Change the Structure

My last post got me thinking.

The shape of the English Mainland most closely resembles a triangle so that should be the basis of the Non League Structure.

The National League should be divided into three feeder leagues with just the League Leader being promoted. The National North can stay but the National South should be divided into National South West and National South East.

Setting a 1 to 3 standard for leagues could very well encourage more Northern League sides into the Northern Premier League. They complain that the travelling costs are greatly increased following the step up, however, if there were a Northern Premier North, Northern Premier South West and Northern Premier South East those travelling costs would be reduced encouraging the Northern League to participate fully in the structure.

In the Isthmian League London is a huge block meaning that the M25 car park often has to be used to travel to matches. If there were three divisions the travel would be eased as there could be a South Division, Central Division and North Division.

The Southern League has been gradually shrinking in total area since the days when it was the only challenger to the Football League and three divisions may enable the return of a Central Division (rather than Southern North), South West and South East divisions.

Successful teams are usually better supported so the move from three parts to one should be manageable. The tripartite system would, though, make it easier on the teams lower down the leagues in terms of travelling costs.

I know that constant change makes it much more difficult to manage things but getting it wrong in the first place results in ultimate demise. It is not so long ago that Senior and Premier were interchangeable in terms of seniority. There was clearly confusion as can be seen from some of the divisional nominations around the country.

With more people finding out that being part of a smaller club gives you a feeling that being one in fifty thousand does not, we should support the lower leagues and encourage more people to support their local teams. To keep the pyramid alive we must not allow the Football League to absorb the National League into itself. This would become a chance to cut the smaller clubs loose. What we need is a strong National League at the top of the Non League game. We have that now and we must not lose it. Many dreamers are now funding those clubs outside the Football League and long may that continue.

What would you do if you had the opportunity to rearrange the football pyramid?

League Rationalisation

Non League football has been stratified and there is now a standard although there are many variations as you descend the pyramid.

The National League is Step 1 of Non League and Level 5 of the pyramid. It has two feeder leagues At Step 2 (Level 6). They are the National League North and National League South.

Steps 3 and 4 (Levels 7 and 8) are the Isthmian, Northern Premier and Southern Leagues. They each have one Premier Division and two feeder leagues which in the case of the first two are North and South while in the Southern League it is East and West.

This idea of a Primary (Premier) Division with two feeder leagues is now the standard and I am sure that the F.A. will want to standardise that going on down through the pyramid. I have watched the changes over the last few years with keen interest and although there is some way to go I think we can see the direction in which the F.A. is pushing things.

Steps 5 and 6 (Levels 9 and 10) contain a variety of leagues, 14 in total at the moment. The F.A. has designs on reducing this to 12 Leagues so that each of the Step 3 Leagues will have two leagues feeding up to it. With all the bargaining and switching that goes on year after year as teams switch between leagues it would certainly simplify things if promotion and relegation was more rigid but I am not yet convinced that a perfectly matching pyramid is the best thing for the game of football.

The Hellenic League is already set up correctly with East and West divisions leading into the Premier Division.

The South West Peninsula League is similarly standard in structure but its Premier Division sits at level 10 so it does not fit the perfect system that the F.A. is trying to create. If each League has to have its Premier Division at an odd numbered step or level it would need to be regraded down to Level 11 which is the County Level so the F.A. have a problem unless they accept that there will be exceptions. The Western League works with Division One getting a promotion slot and the South West Peninsula League Premier Division getting a promotion slot. If the F.A. were to force a standard structure it could kill the game in the South West Peninsula.

Most of the other Leagues at Step 5 (Level 9) have a Premier Division and a Division One which works for them.

The key exception to this now that the Kent League has become the Southern Counties East League Premier Division and the Kent Invicta League has become the Southern Counties League Division One (a step closer to the standard required) is the Essex Senior League. It sits at Step 5 (Level 9) and has no Step 6 feeder league. The Essex Olympian League sits at Level 11.

The F.A. has plans to fix this by getting the Essex Senior League to merge with the Eastern Counties League (Premier Division and Division One) to create a Premier Division along with a Division One North and Division One South. This will fit the format that the F.A. is pushing but it remains to be seen how the teams involved adapt to greater travelling distances. Certainly, now that the Sussex League has become the Southern Combination we need to push any mention of the County in the League Name down to Level 11. The standard is becoming County Leagues at Level 11.

If that merger takes place then the total number of leagues at this level will be reduced to 13 and I will leave it up to you to work out which other leagues should be merged to remove the 13th member at this level and give the F.A. the perfect 12 that they are after.

What are your thoughts?

Relegation (1)

The beauty of the football pyramid is that for every team making their way up we have an equivalent team making their way down. Or do we?

The truth is that many teams fold, go into liquidation or drop several levels due to refinancing or takeover bids so sometimes teams come up to replace teams that have quite simply disappeared. At Premier League and Football League level we have not seen a disappearing trick for many seasons now.

Today I am going to look at teams in the danger zone as many of them are teams I have followed in the past few seasons. I may gloss over the top few levels but they will all get a mention.

Bournemouth and Crystal Palace are at the foot of the Premier League but the surprise relegation candidate is Everton. They were one of the founding members of the Football League and have been at the top level since 1954 but there is a risk of that long run being terminated.

The Championship has Bolton Wanderers in the danger zone along with Sunderland who seem to be in free fall. Sunderland always have a habit of leaving it late although last season they left it too late. Burton Albion are the team who need a big mention as they were in the National League (Football Conference) as late as 2008-09 before moving into and up the Football League. They may have reached their pinnacle but I always support teams that have come a long way.

League One sees Plymouth Argyle at the foot of the table. As they are the big local rivals to Exeter I hear a lot about them and it would be funny to hear of them dropping as Exeter go up but the season is long and there will be many twists and turns on the way.

At the foot of the Football League are two teams I know nothing about and I refuse to find out at this stage of the evening. Morecambe are in touch with the teams above them but Chesterfield (the place of the twisted spire) seem to be losing touch.

I shall stop there and produce a part two where there are teams that interest me more.

F.A.Cup 4th Qualifying Round

My interest in football allows me to know that today the National League teams join the F.A.Cup competition in the 4th and final qualifying round before the survivors this far get the opportunity to meet the Football League teams in the first round proper.

I tried checking the BBC Sport site for any information without luck. Sky Sports seem to have all the league games but no information about the F.A.Cup. I have changed to BT Sport and found that the news is working its way through so BT Sport it is for the rest of the afternoon.

Halifax Town v. Tranmere Rovers is an intriguing tie number one. Two ex league sides plying their trade at level 5 now.

South Shields (Level 8) at home to Hartlepool United (Level 5) is the next match to attract my attention.

Shaw Lane who have risen quickly to Level 7 are at home to Barrow (Level 5) in another match to watch.

Match number 9 is Buxton (Level 7) v. Gateshead (Level 5) so good luck Buxton.

The biggest gap I can see is little Shildon (Level 9) away to Guiseley (Level 5). Four Levels is huge but historically the Northern League refused to step up when they should have which is why we have the Northern Premier League as well, and there are many teams in the Northern League who should be playing at a higher level. You do have to support them though when you realise that travel costs are the largest costs many clubs face and as we all know money in some locations is not as plentiful as in others.

Eastleigh are at Level 5 and they are taking on the reformed Hereford who are at Level 7 but they have a following that has stayed with them since their football league days so I can see Hereford rising further under their current management.

An interesting "All Level 8" clash is Haringey Borough v. Heybridge Swifts and at least that guarantees a Level 8 side reaching the First Round of the F.A.Cup proper. Borough or Swifts? Who will it be?

Slough Town v. Folkestone Invicta is an "All Level 7" clash so we will see a couple of minnows in the First Round. Margate v. Leatherhead is another "All Level 7" clash.

The final fixture, number 32, sees East Thurrock United of the National League South taking on Ebbsfleet United of the National League.

I think I shall sit back and relax as half time approaches, watch the scores and prepare for the Arsenal match which is on TV from 17:30pm.

Checkatrade Plymouth v. Exeter

Plymouth v. Exeter

First trip to Plainmoor

I noticed on my fixture list that Torquay United were playing on a Tuesday evening.

This was my chance to go and watch a National League fixture and I spoke to the Mrs who fancied a day out in Torquay.

As it happens she had an appointment with her doctor in the morning and that took time as a blood test and flu jab were booked for late morning. We set off from the Doctors and I got to experience the newly built Kingskerswell bypass for the second time. It makes the journey to Torquay so much quicker and easier. We made our way to the Plainmoor ground and it reminded me of football from the past where the ground is in the middle of a residential area. The club needs to move if it wants to grow but perhaps the club are comfortable where they are.

The staff in the club shop were friendly as I asked for tickets to the match which was scheduled to start at 19:45. There was a short delay as "the girl who issues tickets" was in another part of the ground but we had time so I was happy to chat as we awaited her arrival. I had spotted a pair of front row seats still free when I had checked the club website but after a short talk about the possibility of rain I settled on seats a few rows behind that. It turned out to be a good place to watch the match from.

We drove on into the town and seafront area and started looking for parking spots. We were directed upwards to a multi storey car park but my wife has walking difficulties and did not fancy the walk back up to the car, so I turned around and we drove the length of the seafront and found some parking spaces at the far end but with a long walk back to the main shopping street we decided to drive on and look at the coast ending up in Brixham which has some happy memories from the past. It is a lovely fishing village with a friendly ambience and a pirate ship.

We decided on lunch at the Rockfish restaurant which is high priced but the views are special and we were able to relax and watch the fishing fleet landing their catches as we ate some of the already cooked fish. The choice of fish was extensive so I must return and try the gurnard as well as the mussels which is a long standing favourite of mine.

Following a slow amble around the town and a lovely cup of tea at The Coaching Inn which is surprisingly a Wetherspoons pub but with character. There is a covered alleyway with what looks like living rooms on each side but these are places to relax and enjoy a drink served by a friendly host who charges £1 if you want to use the toilet without buying a drink.

We stopped a few times on the walk back to the car to admire the assorted views on display. We heard that there is a ferry service from Brixham to Torquay that runs every hour so that may be an option the next time we are in the area. We saw what was probably a school group dressed as pirates on their way to the pirate ship and heard some yacht owners talking about the cost of repairs. My thought was "If you can afford a yacht ...".

In the late afternoon we returned to Torquay and made for the ground knowing that there would be a long wait before the match started. What we did not know at that stage was that the wait would be longer than we could have foreseen. We parked up and walked towards the ground where we found a bar called "Boots & Laces" that took us both back many years. The young men in there were full of life and the old men in there were sat quietly with their pints as the pool table was pounded and the Boomtown Rats played out on the video screens.

One pint was enough so we walked around to pick up a program for some light reading before the contest began. There was a small car park where we could keep an eye on the gates so we moved the car and paid for a valid ticket to cover the rest of the evening. From there we watched as many school age children emerged from what may have been youth team training. We saw the stewards being let in and waited for the gates to open. This took longer than we had expected but we found out why when we walked over to the gates and heard that the opposition were stuck on the motorway.

Eventually one gate opened and we were told that we would only be allowed in if we went straight to the bar. We did not need to discuss this.

We settled in the bar with a couple of drinks and waited, listening to the grapevine as the news filtered through that the match would not start until 8:15pm and that the Maidenhead United team coach would not be here until at least 7:45pm. Criticism of Maidenhead followed when it was noted that the Maidenhead fans has arrived so it was only the team that we were waiting for.

We had heard earlier in the day that the M5 South had been closed due to a chemical spill. This closure was close to Bristol which is where coaches to Exeter start their journey down the M5 if they have come along the M4 as I suspect that the Maidenhead coach did.

We got chatting to a friendly couple who told us that they were with their grandchildren shortly before coming to the match and as the young lad is a Torquay fan they had been banned from wearing their supporters outfits and were not allowed to talk about the match as it would unsettle the young lad shortly before bedtime.

The next we heard was that the Maidenhead team were in Yeovil. The time was now 19:00 and the trip across the Blackdown Hills is at least 45 minutes. Following that we heard that there is a curfew at the ground of 22:00 meaning that 20:15 was the very last time that the match could start and still be completed and only if the injury time was minimal.

A couple of lads joined us who "used to play football but now drink beer" and I know exactly where they are coming from.

People started to head out to the stands around 19:45 suggesting that some of them had failed to hear the news about the start time and I got talking to a couple about my first visit to Torquay and they showed genuine interest in this blog and asked if I would be making a You Tube video which got me thinking. It will probably not happen as I have always felt that I have a face for radio and a voice for newspapers. Some might also say that I have a writing style better suited to talking but some of my work has been appreciated and if nothing else it will make better writers feel good about themselves.

We headed out to the stand as the players were leaving their training sessions and heading into the changing rooms. When the teams came out there was no spare time if the match was to finish by 10 O'Clock. I have never before seen a match where the players (Maidenhead) went through the handshake routine and then spent 30 seconds warming up. This was clearly poor preparation for the match and Torquay had to take advantage.

The match started with Torquay using Arsenalesque triangles to pass the ball through the Maidenhead defence and I was convinced that if this was the standard I would be in for a thoroughly entertaining evening. Withing 4 minutes Torquay had taken the lead and one young player, Luke Young, was central to the moves that were being put together. This quality remained high as another move, this time down the right resulted in Luke Young himself scoring the second goal. I have someone to watch. The quality remained for the first 30 minutes but injured players were asked to get up rather than be treated due to the shortage of time. There was a head injury that forced some injury time and we have to accept that but on the whole the players got up and got on with it.

I spotted several moments of genius as players used their talent to beat first one then a second player before running into a third and losing the ball. The quality dwindled slightly as Torquay got their third and fourth goals but it was clear that some of the Maidenhead players were still on the coach. They had a nightmare journey and now they were having a nightmare match. Credit must be given to the Maidenhead fans who never stopped supporting their team and were singing even at 4-0 down.

I stated at the start of the second half that all Torquay had to do was manage the game out. Unfortunately they seemed to know this and the quality dropped as the ball spent a lot of time in the sky. At least four footballs disappeared over the stand on the far side and had to be replaced by a ball rolled out from the fourth official. Maidenhead at least matched Torquay in the second half but the goals were rarely threatened as shots went high or wide or clearances went out of the ground.

The fans went home happy and the chap I had been talking to in the bar spotted me and told me I was welcome back as if I was some sort of lucky charm. My lady seemed happy and she told me she was delighted to see the number of people with learning difficulties supporting the club and shouting at the tops of their voices even during the quiet patches. She also met an old work colleague who popped over for a chat.

When I first moved to Exeter I got talking to the residents, some of whom were young men who share my interest in football. They, of course, said that I should never visit Torquay (local rivals) or Plymouth (local rivals) and whilst I have read about the trouble caused by Plymouth fans when I pick up the local paper, the fanbase of this National League club came over as nothing but friendly.

Perhaps National League level is where it is at as I have enjoyed the BT Sports coverage of this level of football, sometimes more than the games that are from the Football League, but you cannot beat the Premier League for quality.

North Ferriby United

I started following North Ferriby when I saw their steady rise up through the ranks and realised that the size of the village in Humberside is nowhere near large enough to maintain a team at the level that they reached.

My spreadsheets show that they were in the Northern Premier League Premier Division back in 2011/12 and 2012/13.

In 2013/14 and 2014/15 they were in the Conference North which became the National League North where they remained until 2015/16.

Last season they reached their pinnacle in the National League but this proved to be a step too far and they have returned to the National League North for this season. Sadly, at the moment, they are at the foot of the table and may have to drop back before building for another challenge at a later date.

I shall continue to follow their progress but it would be nice to see them survive at their current level.

Arsenal in the Carabao Cup

Arsenal go through

September Check

My selections seem to be doing "mostly good to alright".

Exeter City and Tiverton Town are TOP in their respective leagues.

Buckland Athletic are second in the Western League.

Arsenal are 12th in the Premier League but I see that as a low point. We shall see.

Southend United are 17th in League One and I have not checked up enough on them yet.

Weston-super-Mare are also 17th and seem to be settled around that level in the National League South.

The weak elements in my selections are Brentford and Torquay, both in the relegation zone.

Exmouth Town are sitting 14th in the South West Peninsula league and I expect them to rise again.

That leaves Barnstaple Town who are 19th in the Southern League West (new designation this season).



What I really need is a designated study area where I can set up my papers and thoughts.

Alien Html

What is this Alien HTML that I see in front of me?

It appears every time I try to put a new entry in.

I usually delete it but let's see if it serves any purpose.

No effect that I can see but I can use the < br > to paragraph quicker.

I must get back into web page design.

New Carpet

Life takes over sometimes and this week we have had a new carpet fitted in our lounge.

To make things easier for the fitter we had to remove as much furniture as possible and I had to disconnect the TV from the Satellite Unit from the Blueray player from the DVD/Video unit that is not used very often any more. HD Cables piled up along with Scart leads and Power Cables as I stored the working boxes in the garage. Once the carpet was fitted we had to bring all the furniture back in and I had to carefully connect all the cables using the correct holes in the back of our unit that contains all the boxes. I am sure some of the items are on different shelves now but I was happy to see that upon checking ... ALL SYSTEMS GO ... we are connected up and I hope to get another ten years trouble free watching. What is the next up and coming "thing" that I will need to add? ... No, we already have a 3D TV and although it is a gimmick there are times when it is just great to turn the lights out and watch things emerge from the screen or disappear to the back of the box.

So, on top of that, we decided to buy the cats a play tower to try and keep them off the new carpet and I spent all morning trying to change the many parts into a complete unit, finding that some of the screw grips that the screws go into are missing. I have never seen these on sale anywhere so some of the platforms are not as tight fitting as they should be. So far the cats have only jumped on the unit to retrieve the treats that we placed there. It is sitting on its own in the corner.

And now the wife is exhausted and has gone off for a sleep I can focus on the football:

Arsenal have beaten Bournemouth 3-0 and I saw none of it. Maybe I could get back into watching Match of the Day?

Brentford travelled to Aston Villa and came away with a creditable 0-0 draw. I may give those highlights a miss.

Charlton Athletic managed to beat my league one pick Southend United by 2 goals to 1. Might be worth a look.

So after three matches we have one win, one draw, one defeat.

Exeter City were travelling away to Forest Green and I had half a mind to go (but we now have a cat stand). a 3-1 away win is very very good.

So the top level teams produced 2 wins, a draw and a loss.

Moving on to the non-league where I am gaining interest rapidly as it is still about the football and not about the money, Torquay United earned a 0-0 draw with Wrexham at Plainmoor. I am quite pleased that I did not bother with that one.

In the National League South Weston-super-Mare travelled about as far as they can to Essex where they drew 1-1 with Chelmsford City. Yes, I too remember being surprised when I found out that Chelmsford is a city, but I did support their Ice Hockey team for a season.

In the Southern League Premier Tiverton Town beat Hitchin Town 3-1 and I really must give Tiverton a visit soon. The rumours about the six toes and three eyes are probably not true after all.

In the Southern League West (note that it is no longer South&West) Barnstaple Town travelled to North Leigh and got beaten 5-0. ... Move on!

It gets harder to find results from the Western League onwards but thanks to the Buckland Athletic Twitter Feed I find that travelling to Longwell Green resulted in a 4-1 away win. Good news for the only one of my picks that I have seen live this season.

Exmouth Town are away at Stoke Gabriel but neither of their twitter feeds have been updated in a while. So obviously the result matters not to either team as they are not keeping their supporters informed.

Thus endeth my sermon for today.

Western League Bulletin

Midweek Action: On Tuesday evening, Buckland Athletic’s 100% Premier Division record was finally brought to an end after they were held to a 3-3 draw by Street. Buckland came flying out of the traps and forged a two-goal lead inside 22 minutes thanks to goals from Charlie Johansen and Lloyd Gardner. Street then forged a remarkable comeback, with David O’Hare sliding home, followed by two goals from Steve Murray as the home side claimed a one-goal lead going into the break. Both sides came close to adding to their tallies in the second-half, but the only goal came five minutes from time with Jared Lewington smashing home to grab a point for the Devon outfit.

The Western League Bulletin is edited by Tom Hiscott.

Brentford = Best of August

Brentford - Best of August 2017

Torquay United

Torquay 1 Solihull Moors 2

Woking 4 Torquay 1

Gillingham 3 Southend 3

Gillingham 3 Southend 3

Cheltenham 3 Exeter 4

Cheltenham 3 Exeter 4

Western League Bulletin

Premier Division: At Homers Heath, Buckland Athletic maintained their winning start to the league season following a 4-1 victory over Brislington. After falling behind in the sixth minute lead following a Jared Lewington header, Brislington got back on level terms in the moments leading up to half-time. However they were soon behind, with Richard Groves firing home a penalty less than two minutes later. The second half belonged to Buckland, with Groves and Lewington both adding to their tallies either side of a red card to Brislington’s Jason Hughes.

The Western League Bulletin is edited by Tom Hiscott.

1 Buckland Athletic 5 5 0 0 14 7 7 15
2 Bradford Town 4 3 1 0 9 0 9 10
3 Melksham Town 5 3 1 1 13 5 8 10
4 Willand Rovers 5 3 1 1 13 5 8 10
5 Odd Down 5 3 1 1 8 6 2 10
6 Cribbs 4 3 0 1 6 2 4 9
7 Shepton Mallet 5 3 0 2 6 5 1 9
8 Chipping Sodbury Town 5 2 1 2 11 10 1 7
9 Brislington 5 2 1 2 6 7 -1 7
10 Street 4 2 0 2 8 4 4 6
11 Bridgwater Town 5 2 0 3 6 8 -2 6
12 Clevedon Town 3 1 2 0 6 1 5 5
13 Wells City 5 1 1 3 5 11 -6 4
14 Bridport 3 1 0 2 7 9 -2 3
15 Wellington 6 1 0 5 7 13 -6 3
16 Cadbury Heath 4 1 0 3 6 13 -7 3
17 Hengrove Athletic 3 0 2 1 2 3 -1 2
18 Bitton 3 0 2 1 2 4 -2 2
19 Hallen 3 0 1 2 4 9 -5 1
20 Longwell Green Sports 4 0 0 4 0 17 -17 0

More Vids

CHAMPIONSHIP
Ipswich v. Brentford
LEAGUE ONE
Southend v. Plymouth
LEAGUE TWO
Exeter v. Lincoln
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Torquay v. Boreham Wood

Exmouth lost to Sticker

Match Report

Buckland Athletic win in another 7 goal thriller

Photographs

AFC Totton 3 Barnstaple Town 1

Home Draw

Tiverton won their match against Bishops Stortford

Match Report

Weston lost to St Albans City

Match Report

Torquay United go down at Aldershot

An away draw for Exeter

A thrashing for Southend

Another Seven goal thriller at Brentford

Arsenal beat Leicester on the opening Friday Night

Carabao Cup

The Football League Cup has been redesignated the Carabao Cup this year.

Matches start tonight.

This is the trophy where the prize money is so low that all the Premier League sides play their reserve players to give them some experience.

My teams are all at home tonight:

Brentford take on AFC Wimbledon.

Southend take on Newport County.

Exeter have a match against Charlton Athletic.


My other teams are also in action as this is the first week of the new season:

Torquay are away to Aldershot Town.

Weston-super-Mare played last night and lost their match 2-0 away to Hungerford Town.
Clearly there is a consistent plan to start every season very poorly indeed.

Tiverton Town travelled the short distance to Cullompton last night and earned a 2-2 friendly draw.

Barnstaple Town are at home to Appledore in their last pre-season fixture tomorrow night.
I wonder if I can persuade the wife to go shopping earlier in the day?

Buckland Athletic take on Wellington in the Western League. I will return there but not tonight.

Exmouth start on Saturday at home to Sticker. Maybe I should go along and collect some Stickers?

Saturday 5th August

Results for my teams:

Brentford lost 1-0 away to Sheffield United.

Southend beat Blackburn 2-1 at home.

Exeter beat Cambridge 1-0 at home.

Torquay drew 0-0 with Tranmere.

Weston lost 2-1 to Poole.

The only other result was Buckland losing 3-2 to Bodmin which you already know.

Buckland Athletic 2 Bodmin Town 3

I made it. After several years of not making it to the first match of the season I made sure my wife had good internet access and set off in my car to watch a football match.

I nearly gave up as the M5 Motorway was at a standstill when I joined it and with less than an hour to go I decided to pull off at the next junction. This allowed me to pass the static vehicles and I noticed movement ahead when I reached the junction so I pulled back onto the Motorway and continued my journey, slowly at first but then back up to normal speed.

When I got to Buckland's ground they were parking in the street so I found a suitable slot and set off into the ground up a shallow incline. There is clearly variable pricing as the cost was marked in chalk on a blackboard section of the entry hut.

For this F.A.Cup tie the entry fee was £7.00 and I paid £1.50 for a program to try and learn the names of some of the players. Somebody asked about crowd numbers and the number 175 was given out as I passed through but there were more people behind me.

Buckland played in all yellow while Bodmin were in all white. Buckland are at Level 9 of the football pyramid (Western League) and Bodmin are at Level 10 (South West Peninsula League) but the opposite appeared to be true as Bodmin played the better football and seemed to be more in control. Buckland missed their chances in front of goal and Bodmin went 2 goals up before half time.

The pick of the goals was a free kick taken around a wall that appeared to be at least one person light.

Bodmin went three goals up shortly after half time and that appeared to be that, but Buckland scored and had a man sent off. The match finished 3-2 to Bodmin but not before several players were hatcheted to the ground as the competitive nature of the competition kicked in. Five minutes of injury time were not enough for Buckland to get the equaliser and Bodmin jumped for joy at the final whistle.

All in all an enjoyable day out helped by the fact that I unexpectedly met up with an old friend and relived past times. One actual match ticked off the list.

F.A.Cup Day as the New Season starts

The first five F.A.Cup results from last night are:

Heanor Town 0 Aylestone Park 1

Potton United 0 Biggleswade United 0 (Glad I missed that one)

Flackwell Heath 5 Burnham  0 (Now where is Flackwell Heath exactly?)

Sholing 1 Alresford Town 2

Crowborough Athletic 2 Lingfield 0

I am pleased for Crowborough as they were involved in the F.A.'s original intent to merge the Sussex and Kent Leagues into the two new leagues, Southern Combination and Southern Counties East League. Thankfully they won their appeal at the time but they are now where the F.A. wanted them.

Good luck Crowborough.

My teams are involved in the following matches:

Arsenal v. Chelsea in the Charity Shield tomorrow.

Brentford take on Sheffield United away in the Championship.

Southend United are at home to Blackburn Rovers in League One.

Exeter City are at home to Cambridge United in League Two.

Torquay United are at home to Tranmere Rovers in the National League.

Weston-super-Mare are at home to Poole Town in the National League South.

Tiverton Town and Barnstaple start next week according to my information.

Buckland Athletic take on Bodmin Town in the F.A. Cup

Exmouth Town also start next week.

Results checking starts later.

The F.A.Cup starts tonight

Your average Football Fan has no idea that the F.A.Cup starts this evening.

The Extra Preliminary Round which takes place before the Preliminary Round which takes place before the Qualifying Rounds has its first matches tonight with most of the rest over the weekend.

So keep your eyes on the following Friday Night Fixtures:

Heanor Town v. Aylestone Park

Potton United v. Biggleswade United

Flackwell Heath v. Burnham

Sholing v. Alresford Town

Crowborough Athletic v. Lingfield

I shall be watching for the results but I may go and watch a match tomorrow.

Past history would suggest a family emergency or match cancellation but we shall see.

I have my eye on match number 179.

Arsenal Pre-Season

Two good wins in Sydney for Arsenal:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hO0okI_krAM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjZkhL4gX5U


Matches follow against Bayern Munich and Chelsea.

Brentford Pre-Season

A good start for Brentford with a 5-1 win away at Aldershot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBubAnWGvW4

Southend United Pre-Season

Southend managed to beat Braintree Town 2-1 which is a reversal of two previous results .....


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8exqlzJ6W4M


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LEgffwkUZE


Matches continue against Bishop's Stortford and Ebbsfleet United.

Exeter City Pre-Season

First win for Exeter City:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSrctjYO9yU


Now we have to take on the likes of:

Weymouth
Taunton Town
Poole Town
Dorchester Town

The season will then start for real against Cambridge United.

Selections for 2017-18

Time to pick my new teams for the new season, although I am allowed to keep the ones I like.

1) Premier League : Arsenal : My Team

2) Championship : Brentford : Bring them back as they have good facebook coverage

3) League One : Southend United : Old Home Town

4) League Two : Exeter City : Current Home Town

5) National League : Torquay United : Nearest Team

6) National League South : Weston-super-Mare : Nearest and good facebook coverage

7) Southern League Premier : Tiverton Town : First season at this level

8) Southern League South & West : Barnstaple Town : At the end of the Tarka Line

9) Western League Premier : Buckland Athletic : Newton Abbott based, not too far

10) South West Peninsula League Premier : Exmouth Town : Right beside the train station

Level 11 and onwards I will keep to myself ..... maybe

11) South West Peninsula League East : Alphington : Know some youth team players

The first pre-season matches have already taken place so if I have time I will add another post.

2016/17 Season

Did you miss me? I wrote a lot on this blog in my head but none of it made it to print. Real Life can be so damaging when it becomes all consuming. Having lived at least a lifetime during the course of this season just gone I only have time to summarise.

My selections:

Arsenal - Won the F.A.Cup
Brighton - Promoted to the Premier League

Not bad for my top two picks.

Southend United - Just missed out on the play-off places
Exeter City - Reached the play-offs and lost to Blackpool in the final

Pretty good results really for my top four teams.

North Ferriby United - Strongest team holding all of the others up
Weston-super-Mare - Finished 15th after a poor start to the season

Not so good at theVanarama National League Level.

Weymouth - Finished 10th in the Southern League Premier Division
Tiverton Town - Finished 3rd then beat Taunton Town 3-1 and Salisbury 2-0 to gain promotion

Impressive result for Tiverton who I figured were permanently stuck at level 8.

Bridport - Finished 16th in the Western League and I found out nothing all season
Exmouth Town - Finished 5th in the South West Peninsula League Premier Division

I did drive past the Exmouth Town ground several times but I never stopped.

Maybe I will be able to do more supporting in the coming season 2017-18.