The Non - League thread

[Sutekh]

Both BBC and Sky reporting the Alvechurch are the lowest ranked team in the competition, despite being one of seven clubs in the draw from that level.

I'm guessing that they haven't realised that the Southern League Central Premier isn't a division below the "Southern League Premier."

South Shields are 10th (equal 148th in the country overall) in the Northern Premier League
Alvechurch are 19th (equal 157th in the country overall) in the Southern Premier League Central
Needham Market are 8th (equal 146th in the country overall) in the Southern Premier League Central
Coalville Town are 5th (equal 143rd in the country overall) in the Southern Premier League Central
Merthyr Town are 11th (equal 149th in the country overall) in the Southern Premier League South
Bracknell Town are 15th (equal 153rd in the country overall) in the Southern League Premier South
Hendon are 22nd (equal 160th in the country overall) in the Southern Premier League South

Therefore Hendon (replaying at Chippenham on Tuesday) are technically the current “lowest ranked” side remaining in the FA Cup but to be honest the lowest ranked are equally the 7 clubs above as league position means naff all particularly when those who’ve made it through are likely to have a couple of games in hand on teams around them due to their ongoing participation in the competition.

[Sutekh]

Hope the Bracknell game is a TV game though obviously can’t see anything other than the expected “tonking” for the home team as the outcome. At least there’d be a better financial reward than sharing the rather paltry gate receipts. Capacity is only 1900 at Bottom Meadow I think. At least the ground is not hemmed in so plenty of room for camera positions etc.

[Sutekh]

Trouble going on at Bracknell.

Bracknell Town have issued a statement concerning Saturday’s win over Banbury:

On a day that should have been great for our club and fans: "Unfortunately, a small number of Banbury United fans deemed it acceptable to hurl racial slurs at our players and staff, which we find extremely disturbing and offensive.

This language and conduct has no place in our sport or society and must be eliminated. We will coordinate with the police and the FA to identify each individual supporter behind the goal”

In addition the police are investigating a report of a female member of Bracknell’s matchday staff being spat at in the face.

Banbury United’s board of directors congratulated Bracknell on their deserved win and have stated they are awaiting official corespondence from Bracknell and the FA over the matter. They’ve apologised to Bracknell for the incidents and have confirmed they will take action against those identified as the perpetrators.

Do Banbury fabs have a reputation for this sort of thing? Did anyone on this board go to the game and see/hear or experience these incidents?

[Royals and Racers]

Hope the Bracknell game is a TV game though obviously can’t see anything other than the expected “tonking” for the home team as the outcome. At least there’d be a better financial reward than sharing the rather paltry gate receipts. Capacity is only 1900 at Bottom Meadow I think. At least the ground is not hemmed in so plenty of room for camera positions etc.

I have seen 2500 quoted as capacity. Maybe a temporary stand behind the bottom goal might be considered.

[Sutekh]

Hope the Bracknell game is a TV game though obviously can’t see anything other than the expected “tonking” for the home team as the outcome. At least there’d be a better financial reward than sharing the rather paltry gate receipts. Capacity is only 1900 at Bottom Meadow I think. At least the ground is not hemmed in so plenty of room for camera positions etc.

I have seen 2500 quoted as capacity. Maybe a temporary stand behind the bottom goal might be considered.

How many will be allowed into the ground will apparently be decided after discussions with the police. There is also very limited parking at the venue which is accessed by a small path off Yorktown Road plus only a small amount of seating though there maybe space to bring in some temporary seats as suggested in the post above.

In addition some places will be lost owing to increased media presence and the need for segregation.

[AthleticoSpizz]

As already alluded to, the SCL would be a decent alternative venue.

Plenty of RFC partisans (self included) to swell the numbers, plenty of ‘away end’ capacity to accommodate the Tra’ahboys.

Financially?, Portman Road

[RG30]

Bracknell owner was on Talksport Drive yesterday and gave a good interview;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h16T516RYkI

[Sutekh]

Bracknell owner was on Talksport Drive yesterday and gave a good interview;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h16T516RYkI

Brilliant. Great from TalkSport, well worth a listen. Suggestion they may present the Drive program from Bottom Meadow on the day as ITV4 are thinking of showing the game live on Monday 7 November. Absolutely nothing confirmed as yet though and all might still fall through.

Be brilliant if that did happen, Kayne Steinborn-Busse (Bracknell chairman/owner - and doesn’t his wife or daughter also own Sandhurst Town?) also advised that Bracknell have a safety audit this week when the ground capacity for the game will be determined (maybe 2500?). The club could make a year’s turnover on the back of this one game.

Not sure what the previous attendance record is for Bracknell at Larges Lane (seem to remember a couple of thousand there for Barnet in the cup around 20 years ago) - the record as far as I know for Bottom Meadow was around 2400 for Sandhurst v Afc Wimbledon 20 years or so ago

Presume the record crowd Bracknell have ever played in front of is the attendance they had at Lincoln City in November 2000? Anyone confirm?

[Four Of Clubs]

Not sure what the previous attendance record is for Bracknell at Larges Lane (seem to remember a couple of thousand there for Barnet in the cup around 20 years ago) - the record as far as I know for Bottom Meadow was around 2400 for Sandhurst v Afc Wimbledon 20 years or so ago

Presume the record crowd Bracknell have played in front of is the attendance they had at Lincoln City in November 2000? Anyone confirm?

Expect a lot of these questions will get answered in some way by various media outlets but as the (debatably) resident NL font/fount (or some similar term? ) ... I've looked up a few things for the above in the trad. sources and uncovered:

Sat 18th Nov 2000 - Crowd v Lincoln City at Sincil Bank was 2,387

NL Directory cut carrying the Ground Attendance records a few years back and I stopped getting them as Xmas pressies in 2018 so maybe Google would be preferable but attempting some completeness of research at least - the entries I have found amongst those musty tomes are as follows -

Bracknell Larges Lane - record Attendance 2,500 - FA Amateur Cup [1971] H v Newquay (backed up by Wiki)
Sandhurst Bottom Meadow - record Attendance 2,449 - Combined Counties [17/08/2002] H v AFC Wimbledon

...will check more recent crowd levels for 'Robins' e.g. since re-joining the IL/SL from 2018/19 - and perhaps back in the 00s before that....

(didn't take long ) no home crowds close to four figures since they came back up out of the Hellenic 18/19 - not even sure they topped 500 during that period other than a 700 plus in their championship winning season 21/22?

[Sutekh]

Not sure what the previous attendance record is for Bracknell at Larges Lane (seem to remember a couple of thousand there for Barnet in the cup around 20 years ago) - the record as far as I know for Bottom Meadow was around 2400 for Sandhurst v Afc Wimbledon 20 years or so ago

Presume the record crowd Bracknell have played in front of is the attendance they had at Lincoln City in November 2000? Anyone confirm?

Expect a lot of these questions will get answered in some way by various media outlets but as the (debatably) resident NL font/fount (or some similar term? ) ... I've looked up a few things for the above in the trad. sources and uncovered:

Sat 18th Nov 2000 - Crowd v Lincoln City at Sincil Bank was 2,387

NL Directory cut carrying the Ground Attendance records a few years back and I stopped getting them as Xmas pressies in 2018 so maybe Google would be preferable but attempting some completeness of research at least - the entries I have found amongst those musty tomes are as follows -

Bracknell Larges Lane - record Attendance 2,500 - FA Amateur Cup [1971] H v Newquay (backed up by Wiki)
Sandhurst Bottom Meadow - record Attendance 2,449 - Combined Counties [17/08/2002] H v AFC Wimbledon

...will have a check later on more recent crowd levels for 'Robins' since re-joining the IL/SL from 2018.

Lovely, so quick too - thanks FoC!

[Four Of Clubs]

Lovely, so quick too - thanks FoC!

...I'm not working this week - idle hands and all that ...

...the 721 crowd was a Boxing Day fixture vs Binfield last December by the way - Basingstoke got a few more than that on the same day
(vs Thatcham.)

... Barnet Cup game of 25th Oct 2003 mentioned above - was estimated @ c. 1,500 spectators (found that buried away in the FiB site)
... might have to dig out the NLD for that season to see if there's an official figure recorded ...

... - was only 1069 apparently?

[Royals and Racers]

Lovely, so quick too - thanks FoC!

...I'm not working this week - idle hands and all that ...

...the 721 crowd was a Boxing Day fixture vs Binfield last December by the way - Basingstoke got a few more than that on the same day
(vs Thatcham.)

... Barnet Cup game of 25th Oct 2003 mentioned above - was estimated @ c. 1,500 spectators (found that buried away in the FiB site)
... might have to dig out the NLD for that season to see if there's an official figure recorded ...

... - was only 1069 apparently?

Sorry to be pedantic could we say Bracknell v Binfield was a Christmas fixture It was on Monday December 27th- i know that because i was there after watching Holyport v Hanworth Villa in the morning

[Four Of Clubs]

...the 721 crowd was a Boxing Day fixture vs Binfield last December by the way - Basingstoke got a few more than that on the same

Sorry to be pedantic could we say Bracknell v Binfield was a Christmas fixture It was on Monday December 27th- i know that because i was there after watching Holyport v Hanworth Villa in the morning

...don't want to get into a Pendant waggling contest but TECHNICALLY Mon 27th Dec 2021 WAS a Boxing Day B/Hol cos the 26th fell on the Sunday. : and ...no wish to upset the traditionalists either ?

.... and for the record : that day I got to Sheerwater v Banstead (Abandoned) c. 60' in the morning - when the visitors ran out of players a la Colin - and had time to nip down to Ash v Whitchurch in the Wessex League at 14:00.

....and must've been touch and go for you over at at Summerleaze with all that rain about - though perhaps it was all further east - as I recall now that I had originally intended going to a double in Sussex but they got rained off .....

[Royals and Racers]

...the 721 crowd was a Boxing Day fixture vs Binfield last December by the way - Basingstoke got a few more than that on the same

Sorry to be pedantic could we say Bracknell v Binfield was a Christmas fixture It was on Monday December 27th- i know that because i was there after watching Holyport v Hanworth Villa in the morning

...don't want to get into a Pendant waggling contest but TECHNICALLY Mon 27th Dec 2021 WAS a Boxing Day B/Hol cos the 26th fell on the Sunday. : and ...no wish to upset the traditionalists either ?

.... and for the record : that day I got to Sheerwater v Banstead (Abandoned) c. 60' in the morning - when the visitors ran out of players a la Colin - and had time to nip down to Ash v Whitchurch in the Wessex League at 14:00.

....and must've been touch and go for you over at at Summerleaze with all that rain about - though perhaps it was all further east - as I recall now that I had originally intended going to a double in Sussex but they got rained off .....

2021
27 December (Monday) - Christmas Day (substitute day)

28 December (Tuesday) - Boxing Day (substitute day)
It was wet at Holyport- i diverted after Binfield was called off early in the morning. That was the match Paul Merson was at watching his boys play.

[Four Of Clubs]

..OK - I'd have been right the year before then?
- drifting off the NL topic a bit - but I've just noticed that the logic around 'naming' these substitute days is a tad twisted for this year?

2022
26 December Monday Boxing Day
27 December Tuesday Christmas Day (substitute day)

....sure they never bothered will all this 'pokery' in bygone years?

[tmesis]

... Barnet Cup game of 25th Oct 2003 mentioned above - was estimated @ c. 1,500 spectators (found that buried away in the FiB site)
... might have to dig out the NLD for that season to see if there's an official figure recorded ...

... - was only 1069 apparently?

I was there, and it wasn't exactly packed, so 1069 seems right.

There was a crowd of about 1450 when Aldershot played there in their first season after reforming, but it wouldn't surprise me if there were considerably more than that in the ground on that day. There seemed to be far more than the Barnet game.

There seem to be a fair few complaints about ticket prices - £25. I can see it not being a sell out at that price, especially with it being on TV. Monday night is also a crap slot for a live game.

The chairman came out with the strange reasoning that Bracknell have to put the Ipswich team up at a hotel for the night. Why would they have to do that? (and that's ignoring the fact that there's no reason why Ipswich couldn't just go straight home after the game)

[Sutekh]

The chairman came out with the strange reasoning that Bracknell have to put the Ipswich team up at a hotel for the night. Why would they have to do that? (and that's ignoring the fact that there's no reason why Ipswich couldn't just go straight home after the game)

That can’t be right, how would a home team be liable for away team costs in the FA Cup - even if there was some weird rule owing to the change in ko then surely that would become the responsibility of the TV company to pick up the tab?

[The Real Sandhurst Royal]

Date and Ticket news confirmed for the Bracknell Town v Ipswich Town FA cup tie.

https://www.bracknellnews.co.uk/news/23063408.ipswich-town-travel-bracknell-town-tickets-date-confirmed/

[Four Of Clubs]

NL fixtures for this w/e:

Saturday 22nd October

FA Vase First Round
44 Tring Athletic v Aylesbury Vale Dynamos
61 Eastbourne Town v Brook House
62 Crowborough Athletic v Eversley & California
63 Rising Ballers Kensington v Harefield United
64 Lydd Town v Holyport
65 Peacehaven & Telscombe v Horley Town
66 Fleet Town v Colliers Wood United
67 Chessington & Hook United v Berks County
68 Larkfield & New Hythe v Edgware & Kingsbury
70 Jersey Bulls v Bearsted
71 Bedfont v Redhill
73 Rayners Lane v Cowes Sports
74 British Airways v Abbey Rangers - (at Abbey Rangers)
75 Whitchurch United v Broadbridge Heath
77 Tadley Calleva v Guildford City
79 London Samurai Rovers v Wallingford & Crowmarsh
80 Newport (IoW) v Ascot United - overseas trip for 'Yellamen' - who won 2-1 v Spelthorne on Tue evening - to move level on points with the leaders of CCL-PN (Lions and Burnham) and with 2 games in hand.
84 Frimley Green v North Greenford United
86 Little Common v Milton United - long trip for Milton down to a suburb of Bexhill
87 Street v Andover New Street
101 Bridport v Royal Wootton Bassett Town

League
NAT
Aldershot Town v York City
Barnet v Maidenhead United
Dorking Wanderers v Wealdstone
Gateshead v Woking
Solihull Moors v Eastleigh
17:20 Torquay United v Altrincham
NATN
Brackley Town v Buxton
Spennymoor Town v Banbury United
NATS
Dover Athletic v Farnborough
Dulwich Hamlet v Hungerford Town
Havant & Waterlooville v Oxford City
Slough Town v Weymouth

SLP-C
Kings Langley v Alvechurch
SLP-S
Beaconsfield Town v Tiverton Town
Bracknell Town v North Leigh - 'Robins' shared 4 goals with H&Y on Tue night - att 429
Chesham United v Poole Town - 'Generals' upset 2nd placed W-s-M on their own patch this week with an impressive 3-1 win.
Hartley Wintney v Yate Town
- nipped down to the Memorial Fields on Tuesday and saw 'The Row' grab a vital three points with a close fought 1-0 win over North Leigh on Tuesday - over 300 there too

Hayes & Yeading United v Truro City
Swindon Supermarine v Winchester City - Winch get a 3-3 draw at Yate on Tue - 'marine' move 6th with a comeback win on Wed over Harrow B.
Weston-super-Mare v Hanwell Town
SL1-C
Biggleswade Town v Kidlington
14:00 Didcot Town v Biggleswade Diddy up into the PO spots with a late 92' winner at Aylesbury in midweek.
- not too sure if the changed KO time is part of their expressed intention to start earlier - they had written an 'open letter' to the Southern League late last month, requesting immediate dispension to do so for energy saving purposes?

At present, Didcot Town FC’s energy bill is circa £1,250 pcm, but given the anticipated increase, this would rise to circa £5,450 pcm!

Highworth Town v Harlow Town
Walthamstow v Aylesbury United
Welwyn Garden City v Thame United

IL1-SC
Binfield v Walton & Hersham
Chertsey Town v Ashford Town (Middx)
Chipstead v Guernsey
Marlow v Bedfont Sports
Merstham v Leatherhead
Northwood v Thatcham Town
Southall v Hanworth Villa
Uxbridge v Basingstoke Town
Westfield v South Park

CCL-PN
Chalfont St Peter v Broadfields United
Hilltop v Flackwell Heath @ Hillingdon
London Lions v Egham Town
Spelthorne Sports v Reading City
Wembley v Wokingham & Emmbrook
CCL-PS
Alton v Raynes Park Vale
Badshot Lea v Balham
Banstead Athletic v Knaphill
Farnham Town v Sheerwater
CCL-1
AFC Aldermaston v Spartans Youth @ Thatcham
Bagshot v Molesey @ Camberley
FC Deportivo Galicia v Hillingdon Borough @ Bedfont Sports
Penn & Tylers Green v Cove
Westside v Sandhurst Town @ CWU
Woodley United v Langley @ Rivermoor

HELL- P
Wantage Town v Malvern Town
HELL-1
Moreton Rangers v Abingdon United

SSM-P
Cockfosters v Risborough Rangers
SSM-1
Burton Park Wanderers v Amersham Town
Thame United Reserves v Raunds Town
Winslow United v Holmer Green

WESS-P
Brockenhurst v Alresford Town
WESS-1
Fawley AFC v Ash United
Millbrook v Andover Town
New Milton Town v Petersfield Town
Totton & Eling v Fleet Spurs

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
.... and in other news: not too far away down the M4, Bitton (Bristol) have resigned from the Toolsation Western Premier League with immediate effect - the dreaded 'record expunged' comes into play. They were bottom on 4 points from 11 games.
Ironically perhaps, their first and only league win this term was last Tue week (11/10) 3-1 away at Welton. A few NL observers cite too many clubs in too small an area to be sustainable. There are about half-a-doz. within just a few miles of each other in that part of SE Brizzle.

[Sutekh]

Date and Ticket news confirmed for the Bracknell Town v Ipswich Town FA cup tie.

https://www.bracknellnews.co.uk/news/23063408.ipswich-town-travel-bracknell-town-tickets-date-confirmed/

The mystery remains, why on earth are a non league club having to pay for putting a league club up in a hotel? I could understand if it was a friendly or something but not for the premier domestic cup competition organised by the FA. Is it standard practice - are Torquay paying for a hotel for Derby and South Shields for Forest Green? Did Kidderminster pay any Reading hotel fees last year?

The high pricing of £25 reflects having to cover both the above mystery and increased policing and stewarding.