Football League Overlords

The Football League are either pure evil or pig ignorant. Knowing football personnel as I do my money is on the latter. I have seen the plans. There are some good ideas in there. I cannot agree with them.

The Football League wants to expand to four divisions, each of them with 20 teams in. The way they are going to do this is by sucking out the best teams from the National League leaving the lesser poorer teams to fend for themselves in a world where money is increasingly hard to find and is more often than not rising to the top levels.

What they have got right is the standardisation of divisions at 20 teams each. Let us set this standard and work towards achieving it at all levels. This size of division allows for two, three or four teams to be promoted and/or relegated according to how the interacting leagues view the ability and experience of the associated league. Cricket has benefitted from splitting into two divisions with the aim of giving late season fixtures some meaning.

The Football Association must stamp on the heads of the Football League and insist that the pyramid comes first which means that although we should reduce the size of divisions to 20 teams the way we should do this is by pushing the better teams lower down the pyramid to strengthen the lower levels.

Many ex Football League teams in the National League has led BT Sport to take an interest at this level and I want to see more television coverage of the lower levels. The F.A.Vase final at Wembley was a fascinating watch as Northern League Morpeth took on and beat the phoenix version of Hereford who are working their way back up to Football League level.

More National League experience in the Regional Leagues will improve those levels and so on down the line. I agree that restructuring must happen regularly to freshen things up but the restructure must benefit the pyramid as a whole, not just the Football League. What they are trying to achieve is a return to the bad old days when the Football League was an exclusive unit. They are being selfish.

Take all the money out of the National League and it is the equivalent of taking all the important people into the castle and pulling up the drawbridge leaving those outside to the whims of the invading army. If anyone survives they can be looked after once the war is over. There will be many casualties.

If the Football League get their way:

PREMIER LEAGUE : 20 teams
CHAMPIONSHIP: 20 teams
LEAGUE ONE: 20 teams
LEAGUE TWO: 20 teams
LEAGUE THREE: 20 teams

Drawbridge - Moat - Very high wall

Teams that do not matter at all


What we need for a strong pyramid is to push better teams down into lower leagues:

PREMIER: 20
CHAMPIONSHIP: 20
LEAGUE ONE: 20
LEAGUE TWO: 20
NATIONAL LEAGUE: 20
National League Isthmian: 20
National League Northern: 20
National League Southern: 20
Isthmian Premier:20
Northern Premier: 20
Southern Premier:20

With this organisation you have instantly a strong pyramid with a logical structure.


I await with interest the outcome of any restructuring but I know the propensity of football to get things badly wrong. Four divisions of the Football League is getting things badly wrong.

I want to see the National League have one minor division for each of the three level seven leagues. Look at the country people. What shape is it closest to? What should the structure be therefore?

Sadly, getting it right is something that football just does not do.

Promotion (Easy) & Relegation (Hard)

I love this time of year working out who has gone where and then quite often trying to find out why.

The promotions and relegations look straightforward down as far as level 7 but from level 8 finding out where the demoted teams have gone is not always easy unless you are prepared to wait for the first league listings of next season.

I made a few guesses where teams would end up and when I checked I was right in all instances so I have left my unconfirmed guesses in the lists below.

LEAGUE & DIVISION

TEAM COMING IN

FROM LEAGUE

TEAM GOING OUT

TO LEAGUE

Isthmian League North	Brentwood Town	Isthmian League Premier	AFC Sudbury	Isthmian League Premier
Isthmian League North	VCD Athletic	Isthmian League Premier	Harlow Town	Isthmian League Premier
Isthmian League North	Ware	Southern League Central	Cray Wanderers	Isthmian League South
Isthmian League North	Bowers & Pitsea	Essex Senior League	Barkingside	Essex Senior League
Isthmian League North	Norwich United	Eastern Counties League	Redbridge	Essex Senior League

LEAGUE & DIVISION

TEAM COMING IN

FROM LEAGUE

TEAM GOING OUT

TO LEAGUE

Isthmian League South	Lewes	Isthmian League Premier	Folkestone Invicta	Isthmian League Premier
Isthmian League South	Cray Wanderers	Isthmian League North	Worthing	Isthmian League Premier
Isthmian League South	Godalming Town	Southern League Central	Peacehaven & Telscombe	Southern Combination Premier
Isthmian League South	Greenwich Borough	Southern Counties East League	Walton & Hersham	Combined Counties Premier
Isthmian League South	Horsham	Southern Combination League	Whitstable Town	Southern Counties East Premier

LEAGUE & DIVISION

TEAM COMING IN

FROM LEAGUE

TEAM GOING OUT

TO LEAGUE

Northern Premier North	Colwyn Bay	Northern Premier Premier	Spennymoor Town	Northern Premier Premier
Northern Premier North	Hyde United	Northern Premier Premier	Warrington Town	Northern Premier Premier
Northern Premier North	Ramsbottom United	Northern Premier Premier	Northwich Victoria	Northern Premier South
Northern Premier North	Goole	Northern Premier South	Witton Albion	Northern Premier South
Northern Premier North	Colne	North West Counties Premier	Harrogate Railway Athletic	Northern Counties East Premier
Northern Premier North	Tadcaster Albion	Northern Counties East Premier	New Mills	North West Counties Premier

LEAGUE & DIVISION

TEAM COMING IN

FROM LEAGUE

TEAM GOING OUT

TO LEAGUE

Northern Premier South	Stamford	Northern Premier Premier	Coalville Town	Northern Premier Premier
Northern Premier South	Bedworth United	Southern League Premier	Stafford Rangers	Northern Premier Premier
Northern Premier South	Northwich Victoria	Northern Premier North	Goole	Northern Premier North
Northern Premier South	Witton Albion	Northern Premier North	Daventry Town	United Counties Division One
Northern Premier South	AFC Rushden & Diamonds	Southern League Central	Tividale	Midland League Premier

LEAGUE & DIVISION

TEAM COMING IN

FROM LEAGUE

TEAM GOING OUT

TO LEAGUE

Southern League Central	Histon	Southern League Premier	Kings Langley	Southern League Premier
Southern League Central	Farnborough	Isthmian League Premier	St Ives Town	Southern League Premier
Southern League Central	Marlow	Southern League South & West	AFC Rushden & Diamonds	Northern Premier South
Southern League Central	AFC Dunstable	Spartan South Midlands Premier	Godalming Town	Isthmian League South
Southern League Central	AFC Kempston Rovers	United Counties League Premier	Ware	Isthmian League North
Southern League Central	Ashford Town (Middx)	Combined Counties League Premier	Leighton Town	Spartan South Midlands Premier
Southern League Central	Kidlington	Hellenic League Premier	North Greenford United	Hellenic League Premier

LEAGUE & DIVISION

TEAM COMING IN

FROM LEAGUE

TEAM GOING OUT

TO LEAGUE

Southern League South & West	Bideford	Southern League Premier	Cinderford Town	Southern League Premier
Southern League South & West	Paulton Rovers	Southern League Premier	Banbury United	Southern League Premier
Southern League South & West	Barnstaple Town	Western League Premier	Marlow	Southern League Central
Southern League South & West	Hereford	Midland League Premier	Bashley	Wessex League Premier
Southern League South & West	Salisbury	Wessex League Premier	Burnham	Western League Premier

I have heard a rumour that Cinderford Town have declined promotion. I knew that you could refuse to change leagues but I did not know that you could refuse promotion within the same league.

My weakest guess was Tividale but then I have already asked that question: Where will Tividale play?

F.A.Vase and F.A.Trophy

Hereford v. Morpeth

Great start to the first half of the F.A.Vase Final ..... Hereford 1 Morpeth 0
Great start to the second half of the F.A.Vase Final ..... Morpeth 2 Hereford 1

The match is still going. BT Sport Europe HD for some entertaining stuff.

I now realise I can add to existing posts so I will.

GOAL

Morpeth are now 3-1 up against overwhelming favourites Hereford.

GOAL

Morpeth have taken the F.A.Vase with a final scoreline of 4-1.

Celebrate with the Northern League team. Hereford have won everything else this season.

The Morpeth manager has agreed that the Northern League is the toughest league at Level 9 as he said that they have a tough match every week, whereas Hereford probably had some easy matches during the course of the season.

Peter Beadle, the Hereford manager, has said that his team have got in front a few times this season and not killed the other team off. He acknowledges that his team did not take their chances whereas Morpeth took theirs. Such is football.

Platoon : Those that died

Always remember that when you are in competition you cannot win without someone else losing. The losers are an important part of giving you the elation of winning. Every season the cumulative defeats lead to some teams dropping out of their leagues. There are other reasons for leaving leagues but I wish to remember some of the losers this season, whether or not they deserve mention. They may resurrect next year or in the future but for now they are gone.

No teams dropped out of the tower at the top of the pyramid.

It is testimony to the strength of our national sport that I cannot find any dropouts in the top 10 levels this season. I could not have said that in past years.

So at county level 11:

Fare well Riccall United and Thoresby Colliery Welfare who left the Central Midlands League.
Will we see the return of Tintinhull who left the Dorset Premier League?
The Liverpool County Premier League lost Liver Academy and Red Rum. Red Rum missing again?
Aston disappeared from the Midland League Division Two.
The Northampton Combination lost Gretton and Welford Victoria plus Ringstead Rangers it seems.
Bletchington did not finish the season in the Oxfordshire Senior League, and they lost another team.
Broughton & North Newington saw that having two towns in your name does not guarantee success.
Finally, I see that the West Midlands (Regional) League lost touch with AFC Worcester Olympic.

My feelings last year when I read about the costs of travelling when you are reliant on sponsorship rather than crowds in times when the country is in recession were that we would see a lot more teams closing down or dropping their reserve sides but I am pleased to see that the level of dropout is not as large as previous seasons.

When the media only ever talk about winners I think we should all recognise that there are no winners without losers. Never forget that when you win.

Up into the Western League

So I got hold of my Western League News and I can let you know that two teams are making the step up to division one.

Bishops Lydeard are coming up out of the Somerset League. I must do a little research on them before the new season starts.

The Wiltshire League are ejecting Malmesbury Victoria upwards even though they finished behind Trowbridge Town and Shrewton United. These "you have it", "no, after you" machinations fascinate me summer after summer.

I need to link up with others around the country to find out snippets of information before they are published nationally. Do YOU know anything?

Venturing Beyond

In order to understand anything you need to know a bit about the surroundings so I am now looking at what lies below the top 10 levels of professional Association Football.

Keeping my eyes on Level 9 and 10 Leagues I notice that two of them have divisions down at level 12. I love that and I must congratulate Leamington Hibernian, Smithswood Firs, Newport Town and Old Wulfrunians on their promotions to Level 11.

If I do that then I should also mention Shifnal Town, Hereford Lads Club, Alvis Sporting Club and Chelmsley Town on their elevation from Level 11 to Level 10.

Who else might be taking the big pyramid step from County League Level 11 to Professional Level 10? Well, Tiverton Town Reserves and Mousehole are champions heading for the Premier Division of the South West Peninsula League. Other teams have eligibility but may not want promotion or might fail the ground grading criteria that see so many teams excluded for sometimes trivial offences.

Will we see Old Malton St Marys from the York League? How about Trowbridge Town from the Wiltshire League? Beeston St Anthonys and Huddersfield YMCA won their leagues in Yorkshire. Blackpool Wren Rovers, Leek CSOB and South Liverpool may make progress in the North West. Will Stockton Town or Blyth Town join that exclusive Northern League? The Combined Counties league may or may not be seeing Reading YMCA and Horsley.

Because I am a fan of weird names I want to see Moulton Harrox and James King Blisworth in the United Counties League. There are many other teams that I have not and will not mention but one guaranteed to be seen in the Spartan South Midlands League is Standon & Puckeridge because having two towns in your name seems to be the "In Thing".

Now the summer is here I can enjoy working out which team is going where and then struggling to find out why. Shaw Lane Aquaforce have been on a meteoric rise season after season as they moved from the Sheffield & Hallamshire League Division One to the Premier Division to the Northern Counties East Division One then the Premier Division and the Northern Premier League South in five seasons. This season they finished in the play-off places (second in fact) so are they up again or has their rise been halted? ..... checking ..... Oh No! Beaten by Coalville Town in the final. Go again Shaw Lane Aquaforce, I want that name in the higher echelons.

Next Season - Provisional Tables

I bought "The Non-League Paper" today and was delighted to see the provisional tables for next season and there was one surprise for me that if you have read my blog over the last few weeks I am so disappointed about. I think that the league in question have refused to accept the club with the ridiculous name so they prefer the second placed team.

Odd Down are not listed in the Southern League Division One South & West but Barnstaple Town are named as coming up from the Western League. I think I may have to focus on this particular league next season as it contains many teams that I have had an interest in. Barnstaple have come up, Bideford have come down, Hereford and Salisbury have come up, Slimbridge have a bird sanctuary (what has that got to do with anything?), Swindon have the ridiculous addendum "supermarine" and Tiverton are just down the road from me. If my first experience is a good one I may become a regular at this level.

I was not going to mention another team I have been watching as my comments are obviously what jinxed Braintree Town in their attempt to go up and now they have lost their successful management team to Lincoln. I am delighted that North Ferriby United gained promotion to the National League (no need to mention that it is the premier division any more) as it goes Premier, Championship, League One, League Two, National League. The top five leagues are a single column atop the pyramid and I want to see all divisions reduced to 20 teams so these can become the "Top 100".

I want to strengthen the pyramid and I am sure we have seen in recent seasons that this is best done by getting better supported teams competing at a lower level. Already we have half the National League with Football League experience and this can only benefit the pyramid as a whole.

The National League North will benefit from the arrival of Darlington 1883, the reformed Darlington club that went bankrupt, and Salford City owned by the Manchester United players who decided to buy their own football club. Imagine if they trained with the players. I hope there is a follow up of the documentary that we saw last season.

I see that the National League South took two teams from the Isthmian League and two teams from the Southern League and I may have to take a look at Truro City this season as they were in the playoffs this season so must have what it takes to make a good go of it next season.

I cannot see anything in the Northern Premier League that interests me but that is not part of MY pyramid so that is no surprise. The Southern League now has Basingstoke Town as a team relegated from the National League South and I may well watch them as one of my favourite christmasses was being snowed in there in 1963. We had to dig a snow tunnel to get out of the back door. The Isthmian Premier now holds Worthing, a team that I did get to watch this season. Watch out for Ben Pope if he has maintained the quality that I saw in that one live match.

Kidlington from the Hellenic League are listed in the Southern League Central but so were Flackwell Heath last season and by the end of the summer they were back in the Hellenic. We shall see whether Kidlington go the same way. This league also contains teams from the South Midlands League, United Counties League and the Combined Counties League. How is that possible? I will work it out and if I remember I will let you know.

Bowers & Pitsea from the Essex Senior League and Norwich United from the Eastern Counties League are both listed in the Isthmian League Division One North. This is not part of my pyramid either but I may have to watch Great Wakering Rovers as they played on the pitch next to ours when I was a young up and coming hopeful shortly before I was a down and out loser and decided to focus on other things.

Greenwich Borough from the Southern Counties East League and Horsham from the Southern Combination League are now in the Isthmian League Division One South. I kept half an eye on this league while Worthing were there but I may now have to switch that half an eye on to Guernsey with the F.A. special rules requiring them to play home matches away or pay the travelling costs of visiting teams. I must check out what is happening in practice.

Right, I now have to switch my attention to the Arsenal match on Arsenal Player (unless I can find an illegal feed) and the National League play-off final between Forest Green Rovers and Grimsby. Thank you to my reader for your attention. I have noticed.

Finishing the Season

So it comes to a conclusion.

My dream would be for Arsenal to beat Aston Villa while Newcastle beat Tottenham and it is very possible albeit unlikely. The Championship play-offs have started with Sheffield Wednesday beating Brighton last night. The Derby v. Hull match has started and already I have found myself supporting Hull which is where I spent my university days.

What else can I see as I work my way down the pyramid?

Southend United will no longer have their Essex Derby as Colchester United are heading for League Two.

Exeter City may miss out on the Devon Derby if Plymouth can get promotion via the playoffs.

Braintree have missed out on the dream of League Football so I now have no qualms and I shall be supporting Forest Green as they attempt to prevent Grimsby rejoining the Football League.

In the Conference South I do believe that Ebbsfleet United deserve their promotion after leading the table for most of the season.

Poole Town won the Southern League title, a top result that matches the achievement of their Speedway team in many previous seasons.

In the Essex Senior League Bowers & Pitsea did overtake Basildon on the final day of the season so it will be interesting to see if either of them choose promotion.

You must be Kidlington about the winners of the Hellenic League and what are those divisions two east and west if they are not part of the pyramid as I have been told?

Coventry United in Midland League Division One are promoted as are Norwich United of the Eastern Counties League. They are United in promoting second teams in cities.

Hereford performed as expected, ruining the league for everyone else.

The Northern League seems to have all the teams that make a mark on the F.A.Vase but we all know why that is, and I have to support their stubborn refusal to enter the modern world.

The Southern Counties East League includes London and I see that Greenwich Borough took the title.

AFC Kempston Rovers took over from Leicester Nirvana at the end of the season and win the United Counties League on goal difference.

Salisbury did what Hereford did leaving the other Wessex League teams with No Chance.

Odd Down won the Western League. Go Odd Down, I want to see you progress up the pyramid.

Looking at the Level 11 County Leagues I shall just pick out a few:

In a season that has brought many teams with two names to my attention I see that in the Hertfordshire Senior County League Standon & Puckeridge took the title.

A great name from the top of the Kent County League is Faversham Strike Force.

Oxford University Press won the title in the Oxfordshire Senior League. Well they would do as they get to print the tables.

Blyth Town won the Northern Alliance Premier Division so they cannot be too far behind Blyth Spartans now.

The Peterborough & District League harbours one of my favourite names as Moulton Harrox won it so who can tell me which word is the place name and which word is the team description?

Here is the one I was looking for:
Staffordshire County League is leaking teams: Leek CSOB leaking out of the top and Leek Town Reserves leaking out of the bottom.

Suffolk & Ipswich information is so hard to find (lower divisions). Could someone put it online please? Crane Sports took the title or did they have an Achilles heel?

South Liverpool won the West Cheshire League. Is that a case of the inner city beating the posh country folk?

Trowbridge Town won the Wiltshire League but I must ask the Wiltshire League to add a second division as they are skewing all my pyramid calculations raising up the town and district leagues by one level.

Now I can settle down and watch the women's F.A.Cup Final from Wembley. Arsenal v. Chelsea.

Planning Ahead - Next Season

Who might I pick to follow next season?

Well we know my number one pick will always be Arsenal in the Premier League.

I only chose Brentford originally because of the Sczcesny connection. I have watched a few matches on television but I feel it is time to change now. Who else could I select at Championship level? The season after next several people have suggested Leicester but next season do I go for Norwich, Sunderland or Newcastle? I  may pick Wigan Athletic coming up from League One as I did some research and they were continually refused entry to the Football League in their early days. They were so eager to progress that they even applied to the Scottish League at one point. Wigan certainly deserve my support.

League One will probably remain Southend United as it is my old home town and I still have friends and family there. Roots Hall is familiar to me as I paid £1.20 per match to get in for my first full season although I vaguely remember paying 80 pence entrance money. Has time faulted my memory or was it really affordable back in the day?

I so want my League Two choice to be Braintree Town but they have a long way to go yet. Firstly they have to not lose to Grimsby in the return leg of the semi-final and then they have to despatch Forest Green (I expect) in the final. No easy task I grant you but I have a feeling for them.

The National League saw me choose Torquay merely for convenience as I live in Exeter and I had full expectations of actually visiting all my picks at the start of the season. Finances and other events have seen me watch very little football except on TV where I can get several matches in on a single day. My pick will be Braintree if they do not work that minor miracle I hope for, otherwise I have to look at Forest Green or Eastleigh although I have been following some other teams like North Ferriby United who are in the playoffs.

As MY pyramid does not include the National League North I have to look South for a team and my Connection with Basingstoke has been lost as they finished bottom but my current choice of Weston-super-Mare have done an excellent job keeping me informed on social media (facebook) so although I have still yet to take that short trip up the M5 I think they deserve my watchful eye for yet another season. Truro City are still in with a chance, though, if they capture my imagination but fail to go up.

Bideford have dropped out of the Southern League Premier Division so I will need a new club there.
Weymouth are not too far away but the road from Exeter is awful. Dorchester are further away but the road is better. Maybe, after mentioning them above, I will be following Basingstoke Town. We shall see.

The Southern League South & West can keep Tiverton Town as they are still only half an hour away and I have still failed to ever visit them. Next season this is a must although last time I contemplated a serious visit I ended up at Elmore Eagles who lost their first team place in the South West Peninsula League and are now rebuilding with the second team becoming the first team. I imagine that this can be quite common as clubs push up the leagues.

My Western League pick has been Barnstaple and as it is at the far end of a very picturesque branch line I always planned on taking the train to watch them. Once again this has yet to happen but perhaps next season if I can find some extra cash somewhere I will finally visit a team that has played very well this season finishing in second place behind Odd Down, a team I want to see progress up through the leagues merely because of their name.

The South West Peninsula Premier Division is my choice for Level 10 rather than the Western League First Division so I will stick with Exmouth Town who are also at the end of a picturesque branch line and I can travel by train.

I realise as I write this that there is still a lot of doubt in my own mind about promotions and relegations and I know from past seasons that just as you think you know who is in which league a team will transfer across at the same level or drop out due to ground grading or fall foul of some other regulation so have to switch leagues to one where they are treated with respect. I shall watch with enormous interest.

Play-offs

I took time this week to watch the first leg matches in the semi-finals of the playoffs for the National League. BT Sport are doing a great job bringing this level of football to the public. Little Dover took on and lost to up and coming Forest Green. I was delighted, though, to see little Braintree go away to the mighty Grimsby and come away with a victory. Nothing is decided but my choices are ahead.

A friend woke me to the fact that the end of season is here when he posted the celebrations of Worthing as they won their play-off final in the Isthmian League South. They were one of the few teams I got to watch live this season and I hope that Ben Pope lives up to the performance that I saw. He is one to watch.

So how have the other play-offs progressed?

Hungerford Town came through in the Southern League Premier.
The Neville brothers are now happy as Salford won the Northern Premier League play-offs.
East Thurrock Unted are the successful team in the Isthmian League Premier.

In the Isthmian North Harlow Town join AFC Sudbury in progressing to the Premier Division.
In the Isthmian South Worthing followed a 7-0 thrashing of Hythe with a 3-0 thrashing of Faversham.

In the Northern Premier North Spennymoor who finished second join first placed Warrington.
In the Northern Premier South Coalville Town beat my choice of Shaw Lane Aquaforce.

In the Southern League Central St Ives Town join Kings Langley in promotion to the Premier.
In the Southern League S&W Banbury United came through to join Cinderford Town on the up.

You know what? There is so much going on that it is almost impossible to keep track of it all.

I do have all summer, however, to work out who will be in which league before it all changes in August as wheeling and dealing is concluded. Where will Tividale be?