General non league chat, match reports, photos etc

[editor]

Whimsically scrolling through non league results on the Football Web Pages website, I came across this result in the Combined Counties League Division One league:

Rising Ballers Kensington 1-2 Westside

Nothing really notable there apart from the strange name of the home team, but check out the attendance of just 5 people!

Can anyone find a lower attended game this season?

Football Web Pages

Rising Ballers Kensington v Westside, Combined Counties League Division One, Saturday 27th April 2024

www.footballwebpages.co.uk

 

[Roger D]

Rising Ballers are a football academy, they use online a lot to push players. I saw them at Farnham Town in the Vase and was very impressed, some good players who will play higher. The academy basically took over a Step Six side and renamed them. They ground share at a club who traditionally don't enjoy particularly good gates.

Westside, a Christian side, also ground share at a side with relatively low support. Neither side really seem to rely on gate money. Westside also get low gates. The Westside v Riding Ballers game attracted 11.spectators.

CoCo Div. One has a large number of ground shares and is well known for pulling some awful gates.

I've got a feeling there's been at least one zero gate, not CoCo, declared this season but can't remember where.

 

[Pink Panther]

Rising Ballers Kensington 1-2 Westside

Nothing really notable there apart from the strange name of the home team, but check out the attendance of just 5 people!

Can anyone find a lower attended game this season?

Yes, 4 at this Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division Cup match between St Panteleimon and Potton United:

Feb 21, St Panteleimon 4 Potton United 0 | Spartan South Midlands Football League

Feb 21, St Panteleimon 4 Potton United 0 fixture page in the Spartan South Midlands Football League

fulltime.thefa.com

St Pants were groundsharing at Harpenden and were occupying a play-off place for promotion to to the Isthmian/Southern League after completing 31 of 38 league fixtures when they withdrew from the league with immediate effect, and their league results were expunged.

I've got a real problem with these homeless clubs who just flit from one groundshare to another without ever developing a ground of their own, piggybacking on neighbours who have invested in their facilities, while pushing their way up the pyramid. There are now far too many of them at Steps 5 and 6. They're glorified Sunday teams, where it's all about the players, and they're never likely to build any sort of fanbase to make the club sustainable within the National Leagues System.

 

[Roger D]

There may be a couple fewer in Coco One next season. I went to a CoCo One club yesterday. Chatter among the home officials was three teams may not play next season, two are groundsharers with no real support base.

 

[Pink Panther]

There may be a couple fewer in Coco One next season. I went to a CoCo One club yesterday. Chatter among the home officials was three teams may not play next season, two are groundsharers with no real support base.

These clubs just don't belong in the NLS for me. The FA should scrap ground grading and floodlights requirements for Step 6, then it reduces overheads for clubs at that level unless they can genuinely afford to upgrade their own ground to Step 5 standard. "Village" clubs shouldn't be groundsharing in a neighbouring town. Ide Hill at Tonbridge is a ridiculous example.

Then you get the likes of Dunmow, who seem to have a big wage budget and just lost a Step 6 play-off final to Wormley, which is a decent little club with it's own ground. Apparently Dunmow are bankrolled by a skip hire and waste disposal contractor with depots all over Essex, and they just seem to move all over the place: Braintree, Heybridge, and now Coggeshall for next season.

 

[Paula_G]

Rising Ballers are a football academy, they use online a lot to push players

I played a few times for their women’s side last season on Saturdays, guesting as despite having some incredibly talented players they never had a goalie. They played Dulwich Hamlet in a preseason friendly at the start of this season but sadly folded early in the season due to a combination of factors including losing the coach and some of their key players being banned from Saturday football by the Sunday clubs.

 

[Roger D]

These clubs just don't belong in the NLS for me. The FA should scrap ground grading and floodlights requirements for Step 6, then it reduces overheads for clubs at that level unless they can genuinely afford to upgrade their own ground to Step 5 standard. "Village" clubs shouldn't be groundsharing in a neighbouring town. Ide Hill at Tonbridge is a ridiculous example.

Then you get the likes of Dunmow, who seem to have a big wage budget and just lost a Step 6 play-off final to Wormley, which is a decent little club with it's own ground. Apparently Dunmow are bankrolled by a skip hire and waste disposal contractor with depots all over Essex, and they just seem to move all over the place: Braintree, Heybridge, and now Coggeshall for next season.

Step Six is certainly becoming a problem. Many Step Seven leagues are a higher standard now.than the league they feed into now, full of clubs and players who don't fancy the expense / travel Step Six brings.

 

[bkbk]

Step 6 is no better a standard than top end amateur non pyramid football to be honest (SAL etc).

 

[Roger D]

The better SAL sides quite often beat Step Six sides in the Surrey intermediate competitions. It was a bit of a shock when Ash United beat Honourable Artillery Company in the this seasons Surrey Premier Cup Final.

 

[Maggot]

Congratulations to my local club Bromley FC on winning the play off final to reach the Football League for the first time in their history.
They've come a long way since their Isthmian League days.

 

[bkbk]

The better SAL sides quite often beat Step Six sides in the Surrey intermediate competitions. It was a bit of a shock when Ash United beat Honourable Artillery Company in the this seasons Surrey Premier Cup Final.

Yes my side won it in ~2015. Sensed the oppo were always a little bit surprised at the quality of the alumni sides.

 

[Roger D]

Congratulations to my local club Bromley FC on winning the play off final to reach the Football League for the first time in their history.
They've come a long way since their Isthmian League days.

Much of the work transforming them was delivered by ex Hamlet player Jerry Dolke as it happens.

TBH I don't think Bromley have received enough credit for the way they transformed from a nothingy step four side with a declining and aging fan base to today.

 

[Paula_G]

If people need to see how far Bromley have come I recommend reading some of Dave Roberts brilliantly evocative books, probably the best books ever written about the authentic non league experience IMHO. Purists should avoid the film adaptation of The Bromley Boys though. As much fun as it is there are rather a few liberties taken with the facts. The sad thing about yesterday is Dave being around to celebrate with his club.

 

[Paula_G]

Much of the work transforming them was delivered by ex Hamlet player Jerry Dolke as it happens.

Remember having an enthralling chat with Jerry after a Sunday cup game down there. His enthusiasm for Bromley’s renaissance was genuinely intoxicating. Recently played down there and it was like I had walked into a whole new club, a world away from the crumbling edifice I recall from my Dulwich days.

 

[Nivag]

 

[all to nah]

If people need to see how far Bromley have come I recommend reading some of Dave Roberts brilliantly evocative books, probably the best books ever written about the authentic non league experience IMHO. Purists should avoid the film adaptation of The Bromley Boys though. As much fun as it is there are rather a few liberties taken with the facts. The sad thing about yesterday is Dave being around to celebrate with his club.

Indeed, I read all of his books and thought of him this weekend, too. 32 Programmes still is one of the best football books ever written, I think.

 

[Jimmy Don't]

The better SAL sides quite often beat Step Six sides in the Surrey intermediate competitions. It was a bit of a shock when Ash United beat Honourable Artillery Company in the this seasons Surrey Premier Cup Final.

Yup, the difference between some semi-pro players and their amateur counterparts is the formers willingness to travel to Canvey island or wherever on a weeknight for a place on the bench, with work the next day.

 

[mx wcfc]

Yup, the difference between some semi-pro players and their amateur counterparts is the formers willingness to travel to Canvey island or wherever on a weeknight for a place on the bench, with work the next day.

Yep. When Winchester City got promoted from the Wessex to the Southern, half of our first team players walked out.

And we only got promoted because Flackwell Heath decided they couldn't cope with the travel in what was Southern League Div 1 (West).

 

[Jimmy Don't]

Yep. When Winchester City got promoted from the Wessex to the Southern, half of our first team players walked out.

And we only got promoted because Flackwell Heath decided they couldn't cope with the travel in what was Southern League Div 1 (West).

I run a club in the Amateur Football Combination, which was about to merge with the SAL for next season, though talks have just been aborted and I'm convinced our 2009/2010 treble winning 1st XI squad could have given most semi-pro teams a decent challenge. 4 of them were decent semi-pro players who just couldn't be arsed travelling anymore.

 

[marty21]

Shout out to Enfield Town who won the play off yesterday and are now in the National League South - I have friends at the club - and go a couple of times a season, always a good day out. They will be playing the mighty Citeh (Bath) next season.

 

[Jimmy Don't]

Shout out to Enfield Town who won the play off yesterday and are now in the National League South - I have friends at the club - and go a couple of times a season, always a good day out. They will be playing the mighty Citeh (Bath) next season.

Funny enough, messaged a multi-club semi-pro mate to get his EFTC tracksuit out earlier on the back of their promotion. Probably a decade since he played there, but he's a glory hunting bastard

 

[Nivag]

Shout out to Enfield Town who won the play off yesterday and are now in the National League South - I have friends at the club - and go a couple of times a season, always a good day out. They will be playing the mighty Citeh (Bath) next season.

We won't be seeing David next season

 

[editor]

Bromley has a schleb fan:

 

[darryl]

I went to Wembley to see Bromley go up, it was great fun.

Chap behind us who thought he knew it all kept talking about Dulwich Hamlet being the "hippies' club".

 

[Maggot]

The sad thing about yesterday is Dave being around to celebrate with his club.

You mean not being around?

 

[Ron Merlin]

Shout out to Enfield Town who won the play off yesterday and are now in the National League South - I have friends at the club - and go a couple of times a season, always a good day out. They will be playing the mighty Citeh (Bath) next season.

Cheers marty21

Don't know if you've seen this, but noted blogger Ian King's done a cracking write-up of the game.

 

[Maggot]

Congratulations to my local club Bromley FC on winning the play off final to reach the Football League for the first time in their history.
They've come a long way since their Isthmian League days.

Type in Bromley FC on google and you get celebratory fireworks.

 

[Don't Slow Down]

Please don't send suggestions

 

[tonysingh]

Please don't send suggestions

I'm staying far away from that one.

 

[Paula_G]

Please don't send suggestions

Maybe this lot from Tehran could get a franchise and open up at the ground?