General non league chat, match reports, photos etc

[Ben Clasper]

With Oxford winning the play off it was always going to be BS in the North unless they move Braintree who would have a similar complaint. Whatever happens there are 24 clubs south of Stansted and 24 north so that’s how it splits. Tough for someone but there is always a line and someone is always at the edge. Also, can’t quite square ‘we just celebrated our asses off getting promoted from a regional to a ‘National’ league with ‘appealing against having to travel more than we used to’. I would kill to have their travel bill if it meant I have had avoided the heartbreak we have just gone through.

 

[Taper]

Thank fuck for that too.

Oh yes, the bitterness has lifted from me. I've started watching Sunny again and even favour Forest staying up.

And it seems Wrexham and Notts have established a healthy and friendly rivalry as a result. So yaki da to that.

 

[Paula_G]

A takeover deal to secure Hednesford Town’s future has fallen through and it means the club won’t be playing next season. Sad news. Hednesford Town pull out of the league

 

[Roger D]

I grew up close to there, a couple of lads from my village supported them back at their old ground. The Pitmen grew to be a bigger club than you'd expect after I moved away but have been struggling for a while.

Non league in that area has declined a bit in recent times with this plus Stafford and Telford both in decline on the pitch. The one exception is the slightly surprising rise of Rushall Olympic. The other three flew a bit too close to the sun in terms of expenditure at various points and have been badly hit by the Wolves revival. I was one of just five people in the village watching Wolves in 1985/86 as they plunged through the divisions. Pretty much the entire village supports them these days.

 

[Pink Panther]

This is a great story about a player who joined Luton Town for the season they were promoted back to the Football League under legendary non-league manager John Still. Hakan also joined Still's coaching team at the start of that season, having managed Grays Athletic to the Isthmian D1N championship in the same season Hamlet won D1S. Terry Harris joined them for the following season.

Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu leads Luton from non-league to playoff final

Exuberant midfielder hopes to become the first player to represent the same club from non-league to Premier League

www.theguardian.com

 

[Cyclodunc]

I was at the AFC Wimbledon v Luton conference playoff final in 2011 (which Luton lost). Completely missed that Luton were doing so well. Hats off to them

 

[AveryDave]

I take it that they wanted the relegation so they got the Isthmian place instead of Met Police?

I can't quite imagine how Bishop's Stortford must be feeling, being placed in National League North yet just 15 miles from a tube station!

Bishop's Stortford's appeal against being put in the NLN has predictably been rejected.

"Following our FA appeal hearing on Wednesday 7th June, we can confirm the FA has decided to uphold it’s original decision and we have been placed in the National League North for the 2023/24 season. The FA Appeal Board gave careful consideration to the submission and understood our concerns but sadly chose to dismiss the appeal.

The fact remains that other clubs are either more northerly situated or geographically better suited in terms of travel time for placement in the National North. The appeal board, however, has concluded that the original decision is a marginal call and that the committee had not been unreasonable in it’s original Bishop’s Stortford FC for the forthcoming season.

The Board decided to appeal the original decision as it was in the best interest of its shareholders, players, officials, volunteers and supporters and whilst disappointed, we accept the final decision of the appeal board."

 

[Paula_G]

AFC Croydon Athletic to be taken over by a consortium of Wilf Zaha, Stormzy and Danny Young. Going to be interesting to see how this pans out given the circumstances in which the original Croydon Athletic went to the wall though get the feeling those involved aren’t the types to get use the club for the sort of nefarious practices that went on then.

 

[Effra Eyes]

I'm surprised that a current player is allowed to own another club in the pyramid. Albeit one much further down.

 

[Hamlet Pete]

That's nice for AFC Croydon Athletic. We had Peter Crouch for a season, then we got relegated

 

[editor]

That's nice for AFC Croydon Athletic. We had Peter Crouch for a season, then we got relegated

But Peter Crouch did OK out of it.

 

[Paula_G]

That's nice for AFC Croydon Athletic. We had Peter Crouch for a season, then we got relegated

Crouch left before the relegation season. What might have happened had he remained at the club? We can only surmise

 

[Hamlet Pete]

I know he left the season before last, was more of a humorous quip than anything of substance

 

[tonysingh]

Anyone else get the feeling that Gavin might rock up at AFC Croydon now?

I am convinced they'll crash and burn when the money stops but hopefully not. Making the local football scene more competitive can only help us all.

 

[Hamlet Pete]

A little bit further down the pyramid for Gav maybe?

 

[Pink Panther]

Anyone else get the feeling that Gavin might rock up at AFC Croydon now?

I am convinced they'll crash and burn when the money stops but hopefully not. Making the local football scene more competitive can only help us all.

There's no information beyond the Twitter message linked earlier, so it's unclear what the scope of their plans will be. I'd assumed it was a supporter-run club and it already has the AFC "Another Failed Club" prefix after the original folded in 2011. Will they be throwing money at an immediate promotion challenge or merely investing in facilities and infrastructure?

I dare say the new owners will stimulate a lot of interest and possibly attract a fair number of extra spectators to the early games. The ground is in a terrible location though, several hundred yards down an unlit rutted track and hemmed in by a cemetery.

 

[Roger D]

Wilf runs a junior academy already. I suspect the plan is to set up or link to a senior academy to produce a pathway into senior non-league football. They'll probably look to move up a tier or two at some point but no more.

If you were looking to gain a substantial number of promotions, you wouldn't buy Croydon Athletic given the location tbh.

It'll be interesting to see who they sign in the next few weeks and whether the manager changes. The CoCo Prem South looks strong next season. Farnham have built a squad too good for that level on paper. Jersey will be strong. Abbey Rangers will be there or there abouts whilst the Rams groundsharers Balham could surprise a few people. Croydon Athletic will really have to hit the ground running to go up this season - though the introduction of play offs for the second promotion spot will help if they choose to go for it

 

[blueheaven]

I dare say the new owners will stimulate a lot of interest and possibly attract a fair number of extra spectators to the early games. The ground is in a terrible location though, several hundred yards down an unlit rutted track and hemmed in by a cemetery.

I still break out in a cold sweat thinking about the nightmare I had trying to get to that ground a few years back. I wrote a blog post about it here: AFC Croydon Athletic v Lordswood

Perhaps Stormzy and co would have plans to move in the long term if things really take off for them there.

 

[Paula_G]

I’m amazed nobody has ever thought of telling the bizarre tale of Croydon Athletic’s latter days which had all the elements of a Hollywood blockbuster. The money laundering, the cricket betting scandal, the ludicrous salaries paid to players and staff and of course the electronic scoreboard. Sadly some of those involved have lost their lives in the most tragic of circumstances so… How to tell the tale sensitively? How indeed.

 

[darryl]

I’m amazed nobody has ever thought of telling the bizarre tale of Croydon Athletic’s latter days which had all the elements of a Hollywood blockbuster. The money laundering, the cricket betting scandal, the ludicrous salaries paid to players and staff and of course the electronic scoreboard. Sadly some of those involved have lost their lives in the most tragic of circumstances so… How to tell the tale sensitively? How indeed.

Broadly summed up here for those who don't know (and I didn't know): Stormzy and Zaha team up to buy their hometown football club

 

[darryl]

Welling look to be playing with (small-time) developers - not sure where you'll get 115 flats on that site without intruding on the park or sports ground next door (but Tory Bexley likes selling parkland so you never know): A new home for the Wings - Fans invited to preview session for Park View Road redevelopment - Welling United FC

 

[Cat Daisy]

Welling look to be playing with (small-time) developers - not sure where you'll get 115 flats on that site without intruding on the park or sports ground next door (but Tory Bexley likes selling parkland so you never know): A new home for the Wings - Fans invited to preview session for Park View Road redevelopment - Welling United FC

What happens to erith and Belvedere?

 

[Paula_G]

Broadly summed up here for those who don't know (and I didn't know): Stormzy and Zaha team up to buy their hometown football club

They were paying players four figure sums to play in front of crowds of around 100 in Isthmian South. To many it was obvious something dodgy was going on but as is often the case success on the field blinds those closest to a club to what is happening there. Or it could be that others were up to their own tricks behind the scenes? Viz Chairman Dean Fisher and a list of misdemeanours to put even our friends at Fisher to shame.

 

[bkbk]

i used to play cricket with mazhar majeed. he was crap. or maybe he was just spot fixing that too.

 

[Paula_G]

i used to play cricket with mazhar majeed. he was crap. or maybe he was just spot fixing that too.

Maybe you should have used a bat like the rest of us? Though that didn’t stop me being crap at cricket either.

 

[Roger D]

Looks like the Croydon Athletic deal has been sold to the club as a community thing and not an attempt to blow lots of money shooting up the league structure.

‘Everyone’s excited’: AFC Croydon responds to new owners Stormzy and Zaha

Staff and supporters of Croydon Athletic share hopes for football club under new ownership

www.theguardian.com

 

[tonysingh]

Looks like the Croydon Athletic deal has been sold to the club as a community thing and not an attempt to blow lots of money shooting up the league structure.

‘Everyone’s excited’: AFC Croydon responds to new owners Stormzy and Zaha

Staff and supporters of Croydon Athletic share hopes for football club under new ownership

www.theguardian.com

See, now you've made me feel guilty for being sceptical.

 

[T Corcoran]

Grays Athletic have had their application to play at Ship Lane approved. It was the old Thurrock FC ground before they dissolved a few years ago

 

[Hamlet Pete]

It's just sat there since Purfleet... went under. You can see it when you travel North after the Dartford Tunnel

 

[Roger D]

They used to pay stupid money. Half their team lived up north and were put up for free Friday and Saturday. Tidy ground too. A hotel bar was probably the worst place ever to celebrate. Been there, seen it, done it. As an aside we were at Grays the day the Grand National was abandoned.

As an aside I played for Hitchin fans to make numbers up in a 7 a side at Gray's. I was a rubbish football. There's a photo out there somewhere of me in a Chelmsford shirt and Hamlet shorts and socks.