[Football] The Non-League Football Thread- 2023/24 Edition

[BN41Albion]

View attachment 181902
Well that’s the end of that chapter

Good to hear. What a bunch of bell-ends!

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

Thought it was at Wick?

Yep. My confusion ........ 7.45pm tonight at Wick FC. Steyning Town v Midhurst and Easebourne. Peter Bentley semi-final. Crowborough are the other finalists. Up the Barrowmen!

Wick Ultras will not be in attendance.

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

Yep. My confusion ........ 7.45pm tonight at Wick FC. Steyning Town v Midhurst and Easebourne. Peter Bentley semi-final. Crowborough are the other finalists. Up the Barrowmen!

Wick Ultras will not be in attendance.

Past their bedtimes, it's a schoolday tomorrow.

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

Have to start to raise questions. They just miss out every year. No bottle?

Or maybe the club simply don't want promotion? l know of other clubs in the SCFL where that is the case.

 

[Nicks]

I was going to say, in my generation lads from Wick were Albion through and through.

We certainly were and still are although mostly the wrong side of 60 now sadly.

 

[Nicks]

Salisbury won promotion yesterday to National league South beating Totton on penalties.

 

[stewart12]

Yep. My confusion ........ 7.45pm tonight at Wick FC. Steyning Town v Midhurst and Easebourne. Peter Bentley semi-final. Crowborough are the other finalists. Up the Barrowmen!

Wick Ultras will not be in attendance.

anyone know where the Peter Bentley cup final is likely to be? Could do with ticking another ground off before the season ends!

 

[Commander]

Or maybe the club simply don't want promotion? l know of other clubs in the SCFL where that is the case.

Cost a lot more money if you go up a level annd want to be competitive. Apparently Hassocks had no intention of getting promoted this year. And if you finish top or win the play-offs and refuse to go up then you can get hit with heavy sanctions by the Sussex FA. Makes a bit of a mockery of it all really.

 

[stewart12]

According to my mate, who went to watch them a few days ago, it said in the programme he was given that they are moving to East Grinstead next season.

ah great thank you

 

[Arthur]

anyone know where the Peter Bentley cup final is likely to be? Could do with ticking another ground off before the season ends!

No idea is the short answer but I would guess Haywards Heath would be a good shout if it's Midhurst. If it's Steyning then who knows. Lewes would probably be a good middle ground but I doubt the Sussex FA would want to pay what Lewes would want for hire or even if they can use a ground out of the league. So possibly Haywards Heath again??

 

[stewart12]

Three Bridges 0-5 Chichester City



A truly bumper crowd in North Sussex. A real fever pitch atmosphere. It’s a decent ground, one of the better Isthmian South East grounds in Sussex I’d say. Two new-ish seated stands and plenty of standing space. Clubhouse seemed decent as well. The game was ridiculous, especially considering Three Bridges were at home AND finished higher in the league. City just completely did a number on them, going 1-0 up almost immediately from kick off and just didn’t give them anything beyond that. It's the second time I’ve seen Three Bridges this season and both times they’ve been absolutely thrashed, for their sake it’s lucky that I’ve now been to all of the Isthmian South East grounds in Sussex so I won’t be seeing them again! Dorking manager/owner Marc White was in attendance, standing with Steve King, maybe he was having a look at the brilliant Issac Bello of Chichester. Also stood next to Dean Cox for a bit so it really was a star studded event.



Eastbourne Town 2-0 Newhaven

I have been to this ground before and it’s a funny one isn’t it? It’s all quite old and does have a lot of character. Fantastic setting with the beautiful town hall looming ominously over it on one side and a great view of the hills on the other. Standing on 3 sides including a covered section along one side and a seated stand stretching the length of one side behind the goal. It’s part of a larger sporting COMPLEX with a cricket ground, bowls club and hockey pitch. The clubhouse, which had outrageous queues is definitely more belonging to the cricket/hockey clubs and there’s almost no mention of the football club at all, which is a shame. Decent beers on offer though. The game was very tense and scrappy and that seemed to impact on the atmosphere which was a tad flat considering the large crowd. Newhaven were probably the better team for the first 75-80 minutes but just couldn’t seem to create enough clear cut chances. The home side clicked into gear and started creating some great chances, and missed two absolute sitters before finally breaking the deadlock late on and got a second almost immediately after.

 

[Krafty]

anyone know where the Peter Bentley cup final is likely to be? Could do with ticking another ground off before the season ends!

Not sure but the last final was held at Hassocks FC, so that would be my guess.

 

[Commander]

No idea is the short answer but I would guess Haywards Heath would be a good shout if it's Midhurst. If it's Steyning then who knows. Lewes would probably be a good middle ground but I doubt the Sussex FA would want to pay what Lewes would want for hire or even if they can use a ground out of the league. So possibly Haywards Heath again??

Would he surprised if HH allowed that after being booted out the competition in the semi finals.

 

[Change at Barnham]

Non-League Matters website are beginning to discuss next season's leagues.
Their projected Isthmian Premier Division is as follows:-

Billericay
Bognor Regis*
Bowers and Pitsea
Canvey Island
Carshalton
Chatham
Cheshunt
Chichester City*
Cray Wanderers
Cray Valley Paper Mills
Dartford
Dover
Dulwich Hamlet
Folkestone Invicta
Hastag Utd
Hastings Utd*
Hendon
Horsham*
Lewes*
Potters Bar
Whitehawk*
Wingate and Finchley

Bowers & Pitsea, Chichester and Cray Valley all being promoted.
Dartford and Dover relegated from NLS, whilst Hendon are moved sideways from the Southern League.

*This would mean 10 all-Sussex clashes for each of our Sussex clubs.

 

[S.T.U cgull]

Cost a lot more money if you go up a level annd want to be competitive. Apparently Hassocks had no intention of getting promoted this year. And if you finish top or win the play-offs and refuse to go up then you can get hit with heavy sanctions by the Sussex FA. Makes a bit of a mockery of it all really.

Tough ask of a club with minimal income and thus bootmoney only to have players travelling to SE London / North Kent on a regular basis for away games if you go up. Superb effort from Hassocks to reach the play-off positions, and to fend off countless approaches from other teams for their players in the process.

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

Horsham v Hastings, Sussex Senior Cup Final tomorrow (Wednesday) at The Amex.

Should be a decent crowd.

After missing out on promotion on penalties in the Play-offs last week, can Horsham bounce back and finish the season on a high?

 

[Peacehaven Wild Kids]

Tough ask of a club with minimal income and thus bootmoney only to have players travelling to SE London / North Kent on a regular basis for away games if you go up. Superb effort from Hassocks to reach the play-off positions, and to fend off countless approaches from other teams for their players in the process.

When Peacehaven were being run by a couple of dreamers the Isthmian outlay was incredible. £20,000 for seats we didn’t need, £18k for a stand we didn’t need £1800 for a retractable tunnel which we improvised with a tarpaulin and a scaffold, relegation back to the County was a relief. This was an era we had a whip round for a new dust pan and brush.
The club are financially sound now and a little bit more prepared should they be promoted, however no one seems to be knocking their pipe out to achieve this

 

[Arthur]

Would he surprised if HH allowed that after being booted out the competition in the semi finals.

Fair point.

Guess we'll probably find out tomorrow. Hassocks would be also be a good shout if it's Steyning.

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

When Peacehaven were being run by a couple of dreamers the Isthmian outlay was incredible. £20,000 for seats we didn’t need, £18k for a stand we didn’t need £1800 for a retractable tunnel which we improvised with a tarpaulin and a scaffold, relegation back to the County was a relief. This was an era we had a whip round for a new dust pan and brush.
The club are financially sound now and a little bit more prepared should they be promoted, however no one seems to be knocking their pipe out to achieve this

Interesting, cheers. Most of the requirements are there for Steyning - and the ones that are not (size/make-up of officials changing area etc) really needed to have been addressed before now. As you say a lot of it we will not need - we have smaller attendances than Peacehaven so additional seating etc is hard to justify.

 

[jackalbion]

Non-League Matters website are beginning to discuss next season's leagues.
Their projected Isthmian Premier Division is as follows:-

Billericay
Bognor Regis*
Bowers and Pitsea
Canvey Island
Carshalton
Chatham
Cheshunt
Chichester City*
Cray Wanderers
Cray Valley Paper Mills
Dartford
Dover
Dulwich Hamlet
Folkestone Invicta
Hastag Utd
Hastings Utd*
Hendon
Horsham*
Lewes*
Potters Bar
Whitehawk*
Wingate and Finchley

Bowers & Pitsea, Chichester and Cray Valley all being promoted.
Dartford and Dover relegated from NLS, whilst Hendon are moved sideways from the Southern League.

*This would mean 10 all-Sussex clashes for each of our Sussex clubs.

That would be a very enjoyable league for me, only 4 left to tick off as well.