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[Football] The Non-League Football Thread- 2023/24 Edition
- Thread starter Eeyore
- Start date
jackalbion
Well-known member
- Aug 30, 2011
- 4,113
Decided I would make the trip to Stag Meadow on Sunday Afternoon to watch the FA Cup tie between Virginia Water (Step 5) and Cribbs FC (Step 4). Despite Virginia Water taking the lead with a cracking free kick, Cribbs provided too much for their lower opponents coming back to win 5-1. The new dissent rules trickling down to this level as well with a lot of yellows for both teams, as well as a late red for Virginia Water, for a non existent “Stamp”. Poor performance from the referee, much to the Ire of a very angry Welsh official from Virginia Water.
Continuing my FA Cup trail tonight at West Essex v Maldon and Tiptree, who have just sacked Peter Taylor. A new ground again (254).
Continuing my FA Cup trail tonight at West Essex v Maldon and Tiptree, who have just sacked Peter Taylor. A new ground again (254).
keaton
Big heart, hot blood and balls. Big balls
- Nov 18, 2004
- 9,687
We've already got that to look forward to this weekend
stewart12
Well-known member
- Jan 16, 2019
- 1,615
Last week I took in some excellent West of Scotland League Fourth Division action whilst on holiday in Ayrshire. This is the tenth tier of Scottish football and the game was Saltcoats Victoria vs St Peters.
Entry was £6, I handed over a (Scottish) £10 note to the guy at the gate who barked back "YOUGOTTAPOONDTHERE?". "Pardon" I replied, trying to sound as far away from southern English as possible "APOOND! YOUGOTTAPOOND
". "Oh a POUND" I replied and quickly realised that he wanted to give me a £5 note back as he was lacking in change. "No sorry I don't" "NAEBOTHERAH'LLJUSGIVYECHANGELADDY" he replied.
Upon entering the ground, which was sandwiched in between a meat factory to the West, a caravan park (where I was staying) to the East and the Ardrossan-Glasgow train line to the south with a golden sandy beach the other side, it's fair to say the view was mixed. The weather was glorious but I imagine in mid winter it's quite grim being quite open and close to the sea.
The ground had a few rows of uncovered terracing behind each goal, a small covered seating stand on one side which had some wooden benches in it and a kind of hollowed out shipping container on the other side to provide some shelter.
The changing rooms and tea bar were both also shipping containers.
I approached the shipping container tea bar as I'd seen someone else buying a pie, and asked what kind of pie it was. An elderly gentleman wearing a three piece suit replied "aye y'know normal. Normal pie"...."ok I'll have one and a bovril please" "BOVRIL?!" he chuckled and for some reason he laughed all through making it. He was a very pleasent gentleman though and we had a good chat in broken english about bovril. Pie and a bovril came to ONE POUND FIFTY
The pie was quite nice and I worked out that "normal pie" is what the locals call "Scotch pie". As is common north of the border it mainly consists of mashed up non descript bits of various animals but it was very pleasent, and the bovril was well made
The crowd was about 30 at a guess including a Canadian chap who was staying at the same caravan park as me
Saltcoats were absolutely awful and will likely finish very low down the table. The opposition, however did have 5 or 6 pretty decent players who had some idea- their captain especially read the game very well and could pick a pass and their left back had a great cross on him. The match finished 4-0 to St Peters and was a scoreline that flattered Victoria who barely had a shot on target all game
As you can imagine there were PLENTY of meaty challenges
Entry was £6, I handed over a (Scottish) £10 note to the guy at the gate who barked back "YOUGOTTAPOONDTHERE?". "Pardon" I replied, trying to sound as far away from southern English as possible "APOOND! YOUGOTTAPOOND
". "Oh a POUND" I replied and quickly realised that he wanted to give me a £5 note back as he was lacking in change. "No sorry I don't" "NAEBOTHERAH'LLJUSGIVYECHANGELADDY" he replied.Upon entering the ground, which was sandwiched in between a meat factory to the West, a caravan park (where I was staying) to the East and the Ardrossan-Glasgow train line to the south with a golden sandy beach the other side, it's fair to say the view was mixed. The weather was glorious but I imagine in mid winter it's quite grim being quite open and close to the sea.
The ground had a few rows of uncovered terracing behind each goal, a small covered seating stand on one side which had some wooden benches in it and a kind of hollowed out shipping container on the other side to provide some shelter.
The changing rooms and tea bar were both also shipping containers.
I approached the shipping container tea bar as I'd seen someone else buying a pie, and asked what kind of pie it was. An elderly gentleman wearing a three piece suit replied "aye y'know normal. Normal pie"...."ok I'll have one and a bovril please" "BOVRIL?!" he chuckled and for some reason he laughed all through making it. He was a very pleasent gentleman though and we had a good chat in broken english about bovril. Pie and a bovril came to ONE POUND FIFTY
The pie was quite nice and I worked out that "normal pie" is what the locals call "Scotch pie". As is common north of the border it mainly consists of mashed up non descript bits of various animals but it was very pleasent, and the bovril was well made
The crowd was about 30 at a guess including a Canadian chap who was staying at the same caravan park as me
Saltcoats were absolutely awful and will likely finish very low down the table. The opposition, however did have 5 or 6 pretty decent players who had some idea- their captain especially read the game very well and could pick a pass and their left back had a great cross on him. The match finished 4-0 to St Peters and was a scoreline that flattered Victoria who barely had a shot on target all game
As you can imagine there were PLENTY of meaty challenges
Cowfold Seagull
Fan of the 17 bus
Lol love it!Last week I took in some excellent West of Scotland League Fourth Division action whilst on holiday in Ayrshire. This is the tenth tier of Scottish football and the game was Saltcoats Victoria vs St Peters.
Entry was £6, I handed over a (Scottish) £10 note to the guy at the gate who barked back "YOUGOTTAPOONDTHERE?". "Pardon" I replied, trying to sound as far away from southern English as possible "APOOND! YOUGOTTAPOOND
Upon entering the ground, which was sandwiched in between a meat factory to the West, a caravan park (where I was staying) to the East and the Ardrossan-Glasgow train line to the south with a golden sandy beach the other side, it's fair to say the view was mixed. The weather was glorious but I imagine in mid winter it's quite grim being quite open and close to the sea.
The ground had a few rows of uncovered terracing behind each goal, a small covered seating stand on one side which had some wooden benches in it and a kind of hollowed out shipping container on the other side to provide some shelter.
The changing rooms and tea bar were both also shipping containers.
I approached the shipping container tea bar as I'd seen someone else buying a pie, and asked what kind of pie it was. An elderly gentleman wearing a three piece suit replied "aye y'know normal. Normal pie"...."ok I'll have one and a bovril please" "BOVRIL?!" he chuckled and for some reason he laughed all through making it. He was a very pleasent gentleman though and we had a good chat in broken english about bovril. Pie and a bovril came to ONE POUND FIFTY
The pie was quite nice and I worked out that "normal pie" is what the locals call "Scotch pie". As is common north of the border it mainly consists of mashed up non descript bits of various animals but it was very pleasent, and the bovril was well made
The crowd was about 30 at a guess including a Canadian chap who was staying at the same caravan park as me
Saltcoats were absolutely awful and will likely finish very low down the table. The opposition, however did have 5 or 6 pretty decent players who had some idea- their captain especially read the game very well and could pick a pass and their left back had a great cross on him. The match finished 4-0 to St Peters and was a scoreline that flattered Victoria who barely had a shot on target all game
As you can imagine there were PLENTY of meaty challenges
Just the sort of place that l would love to visit.
Just noticed that the 1st Round of the Sussex transport Senior Cup has been drawn . A couple of big local derby's in there at Pagham and Shoreham
Pagham vs. Selsey
Shoreham vs. Mile Oak
Peacehaven & Telscombe vs. Eastbourne United Association
Billingshurst vs. AFC Varndeanians
Eastbourne Town vs. Horsham YMCA
Roffey vs. Saltdean United
Seaford Town vs. East Preston
Wick vs. Loxwood
Little Common vs. Worthing United
Steyning Town Community vs. Montpelier Villa
Oakwood vs. Midhurst & Easebourne
Arundel vs. Crowborough Athletic
AFC Uckfield vs. Hassocks
Bexhill United vs. Forest Row
Fixtures are to be played on or before Wednesday 13 September 2023.
Pagham vs. Selsey
Shoreham vs. Mile Oak
Peacehaven & Telscombe vs. Eastbourne United Association
Billingshurst vs. AFC Varndeanians
Eastbourne Town vs. Horsham YMCA
Roffey vs. Saltdean United
Seaford Town vs. East Preston
Wick vs. Loxwood
Little Common vs. Worthing United
Steyning Town Community vs. Montpelier Villa
Oakwood vs. Midhurst & Easebourne
Arundel vs. Crowborough Athletic
AFC Uckfield vs. Hassocks
Bexhill United vs. Forest Row
Fixtures are to be played on or before Wednesday 13 September 2023.
Dick Knights Mumm
Take me Home Falmer Road
At Shooting Field last Saturday for the FA Cup tie between Steyning and Peacehaven. Steyning continued their fine early season form with a deserved 3-0 win over a decent Peacehaven team who were frustrated at their inability to get into the game. Arundel away tonight in the RUR Cup (RUR stands for Royal Ulster Rifles btw). This could be a very interesting season for the Barrowmen.
jackalbion
Well-known member
- Aug 30, 2011
- 4,113
Had a bumper week of non league.
West Essex 0-3 Maldon and Tiptree
Went to an FA Cup replay between West Essex (Step 5) and Maldon & Tiptree (Step 4). The home side ground share at Walthamstow FC, pretty basic facility but does the job. The away side had just sacked Peter Taylor, but were the much stronger side, who should have had more despite only ending the game with 2 late goals in added time. A floodlight failure almost put an end to the game on about the half hour mark, but they were thankfully fixed. A pretty boring game all round.
Rising Ballers Kensington 5-1 Deportivo Galicia
Really at the depths of the Non League pyramid at a step 6 in combined counties division 1. Rising Ballers are an Instagram account who showcase good young players (Tsoungi has featured on their page before), and they’ve entered an academy side into the non league system. Deportivo Galicia are a team for Spanish ex pats living in London and are a bit of a basket case side, with incredibly varying scorelines, losing 7-4 one week and winning 6-1 the next last season. This game was similar in reality Deportivo could have scored more, but some of the rising ballers football was superb and clinical and they eventually ran out the winners and missed a penalty. Another ground share as Rising Ballers share with North Greenford United, and it was a standard affair for this level, with lots of lovely jagged mental hanging around and tin sheds.
Newhaven 1-1 Little Common
Finally on Friday I went down to Newhaven, a game that easily could have ended 4-4. Little common went ahead early in the second half and a Newhaven onslaught started, with three stonewall penalties being turned down (in my opinion, of course). Until last minute of the game, after coming up for a corner, Jake Buss, Newhaven Goalkeeper, curls in a 25 Yard Screamer. I couldn’t believe what I’d just seen, some goal, hope there’s a video.
West Essex 0-3 Maldon and Tiptree
Went to an FA Cup replay between West Essex (Step 5) and Maldon & Tiptree (Step 4). The home side ground share at Walthamstow FC, pretty basic facility but does the job. The away side had just sacked Peter Taylor, but were the much stronger side, who should have had more despite only ending the game with 2 late goals in added time. A floodlight failure almost put an end to the game on about the half hour mark, but they were thankfully fixed. A pretty boring game all round.
Rising Ballers Kensington 5-1 Deportivo Galicia
Really at the depths of the Non League pyramid at a step 6 in combined counties division 1. Rising Ballers are an Instagram account who showcase good young players (Tsoungi has featured on their page before), and they’ve entered an academy side into the non league system. Deportivo Galicia are a team for Spanish ex pats living in London and are a bit of a basket case side, with incredibly varying scorelines, losing 7-4 one week and winning 6-1 the next last season. This game was similar in reality Deportivo could have scored more, but some of the rising ballers football was superb and clinical and they eventually ran out the winners and missed a penalty. Another ground share as Rising Ballers share with North Greenford United, and it was a standard affair for this level, with lots of lovely jagged mental hanging around and tin sheds.
Newhaven 1-1 Little Common
Finally on Friday I went down to Newhaven, a game that easily could have ended 4-4. Little common went ahead early in the second half and a Newhaven onslaught started, with three stonewall penalties being turned down (in my opinion, of course). Until last minute of the game, after coming up for a corner, Jake Buss, Newhaven Goalkeeper, curls in a 25 Yard Screamer. I couldn’t believe what I’d just seen, some goal, hope there’s a video.
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Cowfold Seagull
Fan of the 17 bus
Ridiculously early days l know,. but Steyning are going to be hard to stop in the SCFL this season l think.
That's my gut feeling anyway.
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Cowfold Seagull
Fan of the 17 bus
A busy weekend for us YM'ers down at Gorings Mead, hosting Faversham Town in the Isuzu FA Vase this afternoon, 3pm, then a home SCFL fixture with Pagham on Monday, with a ridiculously early kick off time of 11am.
Anyone interested would be made very welcome, (especially insomniacs for the second fixture).
Anyone interested would be made very welcome, (especially insomniacs for the second fixture).
I will also add some amazing saves in the first half from Jake Buss including the double one. I also couldn’t believe what I had seen with the Newhaven goal.
Nice to meeting you by the way.
keaton
Big heart, hot blood and balls. Big balls
- Nov 18, 2004
- 9,687
Great entertainment at the Dripping Pan but disappointment as we concede a 93rd minute equaliser and draw 2-2 against a very good Hornchurch team. Lots of chances for both teams, one excellent Lewes goal but we seemed to be knackered for the last 10
Whitechapel
Famous Last Words
Very impressive 2-0 win for Worthing away to Dover. A 25 yard screamer from Wheeler early on before a solid defensive display, rounded off by Reece Myles-Meekums finishing it off late on.
Weird Ground; Dover. Turnstiles where you have to enter based on how old you are (saw kids turned away because they were with their parents in the queue for the adult turnstile - not the U-12), £6 for a Kronenburg, can’t drink in view of the pitch & the club house stunk like shit. Take the 3 points and piss off. Top of the league!
Weird Ground; Dover. Turnstiles where you have to enter based on how old you are (saw kids turned away because they were with their parents in the queue for the adult turnstile - not the U-12), £6 for a Kronenburg, can’t drink in view of the pitch & the club house stunk like shit. Take the 3 points and piss off. Top of the league!
jackalbion
Well-known member
- Aug 30, 2011
- 4,113
It’s between you and Hornchurch for the title IMHO
Cowfold Seagull
Fan of the 17 bus
And l thought Withdean was the Theatre Of Trees.
Cowfold Seagull
Fan of the 17 bus
Another very disappointing, and damaging defeat for Horsham YMCA yesterday 4-0 at home to Faversham Town in the FA Vase.
So we bowed out of the FA Cup meekly in the 1st qualifying round, and now the Vase too at the same stage. That only really leaves the Senior Cup, and we have a horrible draw at Eastbourne Town in the 1st round. I don't fancy our chances.
So we bowed out of the FA Cup meekly in the 1st qualifying round, and now the Vase too at the same stage. That only really leaves the Senior Cup, and we have a horrible draw at Eastbourne Town in the 1st round. I don't fancy our chances.
Rock Lobster
Active member
Glorious day at the Pilot Field, decided against the amex this weekend due to the trains. Hastings in complete control for 95% of the game, all 11 players including a young JJ Walker at centre back were absolutely brilliant. Stand out for me was Femi Akinwande who looks a right handful up top and Dom Vose who looks class in the middle.
Bumped into my old mate John Wright who took over as Bexhill manager over the summer, difficult start for them but they've had key players missing and at times playing a back four with an average age of 20. Will try and get to a few of their games this season too.
On another note, a new catering team have taken over at Hastings and the food's looking good, will have to give some a try on Monday...
Bumped into my old mate John Wright who took over as Bexhill manager over the summer, difficult start for them but they've had key players missing and at times playing a back four with an average age of 20. Will try and get to a few of their games this season too.
On another note, a new catering team have taken over at Hastings and the food's looking good, will have to give some a try on Monday...
thedonkeycentrehalf
Retired
- Jul 7, 2003
- 8,684
@jackalbion looking at your pictures, it seems like many non league clubs have (understandably) gone down the artificial turf route. Are there many grass pitches left these days?
Deanbha
Well-known member
Most are still grass pitches. Probably only 10% are artificial.
Deanbha
Well-known member
Local game tomorrow. 11am Worthing utd v Mile Oak. Get on down