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Post by jdl on Jul 26, 2020 0:00:47 GMT
With the NN playoff final being between two of the original Aliance League founders (Boston v Altricham) and Wealdstone coming up, there'll be at least 4 founder members in the NL again next season. But, if Weymouth win the NS final, that will make 5 - which hasn't happened since 2011/12 season.
Considering that the number of founder members dropped to just 2 for several seasons in the early/mid 20-teens, that's quite a recovery.
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Post by jdl on Jul 26, 2020 0:01:59 GMT
If Weymouth do make it back up, it will be the first time they've been in the NL since relegation in 88/89 - a 31 year wait (we only had to wait 27). Edit: This is bollocks - they had three seasons in the NL from 2006-2009, so they've only actually had to wait 11 years. Thanks to swampy for this correcton.
But that's not quite as bad as Wealdstone, who will be back in the NL for the first time since relegation in 87/88 - a 33 year wait!
If it's Dartford, it will only have been 5 years - and their 4th promotion to the NL. They came up in the 2nd season of the Alliance, but were relegated straight back down, then they made it again three years later and reached the heady height of 3rd, before being relegated again the following season. More recently, they were promoted in 12/13 (after a wait of just 26 years) and got to 8th in their first season, before collapsing to 22nd for the next two - only escaping relegation in their second season when Salisbury were expelled.
Altrincham won the first ever season of the Alliance (they were the major non-league side in those days). But they never managed to repeat the feat - although they managed six top 5 finishes - before relegation after 17 years. They came back up in 99/00, but went straight back down again, and then got promoted back up again in 05/06, mostly bumping along the bottom for 5 seasons, before going down again in 10/11. This spell included a record of being reprieved from relegation in THREE successive seasons! First in 2006, when Canvey Island dropped out of the Conference, and Scarborough (who should have been reprieved) didn't meet the financial requirements, then again the next year, when Boston were double relegated (see below), and again the following year when Halifax folded. Their most recent flirtation with the NL was more straightforward, coming up in 14/15, and going back down the following season. Their fans must have been horrified to have found themselves NOT being reprieved from relegation for a change!
Boston, should they make it, will be back in the NL for the first time since they won it 19 years ago. They should have been back in the NL in the 07/08, having been relegated from the EFL in 2007, deep in financial poo. But they pulled a fast one by going into a VFA before the end of the season, to avoid a points deduction the following season. However, the Conference wasn't too keen on this and punted them straight down to the NN.
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Post by jdl on Jul 26, 2020 0:02:41 GMT
I forgot Stevenage. They'll be back after just 10 years, having won the Conference in 2010. They'd been in the Conference for 16 years since 94/95, and had actually won it once before, in their second year. But they missed out on promotion after the FL tightened up its ground stanadards and financial rules after a certain club (ahem) had gone bust shortly after promotion. The third club in succession to win and then fall fould of these new rules (Kidderminster and Macclesfied being the other two). How their fans must have loved us...
And, of course, we won't mention the FA Cup.
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Post by swampy on Jul 26, 2020 2:31:57 GMT
I forgot Stevenage. They'll be back after just 10 years, having won the Conference in 2010. They'd been in the Conference for 16 years since 94/95, and had actually won it once before, in their second year. But they missed out on promotion after the FL tightened up its ground stanadards and financial rules after a certain club (ahem) had gone bust shortly after promotion. The third club in succession to win and then fall fould of these new rules (Kidderminster and Macclesfied being the other two). How their fans must have loved us... And, of course, we won't mention the FA Cup. Weymouth were last in the National League Premier in 2008/2009. The year Burton won the league?
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Post by jdl on Jul 26, 2020 22:39:56 GMT
I forgot Stevenage. They'll be back after just 10 years, having won the Conference in 2010. They'd been in the Conference for 16 years since 94/95, and had actually won it once before, in their second year. But they missed out on promotion after the FL tightened up its ground stanadards and financial rules after a certain club (ahem) had gone bust shortly after promotion. The third club in succession to win and then fall fould of these new rules (Kidderminster and Macclesfied being the other two). How their fans must have loved us... And, of course, we won't mention the FA Cup. Weymouth were last in the National League Premier in 2008/2009. The year Burton won the league? Bugger - you're right. I somehow lost three seasons! You wouldn't believe the number of times I checked that too... That's actually worse than any mistake of mine Oxford's ever discovered! Edit: Just discovered how this happened - I had Weymuth down twice in the spreadsheet, once as a founder team and once as a SL newcomer! Which is why the error wasn't immediately obvious (the number of clubs in each season was still correct). Thank God for that - otherwise I would have had to check every bloody colum in a 41 column spreadshhet!
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Post by headstone on Jul 27, 2020 9:52:36 GMT
Why? What difference does it make, to anyone (including you)? Have you finished Match of the Day yet? That's a better use of time!
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Post by jdl on Jul 27, 2020 11:19:44 GMT
Why? What difference does it make, to anyone (including you)? Have you finished Match of the Day yet? That's a better use of time! No TV so no MofD. Not that I ever watched it when we had a TV. I like to watch a decent chunk of a match I'm interested in, not brief bits of everything - and loads of annoying pontifications. Why do I do it? Because when we were on the NL I spent hours (and f**king hours) building a spreadsheet detailing all the seasons of the Alliance/Conference/NL. And then we got relegated!! So I'm bloody well going to make some use of it - even if we stay in the NE for ever...
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Post by hongkongstone on Jul 28, 2020 2:19:19 GMT
Why? What difference does it make, to anyone (including you)? Have you finished Match of the Day yet? That's a better use of time! No TV so no MofD. Not that I ever watched it when we had a TV. I like to watch a decent chunk of a match I'm interested in, not brief bits of everything - and loads of annoying pontifications. Why do I do it? Because when we were on the NL I spent hours (and f**king hours) building a spreadsheet detailing all the seasons of the Alliance/Conference/NL. And then we got relegated!! So I'm bloody well going to make some use of it - even if we stay in the NE for ever... Are you seriously proposing to revive Jim Thompson's plan of moving the club to Newcastle?
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Post by Sennockian69 on Jul 28, 2020 22:29:14 GMT
Only JDL can propose the preposterous and expect the reasonable Stones to regard his suggestion as being a viable one.
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Post by jdl on Jul 28, 2020 23:09:36 GMT
No TV so no MofD. Not that I ever watched it when we had a TV. I like to watch a decent chunk of a match I'm interested in, not brief bits of everything - and loads of annoying pontifications. Why do I do it? Because when we were on the NL I spent hours (and f**king hours) building a spreadsheet detailing all the seasons of the Alliance/Conference/NL. And then we got relegated!! So I'm bloody well going to make some use of it - even if we stay in the NE for ever... Are you seriously proposing to revive Jim Thompson's plan of moving the club to Newcastle? Ha! Good spot. I was very relieved to find the the 'E' is next to the 'S' when I checked the keyboard! (albeit diagonally...)
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Post by jdl on Jul 28, 2020 23:10:52 GMT
Only JDL can propose the preposterous and expect the reasonable Stones to regard his suggestion as being a viable one. WTF are you on about now? It's like sitting next to one of the grumpy old blokes in Spoons, nursing a half-pint all afternoon.
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Post by Sennockian69 on Jul 29, 2020 16:53:45 GMT
Dunno spoons so can only imagine the image you paint.
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Post by sword65 on Jul 30, 2020 20:57:39 GMT
Dover confirm that the new season will start on October 3rd and have been told their working ground capacity will be just 861. Parmenter not amused and also says kids under 11 who usually gain free entry,will now have to pay. What a bastard
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Post by headstone on Jul 31, 2020 14:05:15 GMT
Yes, but even the National Trust, a haven of middle class rectitude, are now making staff redundancies. On the other (or the same) hand, don't we charge entry to under 11s?
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Post by sword65 on Jul 31, 2020 14:18:09 GMT
Yes, but even the National Trust, a haven of middle class rectitude, are now making staff redundancies. On the other (or the same) hand, don't we charge entry to under 11s? I honestly dont know as I have never looked.I know some of our fans have IQ's under 11 and they have to pay to get in😁
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