Twitter

The wonders of twitter.

I tracked down a picture of the pitch to be used for the Level 18 match between Elmore 3rd team and Bradninch. The referee called the match off before a ball was kicked because there were too many stones in the goalmouth area.

There HAS been a lot of heavy rain recently. It is what makes Devon so green.

Facebook

Facebook has its uses.

I just found out before any of the other results are officially published that my Level 20 pick won by 4 goals to 3. It could have been a good game.

Westexe Park Rangers 2nds beat Kenn Valley United. The whole nation should rejoice.

Interesting Week

Wednesday night and I travel to Tiverton to watch Elmore take on Bovey Tracey in the South West Peninsula league. I arrive late and hear a great roar as I park the car. That roar was Elmore scoring a home goal. I get several minutes of football in then a Bovey Tracey player goes down with an injury. The match is held up while the man with the sponge attends and then we hear the call for an ambulance. A fan next to me tells me that the last time that happened no ambulance appeared and the ambulance service phoned back asking the football club to get the injured player to the hospital.

After a good half hour of delay the decision was taken to abandon the match. A player mentions that the injured man cannot be moved as the foot has clearly become detached (at least the bone) from the rest of the leg. This is a serious injury. I hear that the ambulance has to come from Exeter. I head for my car, phone my wife to let her know I will be home earlier than expected and set off home. Twenty minutes later I am approaching Exeter and I see an ambulance with blue lights flashing heading north. There were no other flashing lights visible on my journey home. I work out that the injured player will have been lying on the pitch for an hour and a half before the ambulance gets there. Tories will tell you that this is an efficient use of resources. Any decent human being will tell you that this is FAR TOO LONG.

So, although unusual and unexpected, I got to see something special and different. I also got a brief look at the Bovey Tracey team. They play about 10 minutes from where I live so it is further than the Liverton United ground which is 2 minutes away but I will have to visit them before too long.

Liverton United themselves were in action on Tuesday night. They were taking on Newtown who beat them 5-1 in the opening game of the season. I got there in time for kick off and I am glad I did as Liverton took the lead. This was the first time I had seen my local team up in any match. Not to worry though as two quick goals from Newtown restored my expectations for my home team. There were a few tough tackles as the game progressed and then, although I missed the incident, I saw the referee in a long discussion with the linesman. This resulted in a young Newtown player seeing the red card and leaving the field.

I genuinely thought that Liverton had a chance of winning at this point but the card seemed to galvanise Newtown and they produced a third goal to take a commanding lead in the match. The Liverton team did not give up the fight this time and continued to press missing a couple of good chances.

I got chatting and mentioned that the Liverton number six seemed to be a cut above and I was informed that he also plays for Barnstaple. I think I need to get myself up to the far north (of Devon) and watch him play at that higher level. Last time I felt he did not want to put the effort in but this time with a chance of victory there was a new determination that had been lacking. He still got himself out of position, though, like all the other Liverton defenders.

I have nicknamed the back four "The Evaporating Defence" or TED for short. Whoever is coaching this lot needs to work on discipline at the back.

This was the third different goalkeeper in three matches and if I was a goalkeeper I would not feel safe having to cope with the sudden evaporation of every defender every match.

Bank Holiday Monday

Three defeats and a draw for my lot on Monday.

I spent the day enjoying watching three kids splash about in a paddling pool and then slide down a plastic slide with a hose attached that kept a little pool at the end of the slide. It has to happen and one of the kids jumped on the slide right beside the hose nozzle and the plastic split but they had fun until that happened and then we had to hold the hole closed for another 15 minutes before putting it away. Gaffer tape or Duct tape needed to fix that one I feel.

Meanwhile, Torquay travelled to Barnet and earned a 2-2 draw. The match report states the Torquay were 2-0 up at half time through Jean-Yves Koue Niate and Armani Little. Apparently Kalvin Lumbombo-Kalala came close to scoring a third. Whatever happened to John Jones and Sam Smith? Barnet came into their own in the second half and equalised in the 88th minute.

 Weymouth entertained Wealdstone in the National League South and just lost out in a seven goal thriller. The goals came from Yemi Odubade, Abdulai Baggie and Brett Williams so we have one English name out of three. The other two are not too difficult to spell either. This time it took Wealdstone until the 89th minute to score the winner.

In the Southern League Tiverton travelled just up the road to Taunton and came away with a 3-1 defeat, their first of the season. Not surprisingly there are many match reports written from the Taunton perspective but I have not found one from Tiverton.

Finally Barnstaple travelled to Mangotsfield United (I imagine a field full of maggots) and lost by the margin of 5 goals to 1. Barnstaple have a lot of work to do to stay at this level for another season. Maybe they should drop down and rebuild.

Tonight I watch level 11 again.

Total Win

I do have to tell you that the teams I have chosen to follow that are not part of this blog had a magnificent day or days at the weekend:

On Friday night Lympstone beat Winchester 1-0 in the Devon & Exeter Division One.

On Saturday my other selections also all won:

Premier: Cronies beat Bampton away 4-3.

Two: Elmore 2nds beat Honiton Town 2nds 6-1. (To match Tiverton Town)

Three: Westexe Park Rangers beat Halwill 2nds 3-2.

Five: Broadclyst beat Bravehearts 7-3.

Six: Elmore 3rds beat Silverton 4-2.

Seven: Lympstone 2nds beat City Raiders 3-1.

My other teams were not in action so this was a total win.

Sunday Reflection

So I had a look at what my day could be and I decided to go local. Liverton is where I live so Liverton is the team I shall follow. This could bring me down as I watched an even first half turn around after Exwick Villa had a player sent off. This seemed to galvanise them and they ran out 3-0 winners on the day. Three matches and three defeats for Liverton.

Exmouth Town were in the F.A.Cup away at Yate Town and they earned a creditable 2-2 draw which means, should I choose to do so, that I can see the deciding match of the round back at Southern Road. At the moment I fully intend to attend that match.

Tiverton Town were the pick of my Pyramid Selections. Tiverton beat Beaconsfield Town by a whopping 6 goals to 1. A quick check on the website tells me that the crowd was 204 strong and that the scorers were Noah Smerdon (2), Jared Lewington, Chris Shephard, Olaf Koszela and River Allen from the penalty spot.

Weymouth in the National League South travelled to Chippenham Town and went down 1-0 which seems a reasonable score away from home. I must do some more research on my newest team to follow.

Torquay United took on Aldershot Town in the National League and the match was shown on BT Sports so I had the pictures showing while I listened to the Arsenal match. The goals were scored either side of half time by Jamie Reid and Opi Edwards. Good to watch and maybe next time I will listen as well.

 Levels 4,5 and 7 produced the wins this week which means you can stop after the next paragraph if you only want positive vibes.

Exeter City travelled to Morecambe but did not get lost on the sands as they came away with a 3-2 win. Jake Taylor and Lee Martin scored the first two goals before the Morecambe substitute came on and scored two to equalise. Nicky Law got the late winner to secure three points.

 Southend United travelled to Wycombe Wanderers (how did they find them if they are still wandering?) and scored early through Brandon Goodship. Stephen Humphrys then scored from over 20 yards out to put Southend in a strong position. An own goal saw the lead cut in half but Stephen Humphrys got a second shortly after half time. 3-1 should be a winning position but this Southend side threw away three goals and lost the match 4-3.

Brentford travelled across London to take on Charlton Athletic. The club website indicates that the Charlton team were under severe pressure from Brentford but then scored with their only chance to win the match 1-0. It does look as though Neal Maupay is a big miss for Brentford.

Arsenal took on Liverpool at Anfield and high hopes were dashed when Liverpool scored from a corner. Defending set pieces is not an Arsenal specialism. David Luiz then gave away a penalty with some blatant shirt tugging. He was also liable for the third goal when he failed to close down Mohamed Salah who went on to score. Lucas Torreira came on as a substitute to get Arsenal a goal as a consolation prize. Hope of the top four but little hope of the top two.

Saturday Morning 24th August

My daughter has had her surrogate daughter over this week so my time has been taken up trying to get the hosepipe fixed to the tap, finding the cats so that she can stroke them and then the visit to Exeter to travel on the ferry at the quay together with a delightful lunch at the Puerto Lounge.

So what have my selected teams been doing in the meantime. We are watching much less TV since moving and trust me this is a good thing. Wall to wall Brexit is very bad for the human condition. Brexit is bad for the economy, but following Europe down the wrong path is arguably worse.

Southend United took on Peterborough United and lost 2-0. That means four defeats out of four in the league at the start of the season. The club are clearly concentrating on the Carabao Cup which saw their only win, 2-1 against Stevenage.

Exeter travelled to Oldham Athletic and managed a 0-0 draw which cannot be seen as a poor result away from home. Following the 1-1 draw at home to Swindon last week and two early victories the league form is reasonable with no defeats so far. The only loss was 4-1 to Coventry City in the Carabao Cup.

Barnstaple took on Bristol Manor Farm at home and managed to lose 2-1. This matches the form I saw when I watched them lose 1-0 in the F.A.Cup. The shock for me is that 4-3 win away from home at Basingstoke Town. I expect the team to blow hot and cold and colder this season.

These first three matches took place on Tuesday and there were four matches that took place on Wednesday this week.

Brentford travelled to Leeds United who are hurting from their failure to be promoted last season.The result was a 1-0 defeat. I have not yet searched for a You Tube precis of the match.

Exmouth Town, who I expect to watch several times this season as the experience has always been a good one with friendly helpful staff, suffered their first defeat of the season in the Western League Premier Division. Plymouth Parkway scored the only goal of the game on their home ground. This league is new to Exmouth following promotion last season so I do not expect miracles but the team I have watched already this season look like a solid outfit.

Elmore earned a 2-2 draw at home to Ivybridge Town and until I visit the team I shall say not more about the result and the chances of Elmore to advance up the leagues.

I did visit my local team Liverton United. It is a long walk so I drove into the ground and saw what I perceive as a club in decline. The ground has clearly seen better days and needs an injection of capital if the club are to progress. This may not be the right time as I stayed until half time and watched the defence abandon their keeper while Teignmouth banged in three goals. Checking the internet I see that the defeat was by 5 goal to 1 so the second half was a better if losing performance.

What I will say is that the Liverton team seemed to be enjoying their football and I can take that. The Teignmouth side turned out in Tottenham kit, white tops and black shorts, so I thought it would be easy to hate the opposition but to be fair they were the better team and I think the result was accurate.

I very nearly went to see a local league team, Lympstone, last night, but I stayed home to update my spreadsheets which got behind while I moved house. Lympstone produced the only win on my Excel data this week by beating Winchester 1-0. Good on you Lympstone. I need a bit of good news.

Today I intend to return to Liverton as they are playing my old local team Exwick Villa. I currently refuse to fund Rupert Murdoch's attempt to make Britain American so I may not get to see Arsenal this evening. Sky Sports have a business model which does not maximise profits but their intention is to break all other service providers so I am doing my little bit to destroy the evil empire.

Match of the day will be essential viewing as long as I withhold money from Sky Sports.

Results - The Morning After

We will start at the top, i.e. the highest level, which following my research this morning is Level 12.

Higher levels are not online just yet and may appear as the week draws on.


Level 12 = Devon & Exeter League Premier : Cronies 2 Whipton & Pinhoe 1

The report suggests that Cronies are going to be one of the stronger teams this season.


Level 11 = Devon County League North & East : Newtown 5 Liverton United 1

It seems that my local team suffered a bit of a thrashing on the opening day of the season. Should I get my old boots out of the attic?


Level 10 = South West Peninsula League East : Elmore 1 Cullompton Rangers 1

The second one all draw in two weeks suggests a solid defence but sufficient in attack to score.


Level 9 = Western League Premier Division : Bitton 0 Exmouth 1

Exmouth Town are playing well and could well be the team to follow up through the leagues. The town itself is large enough to support a team higher up the pyramid but the team needs to keep producing these results. I do love the name of their main striker though, ... "Ace High".


Level 8 = Southern League Division One South : Basingstoke Town 3 Barnstaple Town 4

I find this hard to believe and the way the scorers were listed it could well be the other way round in that Barnstaple may have lost 4-3 which would make more sense given their dismal recent history. We will see as other sites update their results on Monday and Tuesday.


Level 7 = Southern League Premier South : Walton Casuals 1 Tiverton Town 3

A good result for my team at this level. I must make a determined effort to watch them early on this season. I cannot shun Tiverton forever in spite of the rumours about three eyes and six toes.


Level 6 = National League South : Weymouth 3 Dartford 1

The newest addition to my team list started the season well with a win. It is also a departure for me to support a team that play in light blue. I had always previously associated the colour with losers like the old Manchester City and Coventry City. Now, though, Manchester City are top of the tree and the colour can no longer be associated with defeated teams.


Level 5 = National League : Dover Athletic 1 Torquay United 2

A good away win for a team that were promoted last season and should carry that confidence for the early part of the new season. The National League is a tough ask, though, so I do not expect miracles.


Level 4 = League Two : Exeter City 1 Swindon Town 1

I am fairly confident that Swindon is bigger than Exeter so it must be the presence of a Cathedral that gives Exeter the superior nomination. The football result is one of those "Meh" scores that satisfy neither team but neither is it a disaster. We were expected to win because we were the home team but I am not sure how much of an advantage that is in these days of easier travel.


Level 3 = League One : Lincoln City 4 Southend United 0

I fully expected Danny Cowley to organise his team in such a way as to take advantage of all Southend's weaknesses. It seems that he did get things right and we will have to make the most of matches against teams with weaker management.


Level 2 = Championship : Brentford 1 Hull City 1

There seems to be some magic missing with the loss of Neal Maupay. I must get into their website and see who they have brought in to replace him. This is a slow start but the heading is definitely mid table rather than top or bottom.


Level 1 = Premier League : Arsenal 2 Burnley 1

I watched this match on BT Sports and I am very pleased to see Danny Ceballos running the match. Banger Yang scored the winner after Lacky Zett turned and scored whilst surrounded by four Burnley defenders and a goalkeeper with open legs. Sean Dyche looked suitably frustrated after keeping his 100% losing record against us. During the match my mate played me a Bob Mortimer sketch taking the mick out of the Dyche gravelly voice called "The Burnley Way". It is not brilliant but well worth a listen ... which reminds me I need to check Sean Dyche's playing history.

CHECKING

.....

I found Nottingham Forest on his C.V. but I could find no mention of Kettering ... listen to "The Burnley Way" by Bob Mortimer.

Saturday 17th August

So ... serious work on my spreadsheet allows me to tell you that my teams are in action as follows:

Liverton are away to Newtown and the idea of lunch at the Beer Engine followed by a football match is very appealing but I have followed this through and timings may not allow this.

Elmore are at home to Cullompton Rangers. I know and love their ground with the smallest stand that I ever sat in, seating about 100 people, 50 each side of the tunnel.

Exmouth are away to Bitton and I have not researched enough to know how far they have to travel so this match was never on my agenda.

Barnstaple are away at Basingstoke Town and as I have an Uncle and Aunt who live there I should by now have visited that ground but it remains a mystery to me. I hope to change that before too long.

Tiverton are away at Walton Casuals and like the Exmouth match I have not checked to see how far they are travelling and this match remains well off my watch list.

Weymouth are at home to Dartford and I do intend to make the journey to Weymouth at some point this year. It is just over an hour away but probably an hour and a half when you take traffic into account.

Torquay are away to Dover Athletic and as I have no plans to hop on a ferry to Europe I am not going to make the journey to the opposite end of the country.

Exeter are at home to Swindon Town but I have stopped going to League Two matches there as I found the cost to be well above the entertainment value. I used to go once a season but I was given the same experience every year. High prices and low entertainment value.

Southend United, my old home town club, travel away to Danny Cowley's Lincoln City and I feel that I owe more loyalty to Danny who came from Non League Football than I do to a team that always let me down when I watched them on a regular basis.

Brentford are at home to Hull City and after a disappointing start to the season I hope to see the home side start to perform to the standards that they have been approaching for the past few seasons.

Arsenal are my main team and are at home to Burnley. What is more they are on BT Sports and we have at long last persuaded BT to connect us up. They gave us a new telephone number but could not get it to work so they connected as back to the old one for the previous owner. The BT Sports package is also connected but we found that with two boxes we could not watch the same channel in two separate rooms. Why is that? Does anyone know?

Wife is calling. I have to find her a power cable. Enjoy the weekend all you football fans.

Selections 12 to 20

Although I have rarely been to watch local league matches I will continue to pave my blogging path with good intentions. The local league here is the Devon & Exeter League. This ranges from the Premier League with promotion I now have to believe to the newly formed Devon County League, right down to Division Eight.

Level 12 = Premier = Cronies

Level 13 = One = Lympstone

Level 14 = Two = Elmore 2nds

Level 15 = Three = Westexe Park Rangers

Level 16 = Four = Cranbrook

Level 17 = Five = Broadclyst

Level 18 = Six = Elmore 3rds

Level 19 = Seven = Lympstone 2nds

Level 20 = Eight = Westexe Park Rangers 2nds

If I get to watch one match with one of these teams it will be a positive move.

BUT - These teams are not really part of this blog.

Level 11 Selection = Liverton United (Devon County League North & East Division)

The life of a blogger ... I lose the internet for a month and they go and start a whole new league without telling me. The South West Peninsula League has been reduced to a single level (Level 10) with two divisions, one in the West for Cornwall and one in the East for Devon although teams may cross the border if numbers demand it.

Previously the subsidiary divisions in that league were level 11 and therefore entitled to enter the F.A.Cup although most adventures are short lived for teams at the bottom of the pyramid. I always thought it was unfair that because we had a regional league stretching down to level 11 no county or area leagues were allowed to enter because we had a regional league. Other areas of the country stopped at level 10 allowing many county teams to enter.

The change during this summer is that the Devon County League has reformed. It existed in the past but merged with the South West Peninsula League in what I saw as a perfect bridge between amateur and professional football. I know the rules are blurred now and there is no clear distinction but in theory the South West Peninsula League is the lowest professional league and the Devon County League is now the highest amateur league.

I moved to Liverton this summer so I feel that I should support my local team. I can walk to the ground taking my life in my hands as there are no footpaths and no pavement and we heard the shouting last week from our garden so we know there is a level of support beyond the minimum.

Liverton are in the North & East Division and the only other division is the South & West Division. This means, I assume, that each of these divisions supplies a team to the East Division of the South West Peninsula League at the end of the season. We shall see as nowhere online can I see this stated explicitly.

I hope that the local Football Authorities are happy with this. I was not happy when I saw that the F.A. has insisted on destroying my favourite league but I am a little happier with the Devon County League sitting just below it. Effectively I have four divisions to follow instead of the previous three.

It took a while to find the fixtures for Liverton United and I have still not got a complete list. My daughter found a list that takes me through to February and if they print a program I can pick up the full list on my first visit to watch my local team.

This season could turn out to be a good one.

Level 10 Selection = Elmore (South West Peninsula League East)

Elmore have a special place in my memory as they were my happy discovery when I was looking for a low level professional team to support.

They asked me for a Fiver to enter the ground and I was able to watch Exwick Villa for £3 and this gave me a very firm impression that value for money is so much better at this level. Things may change but Level 10 is the lowest professional (semi-professional) league and from Level 11 the County rules apply and no entrance fee should be charged.

I hope that the F.A. have not destroyed West Country football by removing one level of the South West Peninsula League. In my mind it gave teams the chance to move from amateur to professional football within the same league so that they could get the support needed to make the transition. Now clubs will have to move from another amateur league straight into the professional game where rules are so much more stringent and costs can quickly mount up.

I expect to watch Elmore a few times when they are playing midweek and perhaps I might make the odd weekend match too.

Level 9 Selection = Exmouth Town (Western League Premier Division)

The decision at this level was whether to stay with Buckland Athletic or replace them with promoted Exmouth Town. I have been to watch Exmouth more than Buckland so Exmouth it is.

There are two results that I have found on the Western League website. At this level club websites are very much hit or miss and you cannot rely on them for up to date information.

Exmouth beat Bridport 4-1 in their first league game and beat Barnstaple 2-0 in the F.A.Cup.

I look forward to many visits to the Southern Road ground.

Level 8 Selection = Barnstaple Town (Southern League Division One South)

Another "Why change?" here.

I thought I would need to pick another team when Barnstaple finished in a relegation slot but they have been reprieved and so I can continue to follow them and I hope to take that romantic trip up on the Tarka Line train to the market town so my wife can shop and I can watch football. We shall see.

The only result on the website is the 2-0 defeat to Exmouth Town in the F.A.Cup Extra Preliminary round. I saw from the Tiverton Town website that Barnstaple lost 4-0 at home to them so this season seems to be as bad if not worse than last season.

This weekend sees a trip away to Basingstoke Town.

Level 7 Selection = Tiverton Town (Southern League Premier South)

Why change?

Tiverton Town are slightly further up the road now but it is still not far.

I could have let Weston-super-Mare be my team at this level for the coming season. Other possibilities were Poole Town, Taunton Town, Wimborne Town or Truro City but Tiverton are the sitting tenants at this level and maybe, just maybe I will actually get to watch a live match this season.

The friendlies started with defeats to Tavistock and Exeter City but that was followed by a 5-2 win over Wellington (Somerset). Torquay United then visited Tiverton to inflict a 1-0 defeat on the Yellows (so I can add that result to my Torquay page). A good 4-0 win away to Barnstaple probably says more about Barnstaple than Tiverton and a 3-1 win over the Royal Marines shows commitment to the local community. Two 1-1 draws against Mousehole and Cullompton Rangers concluded the friendlies before the real action began.

The first two league matches resulted in a 2-2 draw at home to Hayes & Yeading United and this was followed by an away win 2-1 at Poole Town. Next up are Walton Casuals.

Level 6 Selection = Weymouth (National League South)

Weston-super-Mare have been my choice at this level for so long now that I have to make a selection to replace one of my staple clubs. Weston were relegated to the Southern League so I have looked to the table for inspiration.

I remember playing cricket at Billericay and Braintree, and I enjoyed watching Ice Hockey at the Ice Rink in Chelmsford. Bath was always a favourite as our cricket club had its tour their and we stayed in a hotel with a swimming pool. Happy days. Concord Rangers is a club that had Danny Cowley as a manager. Dulwich is where I played some cricket for my London team. Eastbourne is down the road from my mother's place. Slough Town are out because my uncle and cousin support them. Wealdstone is another place with a nice cricket ground (short boundary for a late cut through the slips).

Geography has determined my choice. The nearest club are Weymouth so I hope to get to a couple of fixtures as the season draws on.

The strip is Light Blue so that bring some variety. The club website is excellent and has a full list of friendly fixtures. The club has started with a Norwich City set of results. No red, just yellow and green. Three wins against Hamworthy United, Portland United and Wimborne Town were followed by a 2-2 draw at home to Southend United. I would have been there but that was our moving day and I was overstretched.

Two more friendlies saw wins over Poole Town and Gosport Borough, then the real action started.

Maidstone United suffered home defeat on the opening day with Weymouth winning 2-1. Bath City earned a draw as Weymouth could only manage 1-1 at home. Chelmsford City went down to a 4-1 defeat on their visit to the west country and Slough Town managed a 1-1 draw when Weymouth visited them. This is a good start to the season and I will enjoy following my new found club.

Level 5 Selection = Torquay United (National League)

The first real decision has come at Level 5, Step 1 of the Non League game.

Last season I followed Eastleigh which I think was because they were the nearest team geographically to Exeter. Their internet coverage was poor to begin with but improved as time passed. I could have carried on following them but their owner moved up north and new management usually takes time to bed in.

A team that I have followed in the past is Yeovil. They dropped from League Two and I could have gone for them as their ground is just over an hour away. Their Green kit would make a change from the red and blue I have at the top end of my selections.

In the end I went for a team on the up. Torquay United have been promoted from the National League South and their Yellow kit is an equally substantial change. Also, when I went to my spreadsheet I had already typed in the Torquay fixtures so I must have picked them as my selection earlier in the summer.

A 2-1 win at home to Boreham Wood was followed by a 3-0 defeat away at Solihull Moors. A creditable 3-3 draw at Bromley has been followed by a 2-0 home defeat to Maidenhead United. It was in fact Maidenhead United that I saw in my only live match at Plainmoor, but this season I hope to pop in more that once to watch National League football.

Torquay United it is, despite the intense rivalry with Exeter.

Level 4 Selection = Exeter City (Football League Two)

I have a full list of friendly fixtures for my home town club, although with my recent move I now live just outside the town. The results are not that easy to find, however, and I may trawl through various blogs to get the data but not tonight.

Exeter have decided to concentrate on the league and not on the cup. In a set of result to reverse the Southend United set Exeter have won both their opening league matches 1-0 at home to Macclesfield and away to Stevenage. Come the Carabao Cup and a 4-1 defeat away to Coventry was the order of the day.

A short trip along the M4 and down the M5 lies in wait for any Swindon fans that want to travel to St James Park on Saturday. Next Tuesday Exeter travel to Oldham.

The mood is positive in the town but it always is at the start of each season.

Level 3 Selection = Southend United (Football League One)

This was my home town team when I was a teenager. I remember doing a "do you remember" test on Southend United players a few years back and I remembered the players from 25 years previously although I could not name the then current squad. My memories are of Ron Pountney, Alan Little and little Kevin Cunningham with that header against Queens Park Rangers.

When I started my Football Pyramid research this was the obvious team to get back in touch with from League One so I did so and I keep an eye on them every season now.

I could not find a list of friendly fixtures but the league has started with two defeats, 1-0 away at Coventry and 3-1 at home to Blackpool. Never mind, they must have said, we can concentrate on the cup. The Carabao first round saw us beat Stevenage 2-1 away from home.

This weekend coming sees us travel to Lincoln to take on Danny Cowley. My money is on Danny.

Level 2 Selection = Brentford (Football League Championship)

My original reason for picking Brentford was the Woijciech Czszesny connection but I have loved following the form of Alan Judge and Neal Maupay as the team have battled and remained firmly in the Football League Championship.

This season the friendlies started with a 3-0 win over AFC Wimbledon. Two draws followed, one at home to Dynamo Kiev and one away at Wycombe Wanderers which saw two goal scored by both teams. The best result was undoubtedly a 3-1 win away at Norwich City and the friendlies ended with a 3-1 home defeat to AFC Bournemouth.

The season has started with a 1-0 home defeat to Birmingham followed by a 1-0 win away at Middlesbrough. The Carabao Cup First Round tie ended 1-1 but unfortunately Cambridge United won the match 5-4 on penalties.

This coming weekend sees a home match against Hull City. Home form needs to be improved.

Level 1 Selection = Arsenal (Premier League)

This team has been a constant in my selections. My heart tells me to keep picking them as I have been a fan for as long as I remember. It may be that I chose them rather than be beaten up in the school playground but I could not have picked a more reliable club.

The friendlies opened with a 3-3 draw at Boreham Wood with Arsenal fielding a young side. Three wins and a draw followed as my boys beat Colorado Rapids 3-0 in a friendly then Bayern Munich 2-1 and Fiorentina 3-0 in the International Champions Cup. The last match in that tournament saw us draw 2-2 with Real Madrid.

An Arsenal side beat Barnet 3-2 on the same day that we were drawing with Real Madrid which shows strength in depth, not something Arsenal have shown over the past few seasons.

Our first defeat was in the Emirates Cup. Lyon beat us 2-1 and this was the men not the women so that club clearly are doing things right. A draw 1-1 away at Angers was followed by defeat to Barcelona in the Joan Gamper trophy. We lost thanks to a Suarez goal in the last minute of the match.

The league season has started with a 1-0 win away at Newcastle. I appreciate that start as I well remember a certain 4-4 draw. Our next match is at home to Burnley.

The transfer market has seen us participate actively and I am looking forward to seeing our new stars bring their skills to the Emirates Stadium. I look forward to our challenge for the Champions League places.

Long Summer

It has been a long summer. I have moved home and anyone who has done so knows the time and effort involved, and how exhausting it all is when you are trying to co-ordinate a number of diverse personnel to achieve a single goal.

The worst aspect of all was British Telecom who cancelled our internet order five times and then when they did turn up left us with a completely dead telephone line. There is no point getting angry as their telephones are manned by people who know how bad their own company is and we have had to accept many apologies although we are now pushing for some form of compensation.

In all that time the football season has started and I have not yet specified by selections. My spreadsheets are also behind due to lack of internet so I hope to catch up, bring you all up to date, and entertain both of you who enjoy this blog.

My first live match of the season was the F.A.Cup Extra Preliminary Round match between Exmouth and Barnstaple. I have followed both teams in the past and may keep both in my selections so the match was a MUST for me. Exmouth of the Western League (Level 9) beat Barnstaple of the Southern League (Level 8) so it could be seen as a bit of an upset but I expected that result as Exmouth were promoted from the South West Peninsula League and Barnstaple were reprieved from relegation due to lack of suitable replacements. 2-0 and Exmouth were well worth their win.

Hope to get time now to blog a bit more ... no promises.