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Southern Comfort
Views: 3411
Some initial thoughts on next season. The F.A. really have gone to town with only 11 teams out of 24 from last season remaining. All of last season's top 4 have departed which is clearly an incentive.
Weymouth and Poole the obvious standouts. Salisbury could be the next Hereford in the making. Staines, (now without Buchanan up-front) comparable to Slough.
The one thing catching my eye was the 17 point gap between the club in 5th place and the team in 6th. The cap between the play-off contenders and everyone else was huge. The next placed clubs Tiverton and Chesham looked consistently placed around 7th and 8th all season. Everything else, one would presume, is pretty much the same. Interesting to see if a similar disposition transpires.
I would imagine that tells a lot about the overall standard. I have pre-conceived notion of wider pitches and direct runs through midfield. Looking at Bath City last season, a similar footprint to when I saw them previously donkey's years ago in the Gola League. I do believe there is a definable style of play in different divisions.
Following initial despair, from a footballing perspective - it could be enjoyable.
Re: Southern Comfort
Views: 3296
I'm sure Hendon fans will enjoy Southern League football.
I would expect Hendon to be near-certain play off candidates next season.
Weymouth or Salisbury are likely winners but don't write off Chesham Utd who always have ambitions, even if they almost always fall short !
Last seasons attendances were inflated at all clubs by the visit of Hereford who always travelled
with at least 100 -150 fans.
Edited by geemickey at 09:25:23 on 16th May 2018
Re: Southern Comfort
Views: 3119
That's a cracking point with regards to the Hereford effect. With regards to Chesham they didn't muster a win in their last 10 suggesting they may have thrown the towel in. They did however confront all the top sides in the last month or so. I see Jefferson Louis is in their bio's - he may have moved since typing this.
I do have an image problem with regards to getting a handle on proceedings with this league. Going back to the last major shake up 1979-80 APL North/South divide. I always maintained the Northern Prem was way stronger than the sides in the Southern at that time and yet it was the Southern sides of whom came more to the fore over time.
I do believe there were economic reasons, constructions of New Towns and the like that brought in the likes of Stevenage, Wycombe, Welling and the likes. To me, a lot of the Southern landscape reminds me glorified FA Vase territory.
Footnotes - Love the idea of an U-23 side filling a void. The Met are appealing - good luck with that.
Re: Southern Comfort
Views: 3101
RW:
Don't know where you got your Chesham results from RW - they actually won 5 of their final 7 games, including beating MK Dons at their place in the County Cup final.
They did they play the top fives sides, but from 24th Feb and managed only to beat Kettering.
Are you looking at the previous season's results ? They certainly collapsed at the end of that season - and subsequently lost the entire team - most of them following the manager to Enfield Town).
I don't know how clubs can ever 'build for the future' when non-contracted players change clubs so freely.
Re: Southern Comfort
Views: 3076
Yes, my bad - Never made the connection - took it as read. Some of the websites, nearly as devoid of information as is the apparent intelligence of this individual in garnering insights from them! I didn't think it tallied with the FWP stuff I looked at the weekend.
As for Chesham's website, I put that in my search engine - I'm bombarded with Mandarin!
Clearly It's all Chinese to me!
Re: Southern Comfort
Views: 3091
FWIW, that's Japanese not Chinese :)
Re: Southern Comfort
Views: 3058
Chesham's website is being reconstructed so hopefully things will improve.
(But don't bank on it - remember Hutber's Law : Progress means deterioration !).
Re: oyster aways
Views: 3052
I take it Chesham is a do-able away for those that don't do long distance aways? On the met up to Chesham and then walkable?
apart from that what other hope is there for oyster only aways in the southern prem?
Re: oyster aways
Views: 3008
Chesham's scruffy but picturesque 'Meadow' ground is walkable from the station - but it's about a 15/20 minute walk. Car and then free parking is much easier though !
Amersham station on Met & Chiltern lines is a short taxi ride away.
It's worthwhile coming because the ground has a certain old-fashioned charm (we may not be there much longer if some have their way). There's cover on all four sides, a decent clubhouse with TVs etc. decent home fans - and perhaps the best burgers in the league. Oh, and there's always a good chance the visitors can win !
Re: oyster aways
Views: 2982
I've always enjoyed the view behind the far goal from the car park end and pretty much every visit (we won't talk about the friendly we had a few years back!)
Re: oyster aways
Views: 2972
Harrow, Met Police, Chesham, Walton Casuals.
Staines I think you could probably do by bus, but not Rail on Oyster. Wouldn't advise it even if it's possible though.
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