Got something to say or just want fewer pesky ads? Join us... 😊

[Football] The Non-League Football Thread- 2022/23 Edition



Lenny Rider

Well-known member
Sep 15, 2010
6,021
Dorking win 3-2 against Torquay, looking like an uphill battle for them now, the squad just isn't good enough. Dreadful refereeing on show in the national league though with a bizarre red card for Torquay. Dorking's away end however is just not fit for purpose in that league, you literally cannot see the pitch.
Why have Torquay fallen so far?

Just a string of bad managers/results or are there problems with the owners?

I see Southend might pack up altogether next week.
 




Dick Knights Mumm

Take me Home Falmer Road
Jul 5, 2003
19,736
Hither and Thither
Woking v Bromley. 2-1 to the Cards. Enjoyable game. Cards gifted a goal to Bromley and scored twice in quick succession just before half time. Cards striker sent off after an out of control challenge on the keeper who rushed out - followed by at least ten rolls by the keeper to make sure the ref got the message. Woking held on. It's unlikely - but is this the season ?
 


Dick Knights Mumm

Take me Home Falmer Road
Jul 5, 2003
19,736
Hither and Thither
Crowborough 4-1 Saltdean

Scrappy game. Crowborough raced to a 3 nil lead before half time that probably was more down to how bad Saltdean were at the back rather than how good Crowborough were. Second half was very drab both teams cancelled each other out. Saltdean did get a consolation with about 10 minutes to go but it didn't setup a grandstand finish. Crowborough restored their 3 goal advantage in stoppage time.

Big match next Tuesday ......... Steyning away at Crowborough in the Peter Bentley Cup. Steyning will be hoping for a better showing this time.
 


jackalbion

Well-known member
Aug 30, 2011
4,943
Why have Torquay fallen so far?

Just a string of bad managers/results or are there problems with the owners?

I see Southend might pack up altogether next week.
They had a series of bad owners, but then had a lottery winner take over the club just pumping money in. That then run out, so they fell and had a dreadful season where players weren't getting paid etc, and got relegated to National League South. Then after promotion back to the national league they had a few decent seasons in the National League culminating with a play off final in 2021, where some dreadful refereeing meant they lost out on promotion the football league. The team got slowly picked apart or got too old over the next two seasons. Armani Little and Lemonhaigh Evans went to the football league and Dean Moxey and Asa Hall are now in their late to mid thirties. The biggest problem is that the league has just got too difficult at this point and they've recruited poorly. So much money is banded around the conference this season with Wrexham, Notts County and Chesterfield that attempting to compete at the top end is near on impossible if you want to be sustainable. Down the bottom as well Oldham are throwing money at a huge squad to stay up, which isn't working that well anyway. Players ultimately though are also reluctant to head to the west country to play. This season the squad is just too poor despite some decent ish additions recently, couple that with an old school manager who's tactics are getting found out and is trying nothing new as well as some poor refereeing, its starting to look like the dreadful away end at Dorking will be a weekly occurrence soon.

Funnily enough my old uni flatmate is a Southend fan, he says they have a winding up petition on a weekly basis, their owner is just a crook with a massive ego, who is obviously making money out of them someway so won't let go of the club. A long campaign there I think to finally get him gone. I think similarly to Torquay they've realised they're at this niche where they know they don't have to put money in to not go down, but know that the fans will always turn up, I wouldn't be surprised to see them in the NLS as well in the next 5 or so years, I think when you get down to conference level you start to see that football does need a big fiscal reset.
 


Cowfold Seagull

Fan of the 17 bus
Apr 22, 2009
22,119
Cowfold
Dorking win 3-2 against Torquay, looking like an uphill battle for them now, the squad just isn't good enough. Dreadful refereeing on show in the national league though with a bizarre red card for Torquay. Dorking's away end however is just not fit for purpose in that league, you literally cannot see the pitch.
Talking of poor refereeing . . .

I had the "pleasure" of being at Gorings Mead last night to witness YM's 1-1 draw with Eastbourne United. A totally forgetable game if it wasn't for the mass brawl as the players were leaving the pitch at half time, one of the Eastbourne coaching staff made a comment which resulted in both benches and several players squaring up to one another and one or two punches being thrown.

Myself and another committee member tried to apologise to the refree about it, to which he replied "what incident? l didn't see anything" He must have been completely blind and deaf to have missed it!

Moreover even the referees assessor who was seated in the main stand also claimed not to have seen it. Whilst it's difficult not to have any sympathy with the referee, a young lad we have seen before at Gorings Mead, he is barely out of his teens, and seemingly afraid of making any kind of controversial decision, last night's performance was verging on farcical. The standard of officiating that we are seeing in the SCFL this season has dropped markedly from previously.
 




Roadrunner

Well-known member
Oct 2, 2003
609
Littlehampton
Just back from The Sportsfield, where a young Albion side won through 3-0 against Littlehampton in the Senior Cup. Feared the worst for LA when Albion scored after about 90 seconds but, to be fair, they more than held their own for the rest of the first half and should really have levelled (hit the bar and missed a one-on-one) before Albion got their second. Littlehampton then had a penalty saved just after half time, but Albion missed a few good chances as LA tired, before finally killing the game off with a third about ten minutes from time. A competitive game in front of a healthy crowd, really enjoyed it.
 


jackalbion

Well-known member
Aug 30, 2011
4,943
Just back from The Sportsfield, where a young Albion side won through 3-0 against Littlehampton in the Senior Cup. Feared the worst for LA when Albion scored after about 90 seconds but, to be fair, they more than held their own for the rest of the first half and should really have levelled (hit the bar and missed a one-on-one) before Albion got their second. Littlehampton then had a penalty saved just after half time, but Albion missed a few good chances as LA tired, before finally killing the game off with a third about ten minutes from time. A competitive game in front of a healthy crowd, really enjoyed it.
Good competitive game, decent crowd as well. Should harden some of the 23s up as well. Terrible LA challenge though late on, should’ve had a red. Did a lot better than I expected though Littlehampton.
 


Deleted member 37369

Well-known member
Aug 21, 2018
1,994
Superb goal from Ollie Pearce! What a way to score your 100th goal for your club!

A mate introduced me to Worthing early last season and I've been going whenever I can since. Last night was my 14th game of the season at Woodside Road as matches have fitted in really well with when I'm not seeing Brighton play. Have been to a couple of away games with Worthing too this season. Hungerford next on Saturday.
Ollie Pearce’s 100th goal 👏

 




Arthur

Well-known member
Jul 8, 2003
8,762
Buxted Harbour
The standard of officiating that we are seeing in the SCFL this season has dropped markedly from previously.
Having spent the last however many years watching the SCEFL league I've been very surprised at the standard of officials in SCFL this season. Don't get me wrong we (Crowborough) had some bad ones in SCEFL but it was the exception not the rule which seems to be the opposite in SCFL.

The SCFL teams all seem to be the same. A young-ish reasonably fit chap in the middle. Linesman A older than the sun. Linesman B fatter than me.

The worst chap we've had this season got promoted the following week so christ knows what the assessors watching as well.
 


Tim Over Whelmed

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Jul 24, 2007
10,659
Arundel
Tiny team Arundel U18s have made it to the last eight of the U18s County Cup and face the mighty Whitehawk U18s at Mill Rd on Sunday
 


carlzeiss

Well-known member
May 19, 2009
6,237
Amazonia

On 15th December 2022 Hastings Council agreed to task the Chief Executive to report back to Cabinet with a comprehensive report on Tilekiln relocation.

We are disappointed that, despite numerous chasers, no communication or meaningful dialogue has been had with the Club regarding the content of this report.

The next Cabinet meeting is 6th March; however, a report cannot be guaranteed for that meeting. The next Cabinet meeting is scheduled for 3rd April and Full Council meets on 26th April 2023.

In the past week we wrote to Hastings Borough Council to ask for their confirmation that the Report will be finished and presented to either Cabinet or Full Council by 26th April at the very latest, which we consider to be perfectly achievable.

Yesterday we received a reply confirming the draft report has been prepared and we will be contacted to go through the report prior to it been issued to the Full Council in April.

As we have now been given the assurance that this is the case, we can confirm that we will not relocate away from The Pilot Field for the 2023/24 season.

To remain at the Pilot Field and achieve the required grading for another season will require significant expenditure and maintenance upkeep and the likelihood is that this will have a significant impact on the operations within the club; but listening to many of our supporters, the preference appears to be to stay at The Pilot Field until the new Stadium relocation.

We also must find a solution to where all the Men’s, Boys and Girl’s Academy, Youth and Disability teams can play next season bearing in mind the current lack of pitches within the Borough.

The Club will also postpone the litigation case against the Council until the April’s Full Cabinet Committee date to allow Hastings Council to decide on the Tilekiln relocation.

We also wish to place on record our thanks Eastbourne Borough FC for their continued assistance.

We continue to be grateful to the Club’s supporters through these challenging times and will issue further updates when possible.
 




jackalbion

Well-known member
Aug 30, 2011
4,943

On 15th December 2022 Hastings Council agreed to task the Chief Executive to report back to Cabinet with a comprehensive report on Tilekiln relocation.

We are disappointed that, despite numerous chasers, no communication or meaningful dialogue has been had with the Club regarding the content of this report.

The next Cabinet meeting is 6th March; however, a report cannot be guaranteed for that meeting. The next Cabinet meeting is scheduled for 3rd April and Full Council meets on 26th April 2023.

In the past week we wrote to Hastings Borough Council to ask for their confirmation that the Report will be finished and presented to either Cabinet or Full Council by 26th April at the very latest, which we consider to be perfectly achievable.

Yesterday we received a reply confirming the draft report has been prepared and we will be contacted to go through the report prior to it been issued to the Full Council in April.

As we have now been given the assurance that this is the case, we can confirm that we will not relocate away from The Pilot Field for the 2023/24 season.

To remain at the Pilot Field and achieve the required grading for another season will require significant expenditure and maintenance upkeep and the likelihood is that this will have a significant impact on the operations within the club; but listening to many of our supporters, the preference appears to be to stay at The Pilot Field until the new Stadium relocation.

We also must find a solution to where all the Men’s, Boys and Girl’s Academy, Youth and Disability teams can play next season bearing in mind the current lack of pitches within the Borough.

The Club will also postpone the litigation case against the Council until the April’s Full Cabinet Committee date to allow Hastings Council to decide on the Tilekiln relocation.

We also wish to place on record our thanks Eastbourne Borough FC for their continued assistance.

We continue to be grateful to the Club’s supporters through these challenging times and will issue further updates when possible.
Hastings staying for another season then? Purely for Selfish hopping reason it means I can go to Maidenhead v Torquay instead.
 


MattBackHome

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2003
11,878
Mental busy on the train, I'm assuming everyone on here is heading to the Pan as well to watch the Rooks prey on Rickay
 






keaton

Big heart, hot blood and balls. Big balls
Nov 18, 2004
9,975
A decent open match at Lewes ended 1-1 in front of 926
Didn't really show up in the second half until Razz came on. And the standard of reffing had been very good this season but the last few Lewes have had have been dreadful
 


The Lemming Stomper

Under the flag
Apr 1, 2007
2,741
Saltdean
From the tellybox but just watched a brilliant National League match Notts C v Daggers...

1-2 with the Tommy Johnsonite injury fakers all over Daggers who then broke away to score the winner with a worldie...

Said to my mate I recognise the Daggers manager from somewhere turns out to be Lord Steve Gritt !
 


Albion in the north

Well-known member
Jul 13, 2012
1,557
Ooop North
Been to West Didsbury V Wythenshawe in the North West Counties premier League today. WD play some decent football playing out from the back but it all goes a bit wrong from the midfield up and reverting to long balls. Decent enough ref although bottled a red card, for a high foot, after having previously booked the player for talking back to him. The few games Ive seen recently Ive actually been very impressed with the standard of refereeing considering that some of the refs have been pretty young.
 


MattBackHome

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2003
11,878
Didn't really show up in the second half until Razz came on. And the standard of reffing had been very good this season but the last few Lewes have had have been dreadful
Yep, ref was poor today. The new left back looked good, but it's another disappointing draw IMO.
 






Sirnormangall

Well-known member
Sep 21, 2017
3,186
Went to Saltdean v Hassocks today. The visitors were worthy 2-0 winners. Saltdean rarely threatened but probably have enough to stay up.
 


Albion and Premier League latest from Sky Sports


Top
Link Here