The Non-League Wheeltappers

[whart57]

The new season starts on Saturday when 416 clubs play in the FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round. The draw for this round is on the FA website: https://www.thefa.com/-/media/thefacom-new/files/competitions/2023-24/efac/the-emirates-fa-cup-extra-preliminary-round.ashx?la=en

 

 

[peanuts]

Make no mistake this is a mega signing for Oldham 22 goals in league 1 for Barnsley 

https://fb.watch/mbFnfvZsGZ/

[whart57]

Well, a bit of a disappointing start to the new season back in the Isthmian's South East Division, the strategy of give ourselves a mountain to climb first still seems in place. Still two goals on the stroke of fulltime secured the draw so it could have been worse.

 

Close to home Hornchurch are carrying on where they left off in the Isthmian Premier, winning at Horsham, who also have high hopes of promotion, and Isthmian new boys, Broadbridge Heath, gained a creditable draw against Sheppey Utd, one of the SE Divisions stronger sides. Horsham and Heath are just a junction of the A24 by-pass apart so I don't understand why the Isthmian League fixtures committee gave them both a home game on the opening day. Heath's attendance of 200+ might have been higher if some of the 900+ down the road at Horsham had been at a loose end this weekend.

 

Southend seem to have put their off-pitch woes to one side.

[Gareth Collier]

An interesting season for Eastbourne Borough in the Conference South lays ahead. Having just missed out on the play offs last season this years campaign sees a new owner, great plans and a full time professional squad.

This could go one of 2 ways!

[peanuts]

Nice little vlog from an Aldershot fan on their visit to ice station zebra on saturday 

 

 

[whart57]

Some good attendances in the Step 3 and 4 leagues. Over a thousand at Horsham and over 1500 at Chatham in the Isthmian Premier, several plus three hundred gates in the Isthmian SE division too. Be interesting what the bank holiday games, usually local derbies will bring. Bognor Regis against Lewes should be a four figure gate, and well-supported Sheppey crossing the Kingsferry Bridge to Sittingbourne should boost that and the long-running East Kent rivalry between Herne Bay and Ramsgate should fill the terraces at Winch's Field.

[whart57]

Well I must post a plug for my local club, Horsham, who went up the M1 last night to play League One Barnsley in the FA Cup and came back with a 3-3 draw. And nothing flukey about it, no goals off the striker's arse though the goalkeeper did play a blinder. The Radio Sheffield summariser remarked that Horsham's game plan of forcing Barnsley to shoot from distance - 26 shots, only thirteen on target and three goals - had been well-executed. Two goals scored from fast breaks and another from a stone-cold penalty when the Hornets striker was upended near the penalty spot is not your usual non-league at league club fare. In a pre-match interview one of the BBC commentators said to Barnsley's manager that sixth and seventh tier teams contain a lot of players who failed to make the grade as pros and who go into matches like this with a few points to prove and asked whether his young side were prepared for that. They clearly weren't.