The Non - League thread

[Top Flight]

Nice one John Smith. It's good to have both. You can experience football the way it used to be when we were at Elm Park with raucous supporters on the terraces and proper burgers and pies out the burger van while your centre back hoofs the ball downfield looking for the knock downs. It might be sh*t but it's old fashioned English football for players with less ability. But sometimes as well you also feel the need to be a modern plastic and drink tasteless hot chocolate and bland salty hot dogs at the Madejski Stadium whilst watching Dutch Total football rolling the ball around the back to the frustration and annoyance of the away side until a little bit of space opens up and you can move in on goal. I've had about 15 years of football on the terraces at Elm Park and now around 18 years I think in the plastic seats of the Mad Stad. The feelings of a goal were more exhilarating more often at Elm Park, but the Mad Stad has had it's moments too. It's just at a place like Elm Park, scoring a nothing goal against Bury felt so much better than scoring a similar type goal against Wigan at the Mad Stad.

Anyway, just saw on the Wealdstone FC website that the Stones will be playing Reading (probably U23s) in a preseason friendly in July. I'm well chuffed about that.

[AthleticoSpizz]

Maidenhead v Hartlepools........Hartlepools v Maidenhead.......nice

[double d]

Maidenhead v Hartlepools........Hartlepools v Maidenhead.......nice

Prays for it to not be on a Tuesday night.

[AthleticoSpizz]

nor any night

In all seriousness, how can any team remain part-time with fixtures like this?

[double d]

No idea. Must be hundreds to travel and stay the night. I think 18 out of the national league are full time now anyway but what a track this.

[Sutekh]

After all the talk of ground grading I'm just amazed York Road is considered good enough for the Conference National. Imagine, if by some weird chance in a trillion, Maidenhead won the league next year, they could well be the first club turned down for league membership since automatic promotion to the FL was introduced.

[Royalist]

Yeah Maidenhead will get some decent away followings next season. It's been a few years since i've been but there is plenty of bottlenecks around the ground and typically non league facilities will also be interesting to see how the town manage some of the more boisterous away fans!!

[Stranded]

After all the talk of ground grading I'm just amazed York Road is considered good enough for the Conference National. Imagine, if by some weird chance in a trillion, Maidenhead won the league next year, they could well be the first club turned down for league membership since automatic promotion to the FL was introduced.

I would imagine if Maidenhead look like having any chance of going up a local groundshare would be hastily arranged either at the Mad Stad, Wycombe or another NL ground that would meet standards.

[Tony Le Mesmer]

After all the talk of ground grading I'm just amazed York Road is considered good enough for the Conference National. Imagine, if by some weird chance in a trillion, Maidenhead won the league next year, they could well be the first club turned down for league membership since automatic promotion to the FL was introduced.

I would imagine if Maidenhead look like having any chance of going up a local groundshare would be hastily arranged either at the Mad Stad, Wycombe or another NL ground that would meet standards.

League winners have been denied promotion a few times since auto promotion was introduced. I certainly recall Torquay & Exeter getting off the hook.

I cant for one minute think Maidenhead would consider leaving their ground to secure promotion. Not least because the ground grading rules state the ground has to be up to scratch by 31/03, as discussed above to Hungerford/Poole's cost.

Club announced last week they are spending £150k on ground improvements (new turnstiles/toilets/pinch points)

[Tony Le Mesmer]

nor any night

In all seriousness, how can any team remain part-time with fixtures like this?

I often think about this as sometimes after a days work im too tired to go and watch a local game on a Tuesday night, let alone play or train. A lot of players also don't live local to the club, so getting to/from a coach pick up is an extra ball ache to add on. I know you are looking at £500 a week extra money to play at this level, but it must have an effect on your day job and/or home life.

Personally, I don't think there should be a national league outside the Pro game. The North/South split should start at Step 1. 3 up, 3 down, Champions go up and play off for 2nd/3rd in each division.

[Sutekh]

nor any night

In all seriousness, how can any team remain part-time with fixtures like this?

I often think about this as sometimes after a days work im too tired to go and watch a local game on a Tuesday night, let alone play or train. A lot of players also don't live local to the club, so getting to/from a coach pick up is an extra ball ache to add on. I know you are looking at £500 a week extra money to play at this level, but it must have an effect on your day job and/or home life.

Personally, I don't think there should be a national league outside the Pro game. The North/South split should start at Step 1. 3 up, 3 down, Champions go up and play off for 2nd/3rd in each division.

Agreed. Think there should also be a 4 up/down with the FL and therefore still a 2 up/down with each Conference league.

[KC Royal]

Out of interest how many sides in Division 5 (Conference National) are full time professional? Is it more than 50%?

How long do they stay professional if they dont get promoted? Are the likes of Wrexham, Macclesfield, Kidderminster still full time - will York stay professional after relegation to the NLN?

Mrs DDs uncle, who is first team coach at Forest Green, says the majority are full time..... just a lot do not pay the massive wages that FGR/Tranmere etc pay... they can pay a couple Grand per week (rarely do thought.... although Ebbsfleet apparently did for Gillingham captain Danny Kedwell!).. I think he said North Ferriby, Guisley, Southport and couple other deffo were not full time, and most others were full time but not exactly much of a difference to be being part time.

Not sure if this has changed so willing to be corrected if it has, but I think Bromley and Dover are still part-time. Neither have been in any relegation trouble since going up from Nat S so there's no reason why Maidenhead can't survive either, though I think keeping Tarpey is an absolute must. Maidstone are going full-time next season and would have done even if they'd gone down. It's interesting that after that was announced at the end of Feb their results dramatically improved and they ended up mid-table having been in relegation trouble up until then.

[double d]

Out of interest how many sides in Division 5 (Conference National) are full time professional? Is it more than 50%?

How long do they stay professional if they dont get promoted? Are the likes of Wrexham, Macclesfield, Kidderminster still full time - will York stay professional after relegation to the NLN?

Mrs DDs uncle, who is first team coach at Forest Green, says the majority are full time..... just a lot do not pay the massive wages that FGR/Tranmere etc pay... they can pay a couple Grand per week (rarely do thought.... although Ebbsfleet apparently did for Gillingham captain Danny Kedwell!).. I think he said North Ferriby, Guisley, Southport and couple other deffo were not full time, and most others were full time but not exactly much of a difference to be being part time.

Not sure if this has changed so willing to be corrected if it has, but I think Bromley and Dover are still part-time. Neither have been in any relegation trouble since going up from Nat S so there's no reason why Maidenhead can't survive either, though I think keeping Tarpey is an absolute must. Maidstone are going full-time next season and would have done even if they'd gone down. It's interesting that after that was announced at the end of Feb their results dramatically improved and they ended up mid-table having been in relegation trouble up until then.

Surprising about Dover. They almost always have been near the play offs for the last few years.

[KC Royal]

Maidenhead will be getting 3000 a week next year won't they?

That's a bit like saying Reading should have been getting 40,000 a week after winning the Simod Cup

Quite. I got the impression that the attendance for the Ebbsfleet game was massively inflated because it was the biggest game in Maidenhead's history. I know someone who jumped on the promotion bandwagon to go to his first Maidenhead game that day (tho tbf he had been thinking about going to a game all season). I imagine Ebbsfleet brought a fair few as well?

I've thought for a while now that attendances generally can be inflated at the end of the season because of what's at stake. I remember when Bromley won promotion to Conf S a while ago their attendances were a lot higher than they were usually, and there are probably other more recent examples involving other Kent clubs.

[KC Royal]

Mrs DDs uncle, who is first team coach at Forest Green, says the majority are full time..... just a lot do not pay the massive wages that FGR/Tranmere etc pay... they can pay a couple Grand per week (rarely do thought.... although Ebbsfleet apparently did for Gillingham captain Danny Kedwell!).. I think he said North Ferriby, Guisley, Southport and couple other deffo were not full time, and most others were full time but not exactly much of a difference to be being part time.

Not sure if this has changed so willing to be corrected if it has, but I think Bromley and Dover are still part-time. Neither have been in any relegation trouble since going up from Nat S so there's no reason why Maidenhead can't survive either, though I think keeping Tarpey is an absolute must. Maidstone are going full-time next season and would have done even if they'd gone down. It's interesting that after that was announced at the end of Feb their results dramatically improved and they ended up mid-table having been in relegation trouble up until then.

Surprising about Dover. They almost always have been near the play offs for the last few years.

I imagine Dover's attendances aren't high enough to warrant going full-time. This season they were 1295, for some reason people don't go out to watch them. I remember when they won promotion a few years ago after just scrambling into the playoffs fans still didn't turn out in particularly big numbers.
Maidstone on the other hand had an average of 2386, which surprisingly put them in 5th place overall. They've always been for me the Kent non-league club with the most potential. This season it seems for a lot of it they were focused on the pitch/ground improvements, given what happened at the end of the season it shows what they can do with more focus on the playing side. No reason why they can't one day get into the FL (and BBC Radio Kent from what I heard the other day seemed to be expecting that in the next couple of years).

[Sutekh]

Not sure if this has changed so willing to be corrected if it has, but I think Bromley and Dover are still part-time. Neither have been in any relegation trouble since going up from Nat S so there's no reason why Maidenhead can't survive either, though I think keeping Tarpey is an absolute must. Maidstone are going full-time next season and would have done even if they'd gone down. It's interesting that after that was announced at the end of Feb their results dramatically improved and they ended up mid-table having been in relegation trouble up until then.

Surprising about Dover. They almost always have been near the play offs for the last few years.

I imagine Dover's attendances aren't high enough to warrant going full-time. This season they were 1295, for some reason people don't go out to watch them. I remember when they won promotion a few years ago after just scrambling into the playoffs fans still didn't turn out in particularly big numbers.
Maidstone on the other hand had an average of 2386, which surprisingly put them in 5th place overall. They've always been for me the Kent non-league club with the most potential. This season it seems for a lot of it they were focused on the pitch/ground improvements, given what happened at the end of the season it shows what they can do with more focus on the playing side. No reason why they can't one day get into the FL (and BBC Radio Kent from what I heard the other day seemed to be expecting that in the next couple of years).

Are Maidstone the same or a completely different club to the Maidstone United that did make the FL briefly before collapsing due to ground problems with Maidstone council and having no money?

[Tony Le Mesmer]

Step 2 play off finals to be played on Saturday. Home advantage to teams that finished highest in the league:

Ebbsfleet United v Chelmsford City

Halifax v Chorley

[double d]

Step 2 play off finals to be played on Saturday. Home advantage to teams that finished highest in the league:

Ebbsfleet United v Chelmsford City

Halifax v Chorley

Didn't Halifax who used to be in L2 go bust and this is the new one that started? That was only a few years ago I'm sure, they must have been placed in a high league when they re formed then. Unless it's the same Halifax and I'm confusing them for somebody else.

[John Smith]

Nice one John Smith. It's good to have both. You can experience football the way it used to be when we were at Elm Park with raucous supporters on the terraces and proper burgers and pies out the burger van while your centre back hoofs the ball downfield looking for the knock downs. It might be sh*t but it's old fashioned English football for players with less ability. But sometimes as well you also feel the need to be a modern plastic and drink tasteless hot chocolate and bland salty hot dogs at the Madejski Stadium whilst watching Dutch Total football rolling the ball around the back to the frustration and annoyance of the away side until a little bit of space opens up and you can move in on goal. I've had about 15 years of football on the terraces at Elm Park and now around 18 years I think in the plastic seats of the Mad Stad. The feelings of a goal were more exhilarating more often at Elm Park, but the Mad Stad has had it's moments too. It's just at a place like Elm Park, scoring a nothing goal against Bury felt so much better than scoring a similar type goal against Wigan at the Mad Stad.

Anyway, just saw on the Wealdstone FC website that the Stones will be playing Reading (probably U23s) in a preseason friendly in July. I'm well chuffed about that.

Absolutely! I've been exceptionally lucky with the way the fixtures have fallen this season it's almost been that Mags are at home when Reading are away.

After all the talk of ground grading I'm just amazed York Road is considered good enough for the Conference National. Imagine, if by some weird chance in a trillion, Maidenhead won the league next year, they could well be the first club turned down for league membership since automatic promotion to the FL was introduced.

Whilst very unlikely I don't think it's that unlikely. I've seen both Maidstone and Bromley down at Maidenhead in the last 3 years I think and both are more than surviving in the Conf Prem so never say never!

[Stranded]

Step 2 play off finals to be played on Saturday. Home advantage to teams that finished highest in the league:

Ebbsfleet United v Chelmsford City

Halifax v Chorley

Didn't Halifax who used to be in L2 go bust and this is the new one that started? That was only a few years ago I'm sure, they must have been placed in a high league when they re formed then. Unless it's the same Halifax and I'm confusing them for somebody else.

F.C. Halifax Town were put into the Northern Premier League Division One North in 2008-09. Had 2 promotions to get to the National League North, which were back to back. Jamie Vardy was top scorer for them when they won the NPL title.