The Non - League thread

[Royal Rother]

Highmoor IBIS have changed their name to Reading City FC.

(Is somebody going to tell them?)

[Sutekh]

Highmoor IBIS have changed their name to Reading City FC.

(Is somebody going to tell them?)

Wasn’t Chelmsford City called Chelmsford City way before Chelmsford was made a city

[Royal Rother]

No idea tbh.

[Hoop Blah]

Highmoor IBIS have changed their name to Reading City FC.

(Is somebody going to tell them?)

How bizarre!! I can’t quite think of the words to describe it. Cheesy? Naff? Delusional?

Guildford is another team called City who aren’t actually in a city, but it doesn’t make it less cringeworthy, IMO.

Reading a bit more about their plans, they do seem to want to shake off their awful reputation. It’ll be one to watch for developments over the season.

[Sutekh]

Highmoor IBIS have changed their name to Reading City FC.

(Is somebody going to tell them?)

How bizarre!! I can’t quite think of the words to describe it. Cheesy? Naff? Delusional?

Guildford is another team called City who aren’t actually in a city, but it doesn’t make it less cringeworthy, IMO.

Reading a bit more about their plans, they do seem to want to shake off their awful reputation. It’ll be one to watch for developments over the season.

This Is all a bit grey really. Several dictionaries define a city as any large town containing a cathedral but the government definition is any town granted city status on the whim of their and the reigning monarch’s say-so

Interestingly Reading may well qualify on the first count as isn’t St Mary The Virgin in the Butts classed as a Minster and a Minster, I believe, is just another name for a Cathedral coming from a monastery background e.g. York does not have a Cathedral but does have a Minster

So if the above is right then using the epithet “City” for Reading might not be quite as odd as it seems and is at least consistent with what lots of people still accept as being a definition of city

[Royal Rother]

Semantics.

Reading isn’t a city. You know it, everyone know s it, including them.

They are doing a lot to change the image of the club at the moment, spending money on cleaning the place up, building a new manager’s room (whatever that is) and more, so fair play.

I would not be surprised if they are next season’s team with a budget with none of the old rabble involved who had bugger all discipline.

Wonder if they will feel inclined to take the barbed wire down?

Next question (as always) is whether any of that is remotely sustainable of course.

[Platypuss]

Highmoor IBIS have changed their name to Reading City FC.

(Is somebody going to tell them?)

Wasn’t Chelmsford City called Chelmsford City way before Chelmsford was made a city

Yes, about 75 years early!

Guildford does at least have a cathedral.

[Sutekh]

And the ********* about in non-league at Steps 3 & 4 continues.

Out of nowhere Shaw Lane have resigned from the Evostik Northern League due to a failure to find investment. So rather than just deciding to play that league with one team less and deal with the gap next year the leagues have decided on further reshuffles causing Hednesford Town, Fleet Town and Banbury United to be shifted and for those clubs to then appeal due to increased travel costs plus the fact they’ve already been recruiting management and players based on the divisions they were put in 5 weeks ago.

In Fleet’s case the switch to Southern League West would cause a 300% increase in budget and, according to their chairman, force the club out of business.

However all this may well set alarm bells ringing at Bracknell and Marlow as I presume the SL/IL wouldn’t want to force a club out of business unless there is absolutely no other alternative and if Fleet do get put back in the IL then one of Bracknell or Marlow may well be seen as the next alternative to be shunted into the SL

The only two clubs gaining out of it are Wimborne Town who will move up to Step 3 and, oddly, Essex club F.C. Romania who have moved up to Isthmian North at Step 4 despite the fact that Sholing had a better playing record in the Wessex League (91 points from 42 games compared to Romania’s 88 points from 42 games in the Essex Senior). I presume that Sholing turned down promotion which is a shame as they would geographically have been a straight replacement for Wimborne and all the tinkering involving Fleet at least could have been avoided.

And there were we all thinking creating a new Central League would sort all this out - seems to be a lot more moaning and complaining by clubs than ever and in this case it really does seem justified.

Elsewhere Sutton United and Boreham Wood will be playing in the Irn-Bru Cup next season. Looks like this is the Scottish League equivalent of the Checkatrade/Associate Members Cup but that has been extended to also include invites to clubs from N.Ireland, RoI, Wales and now, for the first time, England.

[RFCMod]

And the ********* about in non-league at Steps 3 & 4 continues.

Out of nowhere Shaw Lane have resigned from the Evostik Northern League due to a failure to find investment. So rather than just deciding to play that league with one team less and deal with the gap next year the leagues have decided on further reshuffles causing Hednesford Town, Fleet Town and Banbury United to be shifted and for those clubs to then appeal due to increased travel costs plus the fact they’ve already been recruiting management and players based on the divisions they were put in 5 weeks ago.

In Fleet’s case the switch to Southern League West would cause a 300% increase in budget and, according to their chairman, force the club out of business.

However all this may well set alarm bells ringing at Bracknell and Marlow as I presume the SL/IL wouldn’t want to force a club out of business unless there is absolutely no other alternative and if Fleet do get put back in the IL then one of Bracknell or Marlow may well be seen as the next alternative to be shunted into the SL

The only two clubs gaining out of it are Wimborne Town who will move up to Step 3 and, oddly, Essex club F.C. Romania who have moved up to Isthmian North at Step 4 despite the fact that Sholing had a better playing record in the Wessex League (91 points from 42 games compared to Romania’s 88 points from 42 games in the Essex Senior). I presume that Sholing turned down promotion which is a shame as they would geographically have been a straight replacement for Wimborne and all the tinkering involving Fleet at least could have been avoided.

And there were we all thinking creating a new Central League would sort all this out - seems to be a lot more moaning and complaining by clubs than ever and in this case it really does seem justified.

Elsewhere Sutton United and Boreham Wood will be playing in the Irn-Bru Cup next season. Looks like this is the Scottish League equivalent of the Checkatrade/Associate Members Cup but that has been extended to also include invites to clubs from N.Ireland, RoI, Wales and now, for the first time, England.

Irn-Bru Cup f**king brilliant
Does every programme come with a free Highland Toffee bar

[Stretts]

The ex Didcot pair Pablo Haysham and John Mills both leave Hereford after 3 seasons.

Pablo has signed for Salisbury, whilst Mills is as yet unsigned.

Too much travelling in the National League North was the cited reason.

[Sutekh]

In the last week Maidenhead have signed Max Worsfold, defender Ayo Obileye from Eastleigh, winger Herson Alves from Brentford and striker Ryan Bird has joined from Dover Athletic

[Green]

The ex Didcot pair Pablo Haysham and John Mills both leave Hereford after 3 seasons.

Pablo has signed for Salisbury, whilst Mills is as yet unsigned.

Too much travelling in the National League North was the cited reason.

An old flatm8 of mine was a Bulls fan (would travel from Putney to watch them a few times a season), he always used to say they struggled to sign players because of where there were.

They struck me as a smashing little club, also Forest Green Rovers.

[Yellowcoat]

Wealdstone have signed Jake Sheppard following his release from Reading.

[Rea Ding]

Looking forward to visiting Scours Lane to see how this Reading City club shape up. Also hope a few on this thread may travel to see Readings u23 side play Leatherhead on the 28th of July, a new non league ground for me

[Royal Rother]

Nobody looks forward to a trip to Scours Lane.

Last time I went there a rat ran in front of my car as I turned into the car park.

[John Madejski's Wallet]

Nobody looks forward to a trip to Scours Lane.

Last time I went there a rat ran in front of my car as I turned into the car park.

Are you horrified by being outdoors or something?

[Royal Rother]

I don’t understand.

My only point is that it’s a shit hole.

[Green]

I don’t understand.

My only point is that it’s a shit hole.

Not been for years, what's wrong with it

[LUX]

I used to live very close by. RIP the Speedway too ftl.

[Hoop Blah]

I don’t understand.

My only point is that it’s a shit hole.

Not been for years, what's wrong with it

It's in need of a lot of TLC, and has always been a bit industrial with a distinctly average pitch.

The bar/clubhouse (if you could call it that) has been a terrapin building since the old bar burnt down about 15 years ago and isn't really much cop for a club at that level.

Having said that, being a Windsor fan RR is a little spoilt by the surroundings at Stag Meadow, which is a lovely ground, but more suited to level they used to play at before folding and re-emerging as Windsor FC.