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?

The End of April

Premier League:

The fairy tale is complete if Leicester can beat Manchester United at Old Trafford.
It could also be complete if Tottenham lose to Chelsea on Monday.


Championship:

Middlesbrough could only draw with Birmingham last night so it is up to Burnley and Brighton now.
Middlesbrough are still in control, though, as they still have to play Brighton in their final match.


League One:

Wigan on 84, Burton on 81, Walsall on 78, Millwall on 75. Two matches to go with three points between each team.
Plenty of other teams could be part of the playoffs if the results go in their favour.


League Two:

Northampton are champions by some margin. Accrington, Oxford and Bristol Rovers are next in line.
Plymouth, Portsmouth and Wimbledon are vying for playoff places with Cambridge having an outside chance.


National League:

Cheltenham Town are back in the League and I expect Braintree to remain ahead of Eastleigh and Tranmere.
They will then join Forest Green, Grimsby Town and Dover Athletic in the playoffs.


That concludes the tower at the top of the pyramid.

STEP FIVE PROMOTIONS

Step Five is Level Nine and I thought I would do a post on which teams may be progressing from Step Five to Step Four. If past seasons are anything to go by some teams will refuse promotion while others will be refused promotion due to ground grading or breaking one of the millennia of rules that govern the sport. Last year I heard that the only reason for refusal was the lack of a concrete walkway from the entrance gate to the stand although I cannot recall which team that affected.

So I shall start in alphabetical order by league .....

Combined Counties League:

Hartley Wintney are the current leaders and I have always loved the name partly because I do not like the T in Wintney being surrounded by two Ns. Surely one N is enough. Hartley Witney would be better and probably better than Hartley Wintey but Hartley Wintney it is. Only Camberley Town can prevent them winning the league by producing three straight wins while HW must lose all three.


Eastern Counties League:

Norwich United are the second best team in Norwich and have some way to go before they catch Norwich City who look like they are on their way back down to meet somewhere in the middle. Look in the Isthmian League North next season to follow the progress of this team.


Essex Senior League:

Basildon United are a team I remember from my days growing up in Essex. They were always a team to be feared and it seems that their progress has gone on to the point where they should be seen in the Isthmian League next season. That is provided they are not overtaken by either Bowers & Pitsea (their very near neighbours) or FC Romania.


Hellenic League:

Kidlington finished top of the league but last season it was Flackwell Heath and they seem to be still in the Hellenic League so we will have to wait and see if Kidlington make the step up. It might be that the Hellenic League is a nice and cosy one. Kidlington may not want to enter the big bad big boys world.


Midland League:

No doubts here. Hereford under the new administration are on their way back up to find their own level and will not want another season in the Midland League. It is not fair on the other teams in this league that they had no chance but I do agree that there must be a severe punishment for financial mismanagement and relegation or demotion is sufficiently embarrassing.


North West Counties League:

Runcorn Linnets are leading the league but they are closely followed by Colne who have a game in hand. These are the only two with a chance of promotion in this league and I would expect to see one of them in the Northern Premier League next season.


Northern Counties East League:

Tadcaster Albion and Handsworth Parramore are the two teams in contention here with Tadcaster favourites at the moment. I am not sure how the upper echelons would feel having a team with a name synonymous with a lover (although spelt differently) in their league.


Northern League:

You have to admire the Northern League for their lack of bringing the modern world to their region. Safe at the top of Division One because their is no Premier Division are Shildon. They had no luck in the F.A.Cup and went out of the F.A.Vase to Handsworth Parramore. I do hope they join the Northern Premier League but I understand the huge increase in travelling costs.


Southern Counties East League:

This league was renamed to pull additional teams from London in and Greenwich Borough have won the league. We should be able to watch them in the Isthmian League South next season.


South Midlands League:

The clear winners here are AFC Dunstable although I would love it if (recognise that forlorn phrase of Kevin Keegan's?) Dunstable lose their last two matches and London Colney win all four of their remaining matches by sufficient margins to take the league on goal difference. It will not happen.


Southern Combination:

No more Kent and now no more Sussex. The country did need to rename the leagues to bring a sense of good structure to the country. Horsham are the winners of this league and I expect to see them in the Isthmian South next season.


United Counties League:

Leicester is the place to be this year. Leicester City are top of the Premier League and Leicester Nirvana are top in the United Counties League. For any of you who have been asleep for a season or two this is the old Thurnby Nirvana newly named and newly reborn it seems.


Wessex League:

Salisbury are in a similar category to Hereford in that they are making their way back up to find a natural position in the hierarchy. I picked out Salisbury as the place to be on the basis of the size of the city and the surrounding catchment area with no other football teams but perhaps that is why the team are not at the top of the tree. Not enough local rivalry to spark the embers of fan baiting passion.


Western League:

My personal favourite because I really want a team with a really odd name to progress up through the ranks and get people taking. The odd name is Odd Down who are Bristol based. Imagine the matches between City, Rovers and Odd Down. The Western League is a bit of a poor relation though and they may not be ready or want to get themselves into the Southern League South and West Division.


That gets me thinking. There must be a better and more simple name than South and West. It is like those teams with two towns in their name. Two divisions called "Central" and "South and West" had to be used as the league restructured downwards from its heyday as THE league outside the Football League but surely now we can use EAST and WEST.


I want to go into the Level 10 Leagues but I will make that another post.

Southern League : The final analysis

Southern League Premier:

Poole Town have done what their speedway team often do and have walked the league.

Playoffs: Redditch United, Hitchin Town, Hungerford Town and Leamington.

Relegation: Bedworth United, Histon, Bideford (one of mine) and Paulton Rovers.


Southern League Central:

Kings Langley have taken the title without me ever really reading about them.

Playoffs: Royston Town, Egham Town, St. Ives Town and AFC Rushden & Diamonds.

Relegation: Leighton Town and North Greenford United

I really must pay more attention to this little division in the middle of nowhere the country.


Southern League South & West:

Cinderford Town have taken the title in this division and probably deserve it.

Playoffs: Banbury United, Taunton Town, Swindon Supermarine and Winchester City.

Relegation: Burnham and Bashley.


That concludes levels 7 and 8.

Who wants more?

After the final weekend: Northern Premier League

Northern Premier League

Premier Division:

Darlington 1883 are champions and head on up to the National League North.

Playoffs: Blyth Spartans, Salford City, Ashton United and Workington.
(Stourbridge fell out of contention at the finish).

Relegation: Stamford, Hyde United, Colwyn Bay and Ramsbottom United.


Division One North:

Warrington Town are still on the up after beating Exeter City and will be promoted.

Playoffs: Spennymoor Town, Northwich Victoria, Glossop North End and Burscough.

Relegation: Harrogate Railway Athletic and New Mills who never got started.


Division One South:

Stafford Rangers finish one point ahead of Shaw Lane Aquaforce to take the title.

Playoffs: Shaw Lane Aquaforce, Coalville Town, Basford United and Lincoln United.

Relegation: Daventry Town and Tividale who change leagues yet again.

One Day Later : Isthmian League

Isthmian League Premier:

Hampton & Richmond Borough finish top and are promoted.

Play-offs: Bognor Regis Town, East Thurrock United, Tonbridge Angels and Dulwich Hamlet.

Relegated: Burgess Hill Town, Brentwood Town, Lewes and VCD Athletic.
(Needham Market did manage to escape on the last day of the season).


Isthmian League North:

AFC Sudbury are promoted as champions.

Play-offs: Thurrock, Harlow Town, Cray Wanderers and AFC Hornchurch.

Relegated: Wroxham, Barkingside and Redbridge.


Isthmian League South:

Folkestone Invicta are promoted as champions.

Play-offs: Dorking Wanderers, Worthing, Hythe Town and Faversham Town.

Relegated: Walton & Hersham, Whitstable Town and Peacehaven & Telcombe (another two towner).

Level Seven Thinking

Isthmian League Premier:

Hampton & Richmond (Let's start where we left off, can we have one town not two please), sit in prime position with one match to play. They are three points ahead of Bognor Regis Town who are the only team capable of stealing the title. East Thurrock United, Tonbridge Angels and Dulwich Hamlet occupy the remaining playoff places with only Enfield Town capable of dislodging Dulwich.

At the bottom Brentwood Town, Lewes and VCD Athletic are all relegated and Needham Market need to win and hope that either Burgess Hill Town or Farnborough lose if they are to stay at this level of the pyramid.


Northern Premier League Premier:

I thought Blyth Spartans were certain to win this but Darlington 1883 have taken the title. Blyth along with Salford City, the Manchester United players owned club, are in the playoffs already with Ashton United and Stourbridge having to stay ahead of Workington to remain in the playoffs.

At the bottom things are already decided and this division will lose Stamford, Hyde United, Colwyn Bay and Ramsbottom United who lost their winning management team to Salford.


Southern League Premier:

Poole Town have been promoted as champions and three teams are already qualified for the playoffs. Redditch United, Hungerford Town and Hitchin Town will vie for that second promotion place with Leamington if Leamington can stay the three points ahead of Kettering Town and Weymouth, both having a better goal difference than Leamington. Come on Weymouth!

At the bottom the situation is once again certain with Bedworth United, Histon, Paulton Rovers and Bideford heading for Level 8 which is where I will resume this blog after helping the daughter out with some drilling and screwing.

National League Thoughts

National League Premier:

Cheltenham are the first team to be promoted back to the Football League at the first attempt. The playoff places look to be secure for Forest Green who led the league for much of the season, Grimsby and Dover. Braintree and Eastleigh fight for the final place with Tranmere having an outside chance.

Welling United and Kidderminster Harriers are both relegated. Altrincham seem doomed but Halifax and Boreham Wood are battling for the last with Guisley and Chester in the danger zone.


National League North:

Solihull Moors are promoted with North Ferriby United already qualified for the playoffs. Fylde, Harrogate Town and Boston United currently occupy the other playoff places but Nuneaton Town and Tamworth will be fighting for a place until the last match.

At the bottom Corby Town and Hednesford Town are already relegated and Brackley Town are in danger although they could overtake Lowestoft Town and Telford United. There are other teams that could be dragged into the depths but that is unlikely.


National League South:

Sutton United lead the way having overtaken Ebbsfleet United who led the way for so much of the season. Both of these teams are guaranteed at least a playoff place as are Maidstone United. Truro City and Hemel Hempstead Town occupy the remaining two places with Maidenhead United and Dartford next in line. I shall call Whitehawk as an outside chance as I would love to see them progress.

At the bottom Basingstoke Town drop into the Southern League but Havant & Waterlooville (please pick one not two towns people) along with Hayes & Yeading United (ditto) have to overhaul Margate and St Albans City to escape their own drops.


The more I look at these situations the more I realise that there are other teams who could get involved in the promotion and relegation battles but it would require all team above to fail or all teams below to succeed for them to be involved and that would be extremely unlucky. Such is football, though, and that it why we love the game.

Just before the final curtain

I used to love taking risks and predicting football is certainly a risk. The certainty produces a shock result or the team that have never lost at home suddenly lose that record. Today I want to look at the pyramid and guess what might happen. I am certain to be wrong somewhere along the line.

Premier League:

I refuse to call it. My assessment is that if Spurs lose at Chelsea it goes to Leicester but Leicester themselves can win it by getting Vardy back after a single match out. Only time will tell.

100-1 for Crystal Palace to go down to let us assume they are safe. With Aston Villa relegated that leaves two from three. Sunderland have a game in hand but at the bottom a draw can be a huge result. Norwich 31, Sunderland 30, Newcastle 29. Norwich have to play Arsenal and Manchester United then Watford and Everton so they may have to make a late jump to safety. Sunderland have to play Arsenal, Stoke, Chelsea, Everton and Watford. All those teams are beatable and Sunderland have a long history of escaping relegation very late on in the season. Newcastle have to play Liverpool, Crystal Palace, Aston Villa and Tottenham. The guaranteed three points against Villa may yet play a large part.


Championship:

Burnley 87, Middlesbrough 86, Brighton 84 with the last two having a game in hand after Burnley won last night. Burnley have it in their own hands and I can see Middlesbrough joining them in the automatic slots. Brighton then have to contend with Hull, Derby and Sheffield Wednesday in the playoffs. I like the idea of Sheffield Wednesday, 17 points off top slot, being promoted.

At the bottom Bolton, Charlton and Milton Keynes Dons are doomed. Too many other teams are vying for the chance to go down with them so I have to plump for one and I shall pick Fulham.


League One:

Wigan and Burton are in the promotion places but Walsall have a game in hand. I think Walsall will remain in the playoff places with Millwall, Bradford and Barnsley but one of those three will be replaced by seventh placed Gillingham. It may prove interesting to look back at this in the summer.

Crewe Alexandra and Colchester are down I think. Doncaster and Blackpool could escape the drop but somehow I do not think they will. Look for these four in League Two next season.


League Two:

Northampton Town are already promoted as we have seen the celebrations already. The other two automatic places are being fought out by Accrington "Who are they?" Stanley, Oxford United, Plymouth Argyle and Bristol Rovers. I choose Accrington and Bristol Rovers leaving the other two to battle out the playoffs with Portsmouth and AFC Wimbledon.

At the bottom York City leave the Football League along with Dagenham & Redbridge. I think we need a break here before I start the "Non League" stuff.

Bottom Base Grass Roots

Saturday 16th April and I have already talked about the top six level of English football. Level Seven for me is the Southern League where Bideford are my local pick. I will visit them one day but I may have to get a better job to be able to justify the cost. I am on West Country wages. It took a little time to find out why Bideford were missing from the Sky Sports site but the Southern League site has let me know that Kettering Town have a waterlogged pitch.

The Southern League site also tells me that Tiverton Town travelled away to Didcot Town and won 2-1. The information is that Landricombe scored in the 19th minute and Howe in the 85th after Reid had opened the scoring for Didcot in the 6th minute. I guess that Didcot sat back to defend the lead.

In the Western League Barnstaple Town were at home to Gillingham Town and won 2-1. This must put us in a good position. Let me check the table. It seems that we are three points behind the leaders Odd Down but they have a game in hand. I wonder if they will want promotion or whether the option will be passed to Barnstaple. I can enjoy the promotion and relegation issues once the summer comes. Some decisions amaze me every year.

In the South West Peninsula League Exmouth Town were at home to Falmouth Town but lost 3-1. I think the mid table position is firm.

That concludes the results for the top 10 levels in the English pyramid system.

I, of course, have an interest in the full pyramid so I will continue just this once to check on my lower league selections.

Exwick Villa (Level 11) travelled to Teignmouth in the South West Peninsula League Division One East and managed to lose 5-0. I am sure that the home fans will have enjoyed that one.

Exwick Villa II (Level 12) took on Hatherleigh Town in the Premier Division of the Devon and Exeter League and drew 2-2. This match took place less than 15 minutes walk away from me but I will make the excuse that I have not fully got over my cold. I like the fact that a club can have two teams a single level apart but I have been told that if the Devon and Exeter League applied for the next status that this would not be allowed. Don't apply just yet. Let the Villa get to Level 10 first.

West Exe Rovers (Level 13) were at home to Sidmouth Town 2nds and lost 2-1 in Division One.

Exmouth Town II (Level 14) travelled away to Dawlish United and won 4-1 in Division Two.

Tedburn St May (Level 15) were at home to Exmouth Amateurs 2nds in Division Three and the match finished in a 2-2 draw.

Lord's XI (Level 16) travelled to Sampford Peverel in Division Four and earned a victory by 4 goals to 2. I keep meaning to watch this lot.

Ottery St Mary (Level 17) won their match 2-0 at home to Alphington 3rds.

Exwick Village (Level 18) travelled to Winchester (I presume NOT that place in Hampshire) and managed to lose the game 4-1. Better luck to my home village in their next match.

My team at Level 19 were not playing today and I would have to go into history to explain them but go back to where this blog started and you can work it out.

My team at Level 20 were also missing from action.

Ditto at Level 21 (Division Nine of the Devon and Exeter League).

Now - I have an episode of Outlander to watch and two episodes of Vikings.

Saturday Evening

It is Saturday evening, 16th April in the year of our Lord 2016. Maybe we should start counting again from the start of the Premier League, when football first started according to the media. When I was a lad we would come home and know by around 5 O'Clock how the football league tables would look for the next week. Today the matches continue into Sunday and even Monday.

Now I learn that Arsenal are going to play West Bromwich Albion on a Thursday night, an evening I remember as suitable for band practice as there was never any football on. Today the Europa League matches take place on a Thursday and I am beginning to wonder how soon it is before we have 24 hour football with some matches starting at 3:00 am just to get the TV money. It is the logical end given the direction we are travelling.

So to my selections. Arsenal are playing Crystal Palace tomorrow at 4:00pm so we will know what position in the league will result from our score on the day. We need Leicester and Tottenham to lose and the pervading attitudes seem to be that Leicester should win the league but everyone hates Spurs, particularly supporters of West Ham and Chelsea. It comes naturally to me.

Brentford managed a 1-1 draw with Bristol City and now sit in 13th place (unlucky for some) on 53 points. Even winning all 5 remaining matches would leave the team short of the play-offs so another season in the Championship is in line.

Southend United lost 1-0 away at Walsall. This puts the Shrimpers in 13th place also. Four wins from the remaining games WOULD put the team into the play-offs but I expect a mid table finish.

Exeter City drew 0-0 at home to Northampton and as they are top of the league it is not the worst result in the world. The team are now on 63 points and are one win away from the play-off places. These play-offs DO keep the leagues alive for a few more weeks than used to be the case when I was growing up. Overall I think they are a good thing. The chance of a match at Wembley is a huge deal.

Torquay United seem to have completed their redemption. A 2-0 win away to Bromley sees them on 50 points. Halifax Town, Boreham Wood, Guiseley and Chester would have to perform well to see Torquay down so I think another season in the National League is the future for the gulls.

Weston-super-Mare were at home to Whitehawk, who seem to have reverted to their traditional name having tried to rebrand themselves as Brighton City. Whitehawk won the match 2-1 which leaves the seagulls in 17th place on 47 points. We have to hope that the teams below them keep losing.

The curry is ready.

Back soon.

Return from the abyss

I now realise how difficult it is to run a popular and well visited blog. You need the discipline to post every day nomatter what else is going on. I am returning from a number of family matters, visiting, holiday and a bad bout of flu that has lasted more than three days. Six weeks of phlegm is unpleasant and I am very glad that I am nearly through it.

As I write, the Masters golf is on TV after both Leicester and Tottenham won their matches at the top of the Premier League. My boys Arsenal drew 3-3 away at West Ham in a match that had so many chances the score could have been much higher and it could have gone either way. The chances of us winning the league diminish week by week but fans never stop believing until the mathematics leaves proof.

Brentford beat Ipswich Town 3-1 away and now sit firmly mid table in 13th place.

Southend United drew 2-2 at home to Fleetwood and still harbour play-off dreams. Yesterday saw those dreams fade somewhat as 59 points is a long way off the current requirement of 68 points.

Exeter won 2-0 away at Yeovil and sit 9th on 62 points. 69 points is the current requirement for a play-off place but that rises each week.

That concludes my football league selections and we move on now to the non league teams that somehow hold a greater fascination for me.

Torquay united lost 1-0 at home to Tranmere Rovers but sit safely in 18th place having flirted with relegation earlier in the season. 44 points is only 3 above the relegation places so there is still a chance that Helen Chamberlain's team could drop to the National League South.

Ebbsfleet sit top of the National League South with my pick Weston-super-Mare sitting in 17th place on 44 points. A 2-2 draw with bottom placed Basingstoke Town is not convincing me that relegation has been avoided. The relegation places start from 42 points down.

In the Southern League Premier Division Bideford were involved in a relegation clash with Bedworth and managed to come out 2-1 winners on the day. It looks like a lost cause though as 36 points have to become over 47 points to avoid the inevitable.

Tiverton Town are in 7th place in the Southern League South & West division. 67 points would have to become 80 points to reach the play-off places so I think they are safely in situe for another season.
A 9-0 drubbing of Bashley will not have done their spirits any harm though.

In the Western League Barnstaple Town are in 2nd place on 72 points behind leaders Odd Down who play in bath and are on 75 points having played one game fewer. I would love to see a name like Odd Down make progress up through the leagues. Barnstaple beat Cribbs 2-1 away to keep up the challenge.

In the South West Peninsula League Exmouth Town lost 2-0 away at St. Austell and now sit mid table in 11th on 42 points while St. Austell are run away leaders of the division.

I have not attended nearly enough football. Even my local team Exwick Villa, who are about 15 minutes walk away, have not had the pleasure of my presence.

Update

Arsenal have just been beaten by Watford in the F.A.Cup.

Halifax and Grimsby are ahead in their semi-finals of the F.A.Trophy.

In the F.A.Vase Hereford beat Salisbury 1-0 while Bowers & Pitsea drew 2-2 with Morpeth.

Some of my selections are now firmly in the relegation zone.

When my real life slows down I will return here to analyse the situation.

Busy Busy

Southend United are taking on Burton Albion on Sky Sports.

Southend scored first with a well taken shot across the goal. Burton have equalised.

A lot else has happened since I last wrote but you can find out all about that somewhere else.

Arsenal failed to beat Hull at the weekend so must now endure a replay.

 

Liverpool v. Exeter

I contemplated a minute by minute blog for this one but I have decided to sit back and just enjoy the match. I hope you enjoy it too. Alternatively you could watch Leicester beat Tottenham.

My teams in December

ARSENAL

I have to be pleased as we are now sitting comfortably at the top of the league.
We beat Sunderland, Aston Villa, Manchester City and Bournemouth in the Premier League.
The best result of the month has to be beating Olympiacos 3-0 away. We maintain the record.
The one blip was being stuffed by Southampton but they fully deserved their win on the day.

BRENTFORD

A mixed bag. Beat MK Dons, drew with Fulham, lost to Cardiff. Beat Huddersfield, drew with Brighton and wait for it ...... no we beat Reading as well. We are now sat in 10th place looking comfortable but perhaps we should be challenging for a play off place.

SOUTHEND

Lost to Millwall in the Johnstone's Paints Trophy before beating Bury and Colchester in the League. Millwall then beat us once again in the League completing an unpalatable double. We are in 7th place just outside where we want to be.

EXETER

 16th place in the league is a drop from early season form. December seems to have been a very bad month for the Grecians. Should I disown them now? The team lost to Luton, Oxford and Wimbledon before starting the new year by losing to Dagenham & Redbridge.

TORQUAY

I can admit that our local rivals are only on my choice list because they are the nearest club. I am quite happy to see them second bottom in the National League although perhaps Helen Chamberlain is not so happy. Defeats to Wrexham, Chester and Cheltenham have not helped the league position and the victory over Forest Green was followed by defeat to the same team at the start of the new year. The one bright note is that following a 0-0 draw with Chesham we went on to beat them in the F.A.Trophy by the margin of 2-0.

WESTON-SUPER-MARE

The weather has caused some postponement recently but the month started with a win over Wealdstone. This was followed by draws with Bishop's Stortford and Hayes & Yeading. The team sit in 19th place just above the relegation zone and in serious danger unless the second half of the season is better than the first half.

BIDEFORD

My Southern League premier choice was also one of location and the team sit in 23rd place, firmly in the relegation zone. A draw with Hitchin Town was followed by defeats to Histon and Paulton Rovers. 2016 needs to be a completely new year if this group are to stay at their current level.

TIVERTON

Tiverton town lost in the Devon St. Luke's Challenge Cup but they were up against Plymouth Argyle who presumably had access to a better class of player. In addition the month started with defeat to Evesham United before victories against Wimborne Town and Wantage Town rescued the month. The month ended with a defeat to Marlow and a draw with Bridgwater Town. We sit 5th in the league in the last of the play off places.

BARNSTAPLE

Barnstaple sit 4th in the league which is comfortable. Bristol Manor Farm are top of the league with Odd Down and Street in between. It is looking like another year in the Western League. There have been a lot of postponements due to the weather but defeat to Odd Down and victory over Cadbury Heath are the two results that led up to christmas.

EXMOUTH TOWN

Exmouth sit safely in 6th place in the league and I now know where to go if I want to watch them as I was in town over christmas enjoying a pub lunch and visiting friends. A win over Witheridge and a defeat to Helston Athletic were followed by a series of postponements. The new year is going to be a busy time as fixtures are played in an attempt to catch up.

Arsenal are now 3-1 up against Sunderland.

DEAD Football Teams

Last night my love of the game returned as I watched my home town Exeter take on the mighty Liverpool in the F.A.Cup. Some of my friends went to get cold and wet but I stayed home and watched the television coverage. We drew 2-2 with young Tom Nicholls scoring the opening goal. He is earmarked for progression in the game but like all young hopefuls he will have to remain injury free.

Today I am listening to Arsenal on Arsenal Player while watching the scores pop up on Gillette Soccer Saturday from Sky Sports. The score is 0-0 and Sunderland have had the first chance but I have been compiling the Pyramid Tables (My Choice) and I thought I would mention some team names that we may never see again as they have dropped out of their respective leagues.

When league teams get into trouble there are usually enough supporters around to save the club with personal saving being put into a "save the club" fund. There are many reasons for lower level clubs disappearing from a mass player walkout to financial misappropriation by the directors. All I know is that football tables that started out with more teams now have less and I have decided to list the names from this season.

The National League (Conference) has seen no dropouts this season so we start looking at levels 7 & 8. I will admit that I am surprised that I can find no dropouts in the three regional leagues.

Level 9 was looking very secure but I have found the first team to fail. Winterbourne United are no longer competing in the Western League. I have found an internet article that indicates:

"Robyn Maggs is relieved that Winterbourne United's first team has been removed from the Western League."

Level 10 may show a few more teams dropping out so let us find out.

Mickleover Royals have dropped out of the East Midlands Counties League.

St Neots Town Saints have dropped out of the United Counties League.

Mickleover had won all four of their matches but dropped out for financial reasons.

St Neots Town Saints "have found it increasingly difficult to carry on for a number of reasons".

Level 11 teams dropping out from pyramid leagues are listed below:

Riccall United - Central Midlands League North

Thoresby Colliery - Central Midlands League North

Tintinhull - Dorset Premier League

Tiptree Jobserve - Essex & Suffolk Border League

Kings Stanley - Gloucestershire County League

Caterpillar - Leicestershire Senior League

Dunton & Broughton Rangers - Leicestershire Senior League

St Andrews Reserves - Leicestershire Senior League

Liver Academy - Liverpool County Premier League

Red Rum - Liverpool County Premier League

Kenilworth Town - Midland League

Aston - Midland League

Ringstead Rangers - Northamptonshire Combination

Gretton - Northamptonshire Combination

Welford Victoria - Northamptonshire Combination

Bletchingdon - Oxfordshire Senior League

Broughton & North Newington - Oxfordshire Senior League

Aylesbury United Reserves - Spartan South Midlands League

Dudley Hill Rangers - West Riding County Amateur League

Bardsey - West Yorkshire League

Andover New Street Swifts - Wiltshire League

Terrington Glory - York League

22 teams gone but there are plenty still going.

Arsenal v. Sunderland is 1-1 at half time.

December belongs to the wife

So, welcome back normality.

December starts with me having to contruct our christmas newsletter to send out with all the christmas cards. We then have to write all the cards and add any extra information on top of the news for selected persons. I am then expected to take the wife shopping and pay for all the presents although give her credit she is happy to choose all the items. We then have to go visiting all the people that we have ignored all year. I have to attend at least one christmas party with work and drink on many other occasions. All this means that you have heard nothing from me throughout December. What do you mean nobody noticed?

The new year has started with football on Friday 1st January. Torquay went away to Forest Green Rovers who beat them 3-1. That is a good place to start as all the matches at lower levels scheduled for Saturday 2nd January were called off due to waterlogged pitches or anticipated bad weather. My cousin's parents in law were flooded out and did not take extra flood insurance of £400 on the basis that for the past 48 years they have had no problems. This was now a costly mistake. Hindsight is a very valuable teacher.

So with just my league teams to tell you about we can start with Exeter who decided to lose to Dagenham & Redbridge at home, the score being 1-2.

Southend United were far more generous, losing 3-0 at home to Doncaster Rovers.

At least Brentford were away as they went down 2-1 to Birmingham City.

That leaves my top team Arsenal, and as I listened to the commentary we were definitely the second best team on the pitch but football is not all about performance, if it were we would win every match, it is about scoring goals and Lauren Koscielny scored the only goal of the game for a 1-0 win.

There. One of my resolutions is complete as I have updated my blog. Maybe I will do a team by team summary of December and the more I think about it that may be a better way to document this blog. It is early days, but now in addition to all my other "things" I have decided to take an open university course on football.

Bring on the new year.

TW3

That Was The Week That Was:

A great night for my picks on Tuesday night -

Arsenal beat Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League and can still qualify.

Southend travelled all the way up to Oldham and came away with a 5-2 victory.

Exeter travelled to Mansfield and were also victorious, this time the score was 2-0.

Finally Weston-super-Mare took on Havant & Waterlooville, winning 3-2 TYVM.


Come the weekend and we find that Arsenal are playing today (Sunday).

Brentford in the Championship are playing Monday night football this week.

Southend United drew 0-0 at home to Wigan.

Exeter City drew 1-1 at home to Bristol Rovers.

Torquay United drew 0-0 away to Braintree Town.

Weston came up trumps for the second time in a week, winning 3-2 at home to Hitchin Town.
This means qualification for the next round of the F.A.Trophy.

Bideford went away to Maidenhead United in the F.A.Trophy and are now out having lost 4-0.

Tiverton Town beat North Leigh 2-1 in the Southern League South & West Division.

Barnstaple beat Bradford Town 3-2 away in the Western League Premier Division.

Exmouth Town travelled to Torpoint Athletic in the South West Peninsula League and lost 2-1.

Now I can settle down and watch the Arsenal match.

Testing Times

I struggled with my open university course this week.

Many matches were postponed due to the weather in midweek and many F.A.Vase matches were postponed for the same reason on Saturday. The midweek match that survived was Tiverton Town's home match against Shortwood United. A 4-1 win sees Tiverton nicely placed near the top of the table in the Southern League South & West Division.

Tiverton followed this up with a 0-0 draw away at Winchester. A point away from home will do.

Barnstaple lost in the F.A.Vase 2-1 to Hengrove Athletic so that is their cup ambitions over for the season. Exmouth Town travelled to St. Blazey and came away with a remarkable 5-1 win. I must get to see this team before the season is out.

Bideford had a nightmare at home in the Southern League Premier Division. Kings Lynn Town turned up and went home happy with a 5-0 victory.

Exeter are very pleased with themselves as they won the local derby winning 2-1 away at Plymouth.

Southend won the battle of the seaside towns, beating Blackpool 1-0 at home.

Brentford produced a third league win in three beating Nottingham Forest 2-1. A good win.

The real failure of this week is Arsenal going to West Bromwich Albion and losing there for the first time since 2005 and to make matters worse Santi Cazorla missed a penalty. It would seem that he cannot score even if his life depends upon it. I would not have let him take that penalty.

Tomorrow is another day, this week sees some European action, and I got 22 out of 24 in my weekly test so the struggle was worthwhile.

F.A.Trophy weekend

With the internationals against Spain and France for the England team there is no football at the highest level this weekend. I shall therefore concentrate my focus on another competition, the F.A.Trophy competed for by teams from level 5 to level 8 (Step 1 to Step 4 of the non league game).

I had two teams in the competition at this stage as the Conference teams have not yet been required to play (just like Premier League teams do not enter the F.A.Cup until the third round). Bideford and Tiverton are up against opposition from levels 7 and 8 so I need to do some research to find out what happened.

Bideford managed to beat Brentwood Town 3-2 so continue their run in the F.A.Trophy. The information that I have been able to find one day after the match is ..... zilch. Interconnectedness on the internet does rely on the enthusiastic followers of football clubs updating the information early. Not every club has the right level of enthusiast attached.

Tiverton Town travelled to East Thurrock and managed to lose 5-0. Not surprisingly the information I have been able to find out online is .... zilch, but then who wants to write up a report about a bad defeat on the road. The enthusiasts are probably still drunk, trying to forget, and on their way home.

So much for the F.A.Trophy then. How about my other selected teams?

Southend and Exeter both drew 2-2. Southend were away at Sheffield United and Exeter were at home to Crawley. Torquay travelled to Barrow and lost 4-0 so relegation is a definite possibility. Weston-super-Mare had one of those days, losing 1-0 away at Gosport Borough. Bideford and Tiverton you know about, well all the information I could find anyway. Barnstaple Town followed last week's 2-0 over Bristol Manor Farm with a 6-0 win over Roman Glass St George. All teams with silly names should be given a damn good thrashing. Exmouth Town entertained Camelford in the South West Peninsula league and won 4-3. There does seem to be some good entertainment down there and I know the pubs are good.

Now, I have to put the bed back together after taking it apart. My Mrs has decided to move rooms.

Where are my teams at the start of November?

Everton have just beaten Sunderland 6-2 and Arsenal Ladies are leading Notts County ladies 2-0 with 5 minutes to go. I should be getting on with my university studies but I prefer to blog about football and at least it keeps me in active mode.

Pick 1) Arsenal are second behind Manchester City and in a good position to challenge for the title.

Pick 2) Brentford are in 11th place, 4 points off the playoff places and 10 points above relegation.

Pick 3) Southend are also in 11th place, 4 points off the playoff places and 8 points above relegation.

Pick 4) Exeter are in 14th place, 4 points off the playoff places and 13 points above relegation.

Pick 5) Torquay are at the top of the four teams occupying relegation places. The drop is possible.

Pick 6) Weston-super-Mare have been bottom but are now one point above the relegation places.

Pick 7) Bideford are firmly in a relegation place and are 7 points from safety at this early stage.

Pick 8) Tiverton are nicely placed in the playoff places and are 5 points from automatic promotion.

Pick 9) Barnstaple Town are in 6th place and 6 points off the only automatic promotion slot.

Pick 10) Exmouth Town are in 12th place, 20 points from promotion and 14 points from relegation.


N.B. Arsenal Ladies are winners of the Continental Cup so that is another chance to celebrate.

6-3-1

Yes, you guessed, I found another unpublicised match.

Barnstaple Town travelled to Horndean and won the match 3-1 so Barnstaple are through to the next round of the F.A.Vase.

With Tiverton through and Bideford still fighting in the F.A.Trophy that is three chances of reaching Wembley. I might even purchase a ticket if one of my teams gets there but the coverage is so much better with a lot more information provided if you watch the match on TV.

So a very positive weekend with a double bonus in the cups.

Now to get on with my open university studies. I see they are now doing a course on football. I have already signed up, as I have a passion for it. I just have to make sure that learning about things does not kill the passion as it always did in school and at university.

5-3-1

It is easy to miss things with so much going on and particularly where the F.A. are concerned. The cups they run are certainly special but the publicity is miserable to the point of non existence.

I found that Tiverton Town were also in the F.A.Trophy away at Peacehaven & Telscombe. A solid 3-0 win has put the Southern League South & West side into the next round, and my score for the weekend just went up.

Now to check the F.A.Vase just in case I missed another one.

Four wins, three draws and one defeat

A second results service and this time ... on the same day ... although it includes the result from last night. Four wins from eight matches played and I have to be happy. Three draws, but that is football, and one defeat (the crowd will be down next week then).

Arsenal travelled to Swansea and beat them 3-0 with goals from Giroud, Koscielny and Campbell. This Campbell is not one of those that killed the Macdonalds but he is the one that killed Swansea.

Brentford won the local derby for the first time in 50 years I am told. The Judge and Djuricin combined to pass judgement. Queens Park Rangers were despatched as 1-0 losers.

Weston-super-Mare have not been having a good season but travelled to Brighton to take on Whitehawk and managed a 2-0 victory in the Conference League South.

The fourth win was by Exmouth Town who travelled south to Stoke Gabriel where they won 2-0 in the South West Peninsula League Premier Division. A level 10 league.

 The three draws were Southend at home to Rochdale, where both sides scored two goals, Torquay away at Altrincham with both sides scoring a single goal, and Bideford in the F.A.Trophy taking on Farnborough at home where the match finished 1-1. A replay in the week will have to be added to my fixture list.

The defeat came for my home town club Exeter, who are expecting to lose to Didcot Town in the first round of the F.A.Cup just like they did to Warrington, and who today travelled to Barnet and lost 2-0.

A, broadly speaking, good set of results. Did you like the comma after one letter?

Results Service

While Arsenal were beating Bayern Munich, Southend United were losing 3-0 at Chesterfield and Bideford were beating Frome Town 2-0 at home. One day later Brentford beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-0 away and Exeter beat Cambridge United 1-0 at home.

The weekend that saw Arsenal beating Everton had Brentford beating Charlton Athletic 3-0, Southend and Exeter drawing 1-1 with Gillingham and Notts County respectively. Weston-super-Mare went out of the F.A.Cup 2-1 away at St. Albans City. Bideford drew 2-2 away at Bedworth United. Tiverton and Barnstaple both won 2-0 with the opposition being Bashley and Hallen. Exmouth Town travelled to Callington Town and came away with a 3-1 victory.

While Arsenal were jacking in the Capital One Cup Bideford drew 1-1 at home to Cirencester Town and Tiverton beat Slimbridge 1-0.

That brings us up to date and tonight Brentford are beating QPR 1-0 with 85 minutes gone.

Judge and Djuricin

The Brentford pair combine to score the first goal. 1-0.

Part of the QPR team

Part of the QPR team.

Chery, Luongo.

Brentford

Well, as my number one team are obviously rubbish having played in black and blue and performed like a bunch of newly promoted lads who have never played together before ... er .... Arsene? ... I think it is time to watch my number two pick, Brentford who are on Sky Sports tonight against Queens Park Rangers.

Red and White stripes take on Blue and White hoops. It looks good on a green and green surface.

The Brentford team comprises: Button, Yennaris (seen him before somewhere), Dean, Tarkowski,

Bidwell, Woods, McCormack, Diagouraga, Swift, Judge and Djuricin. I will let you know if anyone stands out in the next 90 minutes.

The QPR team comprises: Green Onuoha, Hall, Hill, Konchesky (familiar), Tozser (really?), Henry, Phillips, Chery, Luongo, Emmanuel-Thomas (seen him before as well).

So far there is a lot more enthusiasm than skill and with 10 minutes coming up Djuricin is caught offside but only by about 15 yards, so no problem there then.

Brentford have just had a period of dominance but it only led to a cross and a misdirected header.

I will come back to the game I hope but for now I leave you wanting the result.

Arsenal

Well, I have to be happy this week. So much could have gone wrong, but it didn't.

Three goals away to a team that had only conceded one goal at home all season, proof that Arsene IS capable of learning lessons from other teams as we played second best and beat Bayern Munich, then the beating of Everton, and holding onto the lead after a tough week of competition.

Why come down off my high by checking other results? I can do that when we take on Sheffield Wednesday in the Capital One Cup tomorrow night. I have also started an open university course and that will take up some of my time from now on.

The F.A.Cup first round draw took place this evening without Sporting Khalsa but congratulations to them for reaching the fourth qualifying round. Southend United are away to Scunthorpe and Exeter City take on Didcot Town who now have the chance to "do a Warrington".

The week reviewed

The week was boring. I spent most of my time in the office. There has to be more to life than this ... and there is ... Football! Four of my pyramid picks played on Tuesday night and I almost missed the Tiverton Town result as they drew 0-0 with Taunton Town in the Red Insure Cup. This was followed by a 3-0 defeat on penalties. I think penalty practice is the order of the day this week.

Woking hosted my Vanarama team Torquay and an honourable 2-2 draw was played out.

Barnstaple beat Clevedon Town 4-0 in the Western League Premier Division so I am happy with that.

Finally Exmouth Town beat Witheridge 4-2 in the match I almost attended. It would have been good.

And then Saturday comes:

Arsenal beat Watford 3-0 after Watford eventually tired. They played well for the first two thirds. Brentford beat Rotherham 2-1 and Southend beat Barnsley 2-1. Exeter travelled all the way to Carlisle and lost 1-0. Torquay were held to another draw, this time 1-1, by Grimsby. Weston went to Maidenhead United and lost 2-0. Bideford travelled to Chesham United and lost 3-1. Tiverton Town held Burnham 0-0 away. At the end of the list Barnstaple had a second win in a week, this time it was 2-0 away at Bridport.

Now it is time to settle down with my Mrs as we are watching series 5 of Game of Thrones once again. Tyrion and Mormont have just been attacked.

Grand Western Canal

So on non league day I chose to spend my time with friends and family on a horse drawn barge starting from Tiverton and ending in the middle of nowhere with the view of an aqueduct that allows tractors to traverse the water course via a short tunnel. I have photographs.

I did think about the F.A.Cup several times but you know how it is, family and friends sometimes have to take precedence. So how did my teams to this week?

Southend United beat Crawley 3-0 in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy. Exeter took on local rivals Plymouth Argyle in the same trophy and lost 2-0. So Southend march on and Exeter march out.

Torquay entertained Dover and chose to lose 3-2. My choice for the Conference South next season may have to change from those Seagulls that I have yet to go and watch live.

The Seagulls went away to Wingate & Finchley in the F.A.Cup third qualifying round and managed a 3-1 victory. It was expected as the opponents are an Isthmian League team. Weston-super-Mare can now look forward to the fourth qualifying round when victory may see them up against Football League opposition.

Bideford managed a 1-1 home draw with Stratford Town but when you are in a relegation battle every point is gratefully accepted.

Tiverton Town performed one better by managing a 2-2 draw away at AFC Totton.

 Barnstaple lost 2-0 in midweek to Buckland Athletic but when I check the competition it is only in the Devon St. Luke's Bowl which really does not concern me much. The good news is that the defeat seems to have produced a reaction as my Barnstaple boys travelled to Welton Rovers and thrashed them 7-0. It is a small but gratifying high point in this week's blog.

Exmouth Town who started the season so brightly seem to be struggling at the moment. In midweek the team travelled to Plymouth Parkway and lost 4-2. Yesterday the lads travelled to Tavistock and lost 5-1. I cannot blame them as Tavistock is beyond the back of beyond. They still burn peat there.

I have to report that although I have now covered all of my top ten picks, my number eleven choice, Exwick Villa, who I have watched live managed to beat Tiverton Town Reserves 9-0 in the cup. I have no idea what cup but it would have been a good day to support them once again.

And ..... to end things for today ..... I have just watched Exeter City on television and the TV voodoo seems to have struck again but not so vehemently as a 3-3 draw at home to Stevenage was achieved.

I have matches listed for Torquay, Tiverton, Barnstaple and Exmouth listed for midweek. It is about time I visited the home of Exmouth Town.

October starts well

Arsenal have just beaten Manchester United 3-0 at the Emirates Stadium as I sit down to write about my pyramid teams. My number one pick are easy to follow as they are almost always shown live on TV making an inroad into my living room that I just cannot ignore.

My number two pick Brentford seem to be going through a bad patch as they sink down the league.Twentieth position in the Championship is just above the relegation zone. Buck up Brentford.
Losing 2-0 away at Derby County is not what the doctor ordered.

Southend United travelled to Burton Albion and managed to lose 1-0. This places my league one pick in 11th place in the table.

Exeter City managed to get a 1-1 draw away at Newport County and also sit in 11th place in their league.

Torquay United lost at home to Aldershot in the National League and are now firmly in a relegation position in 22nd place. Conference South here we come unless there is a dramatic change in fortune.

Weston-super-Mare have crept off the bottom of the table while I looked the other way so I guess the result yesterday was not a bad one. Sure enough the long trip across country to Margate resulted in a 2-0 win for the seagulls. Who in the world likes seagulls?

Bideford are similarly one place above the bottom of the table in the Southern League Premier Division. Losing 2-1 away at Slough Town certainly will not help the attempt to rise up the league.

Tiverton Town were involved in the F.A.Trophy yesterday and spent their time beating AFC Totton 2-0 to go through to the second qualifying round. The 1-0 win over Yate Town on Tuesday was enough to see them into fifth place in the Southern League South & West Division.

Barnstaple Town were involved in the F.A.Trophy yesterday. They managed a 4-1 win away at Ivybridge Town. Their position of fifth in the league matches Tiverton and just behind the promotion places is a good place to be at this time in the year.

 Lastly, at level 10 in the South West Peninsula League Premier Division I am following Exmouth Town and have already missed two chances to watch them live. They sit in ninth position and with no match yesterday I shall reserve judgement until the next match.

Now to follow my heart down to levels 11-21. You don't get to hear much about those teams though.