Wherever Next

Printed in the first home league match of the season 18th August 2009
Southern League Midlands Division v Burnham. We lost 2-0 in front of
337 people.


I must admit I had a nose bleed when I saw we had been put in the
Southern Leagues Midlands Division. No really; I had just come out of
hospital after an operation on my nose and it hadn’t stopped bleeding.
Still, fifteen new grounds for me, and camped out at Liverpool Street
station, staring at the boards waiting for the next starship to
Romulus. Look, I really don’t mind the travelling as long as we have
a successful season, even winning the odd bloody game would be nice,
but it’s getting me dizzy how many leagues we have been in over the
past decade since being booted out of the Conference. Ryman Premier,
Ryman North, Ryman South, Southern South and West and now the
Midlands. By the end of this season we will have played 119 different
league clubs in 10 years – a record? Who needs to become one of those
sad ground-hopper types - just support Slough Town.
The FA has promised to sort it out this season, and they really have
too. Clubs at our level shouldn’t really be travelling such long
distances.
Carlisle’s managing director is even arguing that the Football Leagues
bottom two divisions should be regionalized; 51 years after Division
Three North and South were scrapped. Talk like this isn’t really
surprising coming from a club that are seriously stuck out on such a
geographically limb – they are nine miles from the Scottish border and
will travel nearly 12,000 league miles over the season. The argument
is of course a financial one but also to encourage more local derbies
and more away fans – clubs rarely bring more than 300 to Brunton
Park.
Still, if you don’t agree with that, can you argue that we really need
a national non league division? Does it make sense for the part timers
of Eastbourne to be playing the part timers of Barrow? Shouldn’t there
at least be a Conference Midlands division? This would have sorted out
the mess of Worcester City playing in the Blue Square South while
Gloucester City are playing in the Blue Square North, passing each
other on the M6 every other week!
Meanwhile AFC Sudbury will be one of our league opponents this season
having lost their appeal to be put back in the Ryman league. The club
were not impressed when last season they were shoved into the Southern
Midlands, complaining of the vast increase in the travelling and the
knock on effect this had on the recruitment of players. In the summing
up to their appeal, it was stated the decision was taken in the light
of both the Ryman and Southern Leagues agreement to a re-organisation
of the respective league boundaries at the end of next season.
Time to put your bets on just where the hell we will be playing next
season!