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Post by bottleonthehead on Apr 14, 2019 7:07:46 GMT
Well it's back to Devon next season as Torquay clinched the National League South title yesterday. Being exiled in Devon I can't say I'm too disappointed as it's an easy trip for me. Yeovil are also looking increasingly likely to be a second trip to the south-west as they're in freefall at the moment.
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Post by Del on Apr 14, 2019 7:26:05 GMT
Quite enjoy the trip to Torquay but hoping its not a Tuesday nighter.
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Post by Andy K on Apr 14, 2019 16:25:33 GMT
And of course the 4 trips we don't have next season due to relegation are sorted. No trip in the league to rec or the Gallagher or westleigh
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Post by Amber Aleman on Apr 14, 2019 16:41:02 GMT
Quite enjoy the trip to Torquay but hoping its not a Tuesday nighter. There's a fairly high chance that we'll play at least one of Torquay and Yeovil (if they come down) away on a Tuesday evening. Apart from each other, neither is likely to be even vaguely local to any other NL club, so when drawing up the midweek fixtures the league will look to send some clubs from the south-east in that direction. Those to the west and south-west of central London will be first in line.
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Post by Andy K on Apr 15, 2019 9:32:09 GMT
So an update from 2 weeks ago.
The 4 sides (barring any teams dropping out by non playing related matters), we lose Braintree, Maidstone, Havant and Aldershot.
On the flipside we've regained Torquay.
In League 2, no clearer an answer although Macclesfield winning their game in hand puts them 2 points clear of the drop with 4 games to play, so looking like Yeovil and Notts County at the moment.
NLN it's the same as before with both the top two losing (Stockport at home to Blyth and Chorley losing 5-3 away at Altrincham). We'll have a better idea when those 2 sides play each other this Saturday. Maybe those of us going up to Wrexham on Friday and staying over may take that 6 pointer in on the following day. Stockport certainly have the easiest run in after that - they play mid table Curzon Ashton before ending the season at bottom club Nuneaton. Chorley play Spennymoor and Bradford PA, both who sit in the play off positions.
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Post by SG on Apr 16, 2019 15:17:02 GMT
So we've lost 4 southern sides already, with the likelihood of Orient going as well. Outside chance that Eastleigh join them (although can't really see them getting anywhere in the playoffs), so could potentially have 6 southern sides leaving the division and only 2 replacing them (one of which is further than many of the northern away games anyway).
Going to be even more expensive next season!
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Post by Andy K on Apr 16, 2019 15:28:10 GMT
Not wrong! Taking that scenario we have the following ( based on Google maps average driving distances)
Havant 60 miles Aldershot 32 miles Braintree 87 miles Maidstone 40 miles Leyton Orient 25 miles Eastleigh 75 miles
Total - 227 miles
Taking "as it stands" Yeovil 129 miles Notts C 153 miles Stockport 221 miles Chorley 235 miles Torquay 190 miles Woking 21 miles
Total - 949 miles
Difference 722 miles
Could be worse if Spennymoor and Bath go up instead of Stockport and Woking, or if Yeovil stay up and Macclesfield come back down.
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Post by Amber Aleman on Apr 16, 2019 16:17:24 GMT
In our first season up in the NL we had 14 away trips of over 100 miles each way. That was down to 12 last season and 10 this. Next season it will probably be back to 14.
Brackley winning the North play-offs would mitigate the loss of all those southern clubs. But do we really want to go back there?
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Post by Del on Apr 16, 2019 17:57:52 GMT
But substitute Leyton Orient & Eastleigh with Salford & Harrogate and the difference becomes a lot less. Also take out Stockport & Chorley & replace with Brackley & Telford .Anyone care to calculate ?
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Post by I'm leaving at 5 nil on Apr 19, 2019 21:01:26 GMT
Does ebbsffleet’’s woes open up a much needed extra promotion from the southern section of the pyramid ? Considering 4 southern teams going down from the national league ? 700 odd watching the robins virtually guarantee Bostik prem play off place ....just wondering 😜
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Post by halftimet on Apr 20, 2019 8:02:26 GMT
Not wrong! Taking that scenario we have the following ( based on Google maps average driving distances) Havant 60 miles Aldershot 32 miles Braintree 87 miles Maidstone 40 miles Leyton Orient 25 miles Eastleigh 75 miles Total - 227 miles Taking "as it stands" Yeovil 129 miles Notts C 153 miles Stockport 221 miles Chorley 235 miles Torquay 190 miles Woking 21 miles Total - 949 miles Difference 722 miles Could be worse if Spennymoor and Bath go up instead of Stockport and Woking, or if Yeovil stay up and Macclesfield come back down. The good thing about local teams being relegated is the potential pool of players that want to continue playing National league football. We need to strengthen our squad. Who would you consider signing from those clubs. I would take Carter from Havant as a centre back.
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Post by Andy K on Apr 23, 2019 14:06:44 GMT
Nearly there now and here's where we are.
Leyton Orient will be confirmed champions if they avoid defeat against Braintree. Even if they do lose, then Salford will have to win at Hartlepool in such a manner that they overturn a 5 goal difference, or Solihull will have to overturn an 8 goal difference to be champions. Both those 2 sides are confirmed as play off semi finalists, and Fylde and Wrexham are both confirmed at home for the play off qualifiers.
Coming into the league from above is still the same - 2 out of Notts C, Yeovil and Macclesfield with the latter having a 2 point advantage on the other 2 with 2 games to play.
In the North, Stockport lead Chorley by a point with a game to go. The play off semis will be at whichever of those doesn't win the title and at either Brackley or Spennymoor with Altrincham making the play off qualifying, Blyth, Bradford PA and Telford fighting for the last 2 play off spots.
In the south, it's all about who makes the play offs now after Torquay won the league last week. Woking and Welling have made the semis, whilst Chelmsford and Bath have both made the qualifiers. Concord are pretty much there too unless they get a severe thumping this weekend (we're talking double figures here), and that leaves one place between Billericay, St Albans, Dartford, Wealdstone and Slough. It could go down to goal difference there (which thanks to Dartford getting thumped 6-0 at Eastbourne over the weekend puts them as outsiders) but although Billericay sit a point ahead of St Albans, they only have a 2 goal better GD, and Wealdstone (2 points behind) have a 2 goal better GD than Riccay.
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Post by surreyu on Apr 23, 2019 14:57:55 GMT
Not the option of too many new grounds for the supporters who have followed Sutton for many years, only the National north will offer clubs we haven’t visited before I think?
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Post by Andy K on Apr 23, 2019 15:02:00 GMT
Not the option of too many new grounds for the supporters who have followed Sutton for many years, only the National north will offer clubs we haven’t visited before I think? Usually the case with teams from the South, but if Notts C go down we've only been to Meadow Lane once (back in 1994) so for many that will be a new ground. Potentially we could have no new grounds if Chorley and Spennymoor or Brackley or Altrincham come up, although Chorley haven't been an opponent of ours since 1991.
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Post by Andy K on Apr 26, 2019 9:42:40 GMT
One team that won't be coming up into the divison regardless of where they finish will be Concord who won't be allowed to play in the play offs as their ground doesn't meet the required standard. It now means that Chemlsford or Bath will travel to Welling (depending who who finishes 4th) and 5v6 play each other in the eliminator to see who plays at Woking.
According to the league rules, the team that finishes 8th won't be able to take part, and Concord will be given a league standing of 7th regardless.
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