped.

[62613]

11 hours ago, peanuts said:

Dont know if i quite fit in here properly Oldham fan experiencing my first season of non league after tumbling out of the efl last year .

What are you doing tomorrow about 1.00 p.m.? Stalybridge v Hyde at Bower Fold

[08221]

I always make a point of following my local non league team so these days its Uttoxeter Town in the Midland premier league - about to be relegated though!

 

Here's a couple of photos of their Oldfields ground during a recent game. 

 

 

 

[62613]

21 hours ago, 62613 said:

What are you doing tomorrow about 1.00 p.m.? Stalybridge v Hyde at Bower Fold

Well, that was a helluva game! 2 - 2, with Celtic scoring a penalty in time added on, and having a player sent off during the gamesmanship melee which followed the award. The game was played in monsoon conditions, and the ref thought about calling it off at half time.

[peanuts]

On 09/04/2023 at 09:56, 62613 said:

Course you do! For all the Unsworth haters on Faceache, what would you think the first job of any manager appointed this season would be? I would guess to stabilise things. Along with Frank, he seems to be doing that. Over at Stalybridge, I can see us playing Atherton in the last game of the season and the loser being the team relegated.

 

Think hes done ok inherited a basket case if a side thrown together in the last days of the lemmys era .frank has backed him and he is slowly building a side club off the field is going places think he needs a wholesale clearout 8-9 descent signings and a full pre season hopefully then he can play the 4 3 3 he wants rather than the 5 3 2 hes frequently forced to with to many square pegs in round holes .need a right back creative midfielder and someone with a long throw .

[Rivercider]

Well I managed to get over to a blustery Woodspring Stadium this afternoon to see

Weston beat Tiverton Town 2 - 1 in a local derby, making hard work towards the end.

There were four former Exeter City academy lads in Weston's starting XI,

and two more in the Tiverton starting XI, with another on the visitors bench.

40 year old former Exeter player Woodman also played for  Tiverton, while another former 

player Reuben Reid was unused on the Weston bench (mind you Reid has about 17 former clubs!).

 

The attendance of 997 was pretty decent,

 

cheers

[Classsix T]

On 07/04/2023 at 21:21, whart57 said:

I know there is a football focus topic but I thought it might be worthwhile having one dedicated to the game where Saudi money eye-watering TV contracts don't reach.

Miioww! Saucer of milk over here!

 

What do you expect people wanting to divest themselves of truckloads of cash, made off of a fading energy cartel and medieval social attitudes, to do? And more importantly, whose to say which EFL team will be "sports washed" next?

 

If you don't like how Premiship investment has gone, become a major shareholder. As a football fan, don't be naive and realise it's gone far beyond passion for a club. It's an entertainment industry investment.

 

Up the Posh! C6T.

[whart57]

1 hour ago, Classsix T said:

Miioww! Saucer of milk over here!

 

Keep it positive, mate.

[whart57]

Well, hanging by a thread now. Bay gave it a good crack, scored three goals but unfortunately Cray scored five. And Kingstonian won as expected at already relegated Corinthian-Casuals. That's a six point gap with two to play. Kingstonian have two to play against promotion chasing sides though so their 39 points is probably their lot. Bay on the other hand go to Wingate, who only made themselves safe this weekend and three points there and then its top of the table Bishops Stortford at Winches Field.

 

Seems like the top of the table clash in the National League lived up to billing - in the second half anyway.

[whart57]

Well that's it, back to the South East Division. Once again a bad start undermined the Bay, letting Wingate rack up a two goal lead before pulling one back just before the break. Two more goals for Wingate right at the end hammered the nails in good and proper. This side is good enough to bounce back, but this is non-league, how many of this side will return in July in the lower division?

[62613]

Not quite dead yet, after yesyerday's non - performance, but we now have to win both our final games and still hope some results go our way. It's not looking good for us either, given the players seem to be sunning themselves on the beach already.

 

[62613]

Well, that's that! Lost 4 - 2 to Marske this evening, and relegation is confirmed. I suppose the only consolation is that we can't finish bottom. The lowest I've seen Stalybridge after 20 - odd years following them (NPL Division 1 West - Step 4, 8th tier)

 

The only consolation is that my other team, Oldham, have just broken into the top half of the National League, after beating Southend. Those early bird S.T. prices aren't half looking tempting!

Edited April 18, 2023 by 62613

[peanuts]

8 hours ago, 62613 said:

Well, that's that! Lost 4 - 2 to Marske this evening, and relegation is confirmed. I suppose the only consolation is that we can't finish bottom. The lowest I've seen Stalybridge after 20 - odd years following them (NPL Division 1 West - Step 4, 8th tier)

 

The only consolation is that my other team, Oldham, have just broken into the top half of the National League, after beating Southend. Those early bird S.T. prices aren't half looking tempting!

Just wish I had the funds bro as £14  a game is a bargain see they have sold over 1k in less than 5 days already .

Sorry to see Celtic relegated especialy with their money issues 

[Rivercider]

Weston-super-Mare have managed to win the Southern Premier League South to gain promotion back to the National League South.

I watched the Saturday game as relentless pressure eventually led to the only goal against Merthyr in front of over 1000 fans. Last night a 4 -1 home win over Hendon in front of 1400 fans, with Bracknell and Truro having dropped points. 

Next season will see West Country derbies against Bath City, Yeovil Town and Torquay Utd.

 

cheers

Edited April 19, 2023 by Rivercider
correction