Bardon Hill Sports

I love mysteries, which is probably why I started studying the football league pyramid a few years back. During my time trying to work out what is actually going on I have gone from website to website and the one consistent factor that I have picked up on is that if something is on the F.A. Website nobody else is allowed to publish it on their own website.

Now I have always suspected that the F.A. are out of touch with the modern world, if only by their continued appointments as England Manager of those people who were "good a few years ago". We shall see if Sam Allardyce is another in the long line but I have a feeling that he may just be the man we need because I hate him with a passion. He was one of the first to park the bus in front of Arsenal and get a draw as a result. As England are not the perfect team that the press would have you believe we probably need to start with defence and then gradually build an attacking approach.

The F.A. Website clearly uses out of date processes to update its own systems. I have noticed that when teams change their names the F.A. still use the old name for a season and sometimes longer. I will pick up on name changes as I always try to identify which teams are the same as a similarly named team from the previous season and which are entirely new teams. This is not always easy given the dearth of information online. Often it is only the locals that know.

This season I went through the F.A.Cup draw and saw that Leicester Nirvana are still called Thurnby by the F.A. There must be some rule about cup entry if you change your name. Tower Hamlets were on the site as Bethnal Green but I have just checked the site and somebody has now updated that one. Now that I check again the name Thurnby has been changed to Leicester as well. This proves to me that the F.A. are just a bit slow or stupid. Either that or their processes are restrictive.

The mystery for me was when I found out that match number 66 does not exist on the F.A. Website but I feared not as the F.A.Cup draw, although banned by the F.A. from other websites, appears in various places at various times because enough people care about it. I found a good site where the information showed me that match number 66 is Bardon Hill Sports v. Kirby Muxloe. A quick search of my league tables revealed nothing in the top 10 tiers of the game. What was going on? Where were Bardon Sports? I found a website that referred to the Leicestershire Senior League and there I found them, but why are they the only level 11 team in the F.A.Cup? The mystery deepened.

I had to delve into last year's tables to find the Bardon Hill Sports team that entered the F.A.Cup. There was a Bardon Hill Sports that were relegated from the Midland League Premier Division. That must be the team that the F.A. were referring to. I guess they went through the classic departure of team and/or manager and folded. The club will continue in the Leicestershire Senior League and their second team will become their first team. This is a familiar situation that I went through with my first lower league team, Elmore Eagles.

It would be nice if the F.A. would put out a statement to explain this but they do like to keep everything secret. You are only allowed to know stuff if you are in the know. Match number 66 remains missing but it is possible to work out what has happened because in the Preliminary Round Kirby Muxloe are already in place. As the matches have not taken place this can only mean that a walkover has been awarded. Please you F.A. (change to expletives from definition) put a statement on your website to explain the situation.

This is an interesting time of year for me. I need to choose another (or the same) set of teams to follow at every level of the game for the new season about to start.

Arsenal are a given, but I may change any other team for any reason. I do, though, link up to the websites of any team that I have chosen to follow and some teams do a far superior job of keeping me informed than others. Those are the ones I am much more likely to visit and pay my entrance fee. I must recommend the Weston-Super-Mare efforts as I regularly get to see the goals.

My F.A.Cup spreadsheet is now set up for the season. Only one week until the competition starts.

Non-League Newspapers

So we have had a refreshing break from the incessant continuum of football.

You know when Sky Sports started I thought that at last we would be able to watch the matches that we want to instead of being shown a few highlights of all the matches of the world renowned BBC program Match of the Day. Sky then used their control of coverage to influence the date on which matches are played and prevented the ordinary fan from seeing their team some of the time.

We needed a challenger and Virgin did not step up. Thankfully BT Sports has appeared and they have shown me what a good organisation can do in terms of covering National League football and the two F.A. competitions other than the Cup, the Trophy and the Vase. Kudos to BT and I hope that crowds in the lower leagues increase as a result. It has always fascinated me how something is nothing until it appears on television and then it becomes everything.

These days I can watch football seven days a week if I choose to and I have come close but it is the choice that I want. I do not need to watch every match that is available. My dream is to see all matches live streamed so that all fans everywhere can watch their own team live but "SKY" have put a stop to that as they make more money by denying that opportunity to ordinary people. Advertisers will pay big money if they know they have a captive audience of millions.

Enough of power broker bashing. What did I learn this week as I picked up several football newspapers. The mighty Malmesbury Victoria are moving from the Hellenic League to the Western League. That is positive and I do not hear much positivity about the Western League, that organisation that mops up everything on the far lower left of the country. The Football League Trophy will include invited teams with Category One Academies, an interesting innovation.

The F.A.Cup now requires teams participating to have gained 63 points from a 38 game season. I have not seen how that works if your season is more or less that 38 games. I think the competition was probably getting a bit too big and this exercises a measure of control over the number of entrants.

In the F.A.Trophy preliminary round Salisbury have been drawn against Hereford. Good start!

Did you know that 95 laws of the game have changed over the summer. It seems that most of the changes are merely an attempt to clarify things that are already common practice but need to be defined more clearly in the rulebook. There may be one or two problems next season if a keen eyed referee decided to interpret a newly written rule other than the way it was intended. Remember that is what accountants and lawyers do so why not referees?

I think that will do for now. I must get back to catching up on Game of Thrones.

Congratulations Evesham United

The Euros are well under way and I have enjoyed much of what I have watched. We are now at the stage where both Irish teams have left the competition leaving our hopes in the hands of England and Wales. Meanwhile, the summer machinations of the non league game go on.

Common sense has prevailed. Evesham United appealed against being forced to travel to the far north and won their case. Cinderford Town clearly had their eyes on the Hereford money and Evesham got hold of the rule book for the Southern League.

The rules state that the league champions will be promoted. I have never known it any other way, although ground grading, the mass exodus of playing staff, petty politics and I am sure other things all have their turn in bending the rules to breaking point.

So everything turns back the way it was, and those teams who thought they were affected by the Cinderford "I want the Hereford money" decision are no longer affected. Evesham United are back in the Southern League South & West where they were last year.

The team most affected by Cinderford and who should probably be compensated by them are Stamford of the Northern Premier League who were told that they could stay up and may have recruited on that basis but now they must be relegated as per the original decision.

I told you I should wait until August before setting up my who has transferred to which league spreadsheet. I can handle it though ... poor decision ... lack of backbone ... reversed decision ... poor compromise ... I changed my mind ... the team just upped and left ... experience of the non league game during an average summer. What more surprises are there before we begin again?

Bloody Cinderford Town

I am getting my football fill today by watching the women of Wales take on the women of Norway at Spytty Park, Newport. Tash Harding appears to be making an impact on the opposition as she clatters into that Norwegian leaving her sprawled on the turf. The reds do seem to have more of the match in this first half but when the Norwegians start passing the ball they seem to have better quality.

Now, let me look at this Cinderford refusal to accept promotion. Is it because they face a long trip to Kings Lynn Town? I think it more likely that they want the money that will come from matches against Hereford and Salisbury. The Southern League South & West division has caught my attention and if all goes well I intend to watch it closely but I hope Cinderford get relegated if their decision was based on getting more money from the big games.

In my opinion they have cost Evesham United a lot more money than they would have paid out and Evesham should be compensated for the selfish stance of Cinderford. If Cinderford lose all their good players, manager, and get relegated then, and only then, will I forgive them. I hope Evesham now go on and get promotion from the Northern Premier South as they were not going to get it from a division with Hereford and Salisbury in.

I now find out that the Kent Invicta League has become the second division in the Southern Counties East League which is no change in reality, merely a change in designation. It may mean two teams switching between leagues rather than one but it is exactly right given the attempt by the F.A. to get standardisation across the various regions of the country.

We just have the East and West Midlands to sort out now along with the South West Peninsula League which I support as non standard due to the distance from the centre and the fact that the south west is a low wage area so everything costs so much more percentage wise than anywhere else in the country.

The Essex Senior League do need a second division to become "standard" but the Essex Olympian League is level 11 and they are level 9 so there is no obvious level 10 standard in the area. Perhaps one of the many London leagues could fulfil the role but we will have to wait and see what the F.A. have planned for that particular old haunting ground of mine.

Right, back to the Welsh women and I promise to tell you nothing about the match.

Close Season

It is times like these that leave me missing the overcoverage of football from August to May. I often get hold of information from the internet, follow a link from there, then a link from there until I come across something quite obscure. I think that is how I first came across the idea of the football pyramid which has fascinated me ever since.

I was very frustrated listening to a football commentator talking about the "Combination Counties League" as he clearly knows too little about the lower leagues to be allowed on national television. Was he trying to merge the Combined Counties League with the Southern Combination League? I think not, and I put it down to pure ignorance. So he fits in well with most football supporters.

I was sat in church once when the minister asked the question "Does Worthing have a football team" to which the answer from the congregation was "NO!". It was not irony. They clearly had no idea that there are two teams in the town, one of which has just been promoted from step 4 to step three (level 7) of the pyramid and the other, Worthing United, were in the national press when two of their players were killed as a result of an airshow crash. It seems that only the Football League matters to the mass of ignorami out there.

What we need is more coverage of the sport at the lower level on television. Did I just say that? With wall to wall coverage on SKY and BT and BBC and ITV I can enjoy all week watching football now. I do pity my poor wife but as long as I let her watch Emmerdale at 7pm I am allowed my football from 7:30pm or 7:45pm until we share time on the Firestick from 9:15pm or 9:30pm.

Not any more.

The season is over.

We only have the Euros to look forward to in June.

Hang on.

That may be enough to keep me watching football every night.

Great times.

See you soon.

Football League Overlords

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

If the Football League get their way:

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

Drawbridge - Moat - Very high wall

Teams that do not matter at all


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

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

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


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

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

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

Promotion (Easy) & Relegation (Hard)

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

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

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

LEAGUE & DIVISION

TEAM COMING IN

FROM LEAGUE

TEAM GOING OUT

TO LEAGUE

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

LEAGUE & DIVISION

TEAM COMING IN

FROM LEAGUE

TEAM GOING OUT

TO LEAGUE

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

LEAGUE & DIVISION

TEAM COMING IN

FROM LEAGUE

TEAM GOING OUT

TO LEAGUE

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

LEAGUE & DIVISION

TEAM COMING IN

FROM LEAGUE

TEAM GOING OUT

TO LEAGUE

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

LEAGUE & DIVISION

TEAM COMING IN

FROM LEAGUE

TEAM GOING OUT

TO LEAGUE

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

LEAGUE & DIVISION

TEAM COMING IN

FROM LEAGUE

TEAM GOING OUT

TO LEAGUE

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

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

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

F.A.Vase and F.A.Trophy

Hereford v. Morpeth

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

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

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

GOAL

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

GOAL

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

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

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

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

Platoon : Those that died

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

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

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

So at county level 11:

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

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

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

Up into the Western League

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

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

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

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

Venturing Beyond

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Next Season - Provisional Tables

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Finishing the Season

So it comes to a conclusion.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Planning Ahead - Next Season

Who might I pick to follow next season?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Play-offs

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

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

So how have the other play-offs progressed?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.