The Non - League thread

[Alan Partridge]

With my Saturday afternoon's now dedicated to coaching Woodley Hammers in the Reading Football League, visits to the Mad Stad and Scours Lane are going be alot more scarce than previous seasons. Therefore my visits will mainly be under the floodlights during the midweek fixtures. I've enjoyed my encounters with the Non-League game so much that I'm going to set myself a challenge for this season. There are 14 clubs in Berkshire that play between levels 6 to 9. These include; Maidenhead United in the Blue Square South. Four clubs in the Zameretto Southern Football League; Windsor & Eton in the Premier, Slough Town in Division One Central while both Hungerford and Thatcham Town occupy the Division One South & West. Five clubs compete in the Hellenic Premier League; Ascot United, Binfield, Bracknell Town, Reading Town and Wokingham & Emmbrook. While in the Hellenic Division One East Finchampstead, Holyport, Newbury and Woodley Town are the lowest ranked of the Berkshire clubs on my list. So should I find myself with a football free Saturday or a spare weekday evening I will be checking these Berkshire clubs fixture lists to see when I can visit. And you can follow my story, starting with my trip to Binfield on Saturday, at http://berkshop.blogspot.com/.

Add Diddy as well m8. Close enough.

[Terminal Boardom]

With my Saturday afternoon's now dedicated to coaching Woodley Hammers in the Reading Football League, visits to the Mad Stad and Scours Lane are going be alot more scarce than previous seasons. Therefore my visits will mainly be under the floodlights during the midweek fixtures. I've enjoyed my encounters with the Non-League game so much that I'm going to set myself a challenge for this season. There are 14 clubs in Berkshire that play between levels 6 to 9. These include; Maidenhead United in the Blue Square South. Four clubs in the Zameretto Southern Football League; Windsor & Eton in the Premier, Slough Town in Division One Central while both Hungerford and Thatcham Town occupy the Division One South & West. Five clubs compete in the Hellenic Premier League; Ascot United, Binfield, Bracknell Town, Reading Town and Wokingham & Emmbrook. While in the Hellenic Division One East Finchampstead, Holyport, Newbury and Woodley Town are the lowest ranked of the Berkshire clubs on my list. So should I find myself with a football free Saturday or a spare weekday evening I will be checking these Berkshire clubs fixture lists to see when I can visit. And you can follow my story, starting with my trip to Binfield on Saturday, at http://berkshop.blogspot.com/.

Add Diddy as well m8. Close enough.

And tothat list there is a plethora of similar sized clubs in the NE Hants / Surrey / Berks borders to consider. However, tomorrow night will see me try and survive the "delights" of Stag Meadow coffee

[Four Of Clubs]

And tothat list there is a plethora of similar sized clubs in the NE Hants / Surrey / Berks borders to consider. However, tomorrow night will see me try and survive the "delights" of Stag Meadow coffee

... and from my regular 'local' summaries' here's teams within (approx) 45 mins - times are estimated from Central Reading and are very 'rough' and not allowing for Traffic/roadworks [i.e. jn11 ]etc - I've left out a few N&S W.London clubs too:

02 CONF-S
Basingstoke-Town 40 mins
Farnborough 40 mins
Woking 45 mins
03 SOUTH-P
Didcot-Town 40 mins
04 ISTH-1S
Fleet-Town 35 mins
04 SOUTH-1C
Beaconsfield-SYCOB 40 mins
Burnham 30 mins
Marlow 35 mins
05 COCO-P
Camberley-Town 40 mins
Chertsey-Town 45 mins
Cove 40 mins
Egham 40 mins
Sandhurst-Town 30 mins
05 HELL-P
Flackwell-Heath 40 mins
Thame Utd 30 mins (currently playing @ Hithercroft - AFC Wallingford - due to move to new complex N of Thame in Sept/Oct)
Wantage-Town 40 mins
06 COCO-1
## Chobham 40 mins
## Eversley 25 mins
Farnborough North End 40 mins
Frimley-Green 40 mins
Hartley-Wintney 30 mins
## Knaphill 45 mins
06 HELL-1E
## Farnborough-Res (Bisley) 40 mins
Henley-Town 25 mins
Milton-United 45 mins
06 WESS-1
Fleet Spurs 35 mins
Tadley Calleva 30 mins

## - no lights - though both Eversley & Knaphill are working on getting them later THIS season.

UPDATE RE next Round (Preliminary) FA Cup on 28th Aug:

... not sure I can completely trust the source BUT according to 'goalpost' RTFC's next tie WILL be 'switched' due to the Festival.

http://www.getreading.co.uk/sport/footb ... to_wembley

... and presumably Chris Rackley who played well in goal on Sat @ Warminster is related to erstwhile accident-prone Royals Res/Youth keeper Peter?

[Stuffed Crust Pizza]

... not sure I can completely trust the source BUT according to 'goalpost' RTFC's next tie WILL be 'switched' due to the Festival.

http://www.getreading.co.uk/sport/footb ... to_wembley

Can someone please explain why this fixture can't go ahead? Surely 150 fans turning up at Scours Lane for a few hours will bear no impact on the Festival?

[floyd__streete]

Can someone please explain why this fixture can't go ahead? Surely 150 fans turning up at Scours Lane for a few hours will bear no impact on the Festival?

No, but they'll probably get their ear-drums burst by the sh*te 'music' from the adjacent field.

[Terminal Boardom]

Can someone please explain why this fixture can't go ahead? Surely 150 fans turning up at Scours Lane for a few hours will bear no impact on the Festival?

No, but they'll probably get their ear-drums burst by the sh*te 'music' from the adjacent field.

Not at all. The festival are worried that RTFC drummer might distract thousands of festival goes and turn up at Scours Lane instead.

[Four Of Clubs]

Can someone please explain why this fixture can't go ahead? Surely 150 fans turning up at Scours Lane for a few hours will bear no impact on the Festival?

No, but they'll probably get their ear-drums burst by the sh*te 'music' from the adjacent field.

Not at all. The festival are worried that RTFC drummer might distract thousands of festival goes and turn up at Scours Lane instead.

I think the boring reason is, that Scours and the surrounding area, is now regularly used as a sort of base camp/parking/sleeping/feeding/who knows what else area for the support staff at the Festival - leastwise its been covered with gert big Caravans & Trucks for the past few years ?
... and I don't mean those belonging to our 'Travelling Fraternity'


PS Where'd you get 150 fans from - or are Highmoor /Ibis due to be at home that day too! ?
Then again 107 for Shrivenham last Tue night's certainly a big 'upturn' in crowd from last season - interesting to see how many turn up for the Fairford game on Sat what with the Royals being at home too?

[Terminal Boardom]

Windsor & Eton 0 - 4 Cirencester Town

Oh dear. Comedy defending and goalkeeping from last season's champions against the side that gained promotion via the play-offs. To be fair, the scoreline flattered Cirencester who played with far too much pace and movement. The hosts look like a side destined for a struggle this season and started the game with almost an entire starting XI different from last season. W&E will do well to stay in the Premier but I would not be surprised to see them return from whence they came.

W&E looked like a bunch of strangers thrown together at the last minute and played like it. Both Camberley and Petersfield would give W&E a run for heir money. Talking of which......

[Royal Rother]

There was only one word for it TB - shambles

[Four Of Clubs]

... certainly was the result that made me sit up - when checking through those games I'd NOT chosen last night.

Ended up at a 0-0 Abingdon Town v Binfield - albeit a highly entertaining one.

Not a good couple of nights for other 'local' sides above STEP05 :- defeats for Didcot, Marlow, Burnham, Woking, Thatcham & Beaconsfield

In the Hellenic: Bracknell drew 1-1 @ Witney & Wantage drew at home with Kidlington.
The Combined Counties sides fared slightly better, though Cove were battered 4-1 in a Cup replay.
Camberley W 4-0 @ Bookham
Sandhurst D 1-1 with Guildford
Eversley W 3-1 @ Staines Lammas
Hartley Wintney L 1-2 v Bedfont Sports
Farnham won 3-1 @ Frimley Gn.

Tonight Ascot Utd travel to Oxford City to play Nomads whilst RTFC are @ North Leigh vs tenants Old Woodstock Town.
Sluff play @ Bedfont Town whilst Farnborough host Ebbsfleet Utd in the Conference South.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
UPDATE: according to the Newport (IoW) clubsite the FA Cup Preliminary Tie due to be played at Scours on Sat 28th August HAS been switched:-

The FA Cup Preliminary Round match away to Reading Town on 28th August has been switched to a neutral venue.

The match will be held at Newbury Football Club (Formerly Newbury Town FC), kick off 3.00pm. The match cannot be played at Reading's Scours Lane ground because the Reading Festival is taking place that weekend and the ground is next to the Festival site.

...today's Reading P!st merely states the venue is yet to be agreed
Faraday Rd is a decent enough ground nice big stand to sit in cozy bar and usually does good food on a Saturday.
Parking CAN be a bit iffy though if you've not been before - the Football Club Car Park seems to be Pay and Display at certain hours and Faraday Rd itself - just to the left off of the A4 from Reading as you reach the big roundabout before the Town Centre - is rife with gert big Lorries - not unlike the back of Morrisons on MadStad matchdays!

[Four Of Clubs]

ley Gn.

Tonight Ascot Utd travel to Oxford City to play Nomads whilst RTFC are @ North Leigh vs tenants Old Woodstock Town.
Sluff play @ Bedfont Town whilst Farnborough host Ebbsfleet Utd in the Conference South.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
UPDATE: Results Wed 18th Aug

Conference-South
Farnborough 1-2 Ebbsfleet Utd - winning goal on 89' - 'boro start life @ STEP02 with 2 defeats
- One Central
Bedfont Town 1-2 Slough Town
Hellenic Premier:
Old Woodstock Town 3-5 Reading Town
Oxford City Nomads 2-7 Ascot Utd


... got up to North Leigh (nr Witney) for RTFC's game. Nearly went to Court Fm for Ascot - where there were EVEN more goals - but the P@xford Ring Rd behaved - so we got there in good time just - thanks to RTFC arriving late!
Was indeed a bit of a crazed goal-fest - OWT had no answer to big bad Marcus Richardson, who, at this level, appears to be impossible to prise off the ball and if he stayes fit could prove to be a key element in where RTFC finish this season. Seaward was pretty nifty again too and created a lot of chances in the 1st half when Town could have been half-a-doz goals to the good but for woeful finishing and the woodwork.
However they'll have to outscore their opponents to get points 'cos their defence must put Roddy Slater in considerable danger of pulling out his (very abundent ) hair.
The two CBs would rival Doobs and Pearce for staggering immobility - and appear to be fragile under the high ball too.
Rackley in goal was solid again and has very safe hands but a bit like one of his predecessors - who I also think was at Windsor recently - name escapes me - (possibly Strudley?) - is a bit on the slight side for a keeper.
A lot of OWT's attacks in the 2nd half came down the left - but in their wisdom RTFC took an on-field decision to dispense with a RB altogether late on?
The home side fought from 1-3 down to level, then commited the cardinal sin - tried to get the ball off of Marcus as he bore down on goal and managed to fell his not inconsiderable bulk in the area.
...had they had him watched before, they might have known he invariably runs it out for goal-kick, flails it wildly into any trees behind the goal or more than likely just sits on the ball .... hmmm sound familiar?

Anyway good win : now 2 out of 2 in the league - sit in 3rd place (Ascot have 3 from 3 scoring 11 - pre-season favourites Shortwood have only played 1)
Town have 2 winnable home league games coming up - Fairford (Sat 21st) and Kidlington (Tue 24th) before an enticing BH Monday 'derby' Away vs Ascot - not forgetting their Cup Tie on Sat 28th

[Four Of Clubs]

... start with a bit of NL news from the Conference - "Oooh Eck; Johnny Beck!" has left Histon just before their trip to Newport County this PM.

Somewhat pertinent quote from their Chairman:-


Chairman Russell Hands explained the reasons for Beck`s departure from the Glassworld Stadium.

He said that Beck`s medium to long-term vision required funding that the club, with strict financial measures in place to ensure survival, were unable to fulfil. He went on to explain that the sums involved were not particularly large, but nevertheless were out of reach of a club faced with a difficult financial situation left to it by 'previous regimes'.

He added: "There is no more money. Everyone who works at the club now works out of love for the club, apart from the secretary and John."

Here's most of the NL Fixtures for our 'local' sides (Sorry! Can't supply Southern Central/S&W matches - the official site has just &*(^ed up and I can't be @rsed to go into individual sites this AM ) ! -

CONFS
Dorchester Town v Woking
Farnborough v Dartford
Maidenhead United v Weston-Super-Mare
Lewes v Basingstoke Town

SOUTHP
Bashley v Didcot Town
Chesham United v Brackley Town
Windsor & Eton v Leamington

ISTH1S
Fleet Town v Bognor Regis

CCLP
Ash United v Colliers Wood United
Bookham v Cove
Camberley Town v Dorking
Croydon v Sandhurst Town
CCL1
Chobham v Farnborough North End
Eversley v CB Hounslow United
Farnham Town v Feltham
Frimley Green v Hayes Gate
Hartley Wintney v Farleigh Rovers

HELLP
Abingdon Town v Pegasus Juniors
Ascot United v Highworth Town
Bracknell Town v Slimbridge
Reading Town v Fairford Town
Shortwood United v Binfield
Wantage Town v Thame United
HELL1E
Chalfont Wasps v Woodley Town
Newbury v Chinnor
Penn & Tylers Green v Finchampstead
Rayners Lane v Holyport
South Kilburn v Henley Town
WESS1
Tadley Calleva v Hythe & Dibden
Verwood Town v Fleet Spurs

[Jerry St Clair]

I apologise for allowing this to pass me by until now, but I've just noticed the absurdity of the split between the Conference North and South.

Gloucester in the North and Weston-Super-Mare in the South? Mental. The South has actually contracted into the home counties with the majority of clubs being close to London. Even Basingstoke is on the periphery now.

[Rev Algenon Stickleback H]

I apologise for allowing this to pass me by until now, but I've just noticed the absurdity of the split between the Conference North and South.

Gloucester in the North and Weston-Super-Mare in the South? Mental. The South has actually contracted into the home counties with the majority of clubs being close to London. Even Basingstoke is on the periphery now.

yet there's no club in the south that would make more sense being in the north than Gloucester.

It really reflects the weakness of non-league football in the north, which is why for years you had two leagues from the south and only one from the north feeding the conference.

You could even say it dates right back to 1921, when the football league cobbled together a Div 3 (N) from a variety of non-league clubs from various leagues, to balance out the obvious southern bias from the third division created a year earlier, which was the top division of the Southern League.

[Terminal Boardom]

Zamaretto League, S&W fixtures for today:

Abingdon United v Cinderford Town
Almondsbury Town v North Leigh
Bishops Cleeve v Sholing
Bromsgrove Rovers v Bideford Postponed
Clevedon Town v AFC Totton
Frome Town v Bridgwater Town
Gosport Borough v Stourport Swifts
Mangotsfield United v Thatcham Town
Paulton Rovers v Andover
Taunton Town v Hungerford Town
Wimborne Town v Yate Town

[Four Of Clubs]

... and this afternoons' 'missing' Southern One - Central 'local' fixtures:-

Beaconsfield SYCOB v Northwood
Hitchin Town v Slough Town
Marlow v Soham Town Rangers
Woodford United v Burnham

yet there's no club in the south that would make more sense being in the north than Gloucester.

... not completely precise with my latitude/longitude thingies but possibly Bps Stortford, St Albans & Braintree might be just slightly further north than where Gloucester are currently based? (Corinium Stadium, Cirencester)

However - much like the spread & divide of the Zamaretto Southern One clubs the key factor in North/South split seems now to be set around proximity to the M5 corridor?
They did put Kings Lynn in the northern section for 07/08 which was quite an ill-fated exercise. That club have now relaunched down at Step05 in the United Counties League. Seemingly they were 'demoted' on ground grading in 08/09 to the Northen Premier and understandably perhaps went 'out of business' in 2009 with debts to HMRC.
Intriguing to see whether Histon would be placed North or South, theoretically, should they end up in the relegation places amongst other 'southern' sides after 10/11?

[Terminal Boardom]

Fleet Town -v- Bognor Regis Town for me this arvo. I remember seeing Fleet play at Fanrborough many years ago in an FA Cup preliminary round. Boro won something like 4-0. Match report and opinions on the clubhouse, facilities etc to follow

[Tony Le Mesmer]

I apologise for allowing this to pass me by until now, but I've just noticed the absurdity of the split between the Conference North and South.

Gloucester in the North and Weston-Super-Mare in the South? Mental. The South has actually contracted into the home counties with the majority of clubs being close to London. Even Basingstoke is on the periphery now.

Yep, was talking about this at a Maidenhead match last year with some official.

Problem is, Step 3 is overloaded with southern teams. Nuneaton were playing in the same league as Truro last year. So most of the teams coming up are Southern. The more the years go on the more Southern based it will get. Maiders for the Conference North!

[Rev Algenon Stickleback H]

yet there's no club in the south that would make more sense being in the north than Gloucester.

... not completely precise with my latitude/longitude thingies but possibly Bps Stortford, St Albans & Braintree might be just slightly further north than where Gloucester are currently based? (Corinium Stadium, Cirencester)

Gloucester currently ground-share at Cheltenham.

Besides, the point is that as stupid as regarding Gloucester as a northern club is, there aren't many real alternatives.

[Jerry St Clair]

Besides, the point is that as stupid as regarding Gloucester as a northern club is, there aren't many real alternatives.

Indeed. And at least they get a local-ish derby with Worcester.