I’m back from my summer break in Turkey. Taking time out and anyway from what you do is needed, especially to refresh and refocus for a new season which really won’t be far in coming.
So, what happened while I was away? Well, football never stops. It might be the close season but there is always plenty bubbling away in the background.
This week will be potentially the last a good majority of non-league players at the higher levels will be away for holidays. Such is the preparation many undertake well in advance of pre-season training these days means breaks are done and dusted.
It’s not so clear cut for those lower down and many will miss a week or two of training or even playing games as the season begins because family time and school holidays dictate when they can go.
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The day I jetted off for some sunshine the season concluded for the National League and with it promotion for Oldham Athletic back to the EFL joining champions Barnet. Having watched the highlights it looked a very decent game and advert for the top tier of non-league football.
Commiserations for Southend Utd, timing their run perfectly to take the final play-off place and coming through two tough away games it wasn’t quite to be for them.
Next season the final reverts to a sensible finish date, no surprise because everything has to be concluded in reasonable time because of the World Cup, so naturally everyone will think it’s all hunky dory again compared to this season’s dates and times, I would recommend paying close attention to the following season where there isn’t the pressure to finish because of summer tournament football, hold that beer!
The late finish as well does put both those clubs behind the curve on signing newbies, a short break for their players and staff, it might bring a hangover to begin with whereas others will be suitably refreshed.
Whilst that concluded the football, along with the Combined Counties League South play-off’s a few days before the wheels keep on turning and at some speed.
Managers being appointed, players announcing their ‘free agent’ status across social media, others being signed and plenty apparently being retained despite signing on forms nowhere near close to being able to take the ink from the pen.
Whilst those in the higher levels of non-league are less likely to move on after being announced as staying, it’s a little harder to take it seriously further down. The wording is all important and that I think is where it draws the sarcastic comments, we all know players will move down the road for a few extra pound notes and then it’s a bit of egg on faces moments.
The dates for the new season arrived while I was on the sunbed, and for most this time around it’s the first week of August instead of the last Saturday or midweek in July. The Combined Counties do buck the trend on the latter part, fitting in at least one game before the Emirates FA Cup kicks off.
The National League begin on 9th August with fixtures arriving 4 weeks before hand which in turn then sees the steps below scrambling almost to get theirs in the public domain before the season actually begins! No doubt the Isthmian League will begin on 16th August as is the standard fare.
Why the NL can’t release a week earlier seems a bit odd, the EFL games are out on 26th June, the two week gap a little strange but then nothing surprises me when it comes to them!
Isuzu carry on with FA Trophy and Vase sponsorship, Enterprise appear to be announced as the new National League sponsor later this week, a very good replacement for Vanarama and that should be applauded in my opinion. The former I want to see more from them, great that they are extending, the prize money needs some better substance to it however so that’ll be interesting to see when that’s released in the next few weeks with the dates for each round.
The National League Cup. Now, it appears it will continue this season, I doubt the league have much sway given the PL involvement in it, but it seriously needs to be binned off and forgotten about.
It was shown the distain it deserved last year from fans, they weren’t interested and they won’t be this year either. Six clubs rightly refused to enter and for many others it disrupted seasons and made a mockery of the rules with starters from the weekend as per what the competition stated substituted after ten minutes.
Having been open to the top 14 finishing clubs of last season the league were left scratching around to fill their quota from those not wanting to feature.
Of those six who had qualified to play but declined without the extra games, Barnet finished champions whilst York City and Southend Utd made the play-offs.
Yeovil Town, who were National League South winners, said no whilst Eastleigh, Solihull Moors and AFC Fylde also didn’t want the extra burden of matches during the winter months.
The latter three didn’t enjoy stellar seasons without the games but recognised there was little value in taking part versus the abolition of FA Cup replays.
So there we have it, and that’s just filled the last week of me being out of the country and so much going on up and down the country. It’s why I keep the blog running month after month instead of just through the season, there’s wheels to turn.
And all those without even touching on the Sussex project started last season which in three weeks’ time will be a year old, plus the potential for a lot more in the pipeline too, never a dull day eh……
Have I missed anything? If so, pop it in the comments below.
