Thursday 13 October 2016

A FEW BITS OF NEWS FROM AROUND NON-LEAGUE FOOTBALL...

Tottenham Hotspur have been in the news this week with plans to pay Transport For London a reported £12,000,000 to rename White Hart Lane train station 'Tottenham Hotspur Station' - You don't have to go far for teams who didn't pay a penny to have a station named after them - Cockfosters station is known by every commuter on the London Underground as it's at the end of the Piccadilly Line with the Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division club's ground just a stones throw from the station. Some opposing supporters sang 'Enfield Town is a railway station' towards fans of Enfield Town on their formation - well it is and it's only four stops down the line from the current White Hart Lane station. The cost reported is about the same the club paid Southampton for Victor Wanyama over the summer - Is it value for money Spurs fans or as some Arsenal fans are saying just copying the originators? Their North London rivals saw the then Gillespie Road station changed to "Arsenal (Highbury Hill)" in 1932 with it changed to just Arsenal in 1960. 

Histon are rock bottom of the Evo-Stik Southern League Division One (Central) and could be relegated back to the Eastern Counties League they left as Champions in 2000 if their current form continues. The Stutes spent four seasons at non-league's top table between 2007 and 2011 finishing third* in 2008/09 behind Burton Albion and local rival's Cambridge United. In the same season they famously beat Swindon Town and Leeds United in the FA Cup before losing 1-2 at home to Swansea City in the Third Round Proper. So far this season Histon have played nine league games drawing one and losing eight scoring just three goals and letting in twenty-eight. The club have recently had a change in management as Steve Fallon moves to a role as Director of Football and Lance Key re-joining from Royston Town (where he was goal-keeping coach) as manager. The club are planning the installation of a 3G pitch as Bridge Road. This Saturday they welcome Aylesbury United (9th) before travelling to Hanwell Town (14th) next weekend.


* Six of teams who finished in the top ten in 08/09 of the then Conference National have since moved up the the Football League. Burton Albion, Cambridge United, Stevenage Borough, Oxford United and Crawley Town are all still members with Torquay United moving up but coming back down again. The other sides were Histon, Kidderminster Harriers (currently Vanarama North), Kettering Town (Evo Stik Southern Premier) and Wrexham (Vanarama National)

Mildenhall Town currently lead the Thurlow Nunn League Premier Division on a record of ten wins and one loss from eleven games played. They are closely followed by Stanway Rovers in second place and Gorleston currently in third. The highest Mildenhall have finished since joining the league in 1988 was a runner's up position in 2006/07 to Wroxham. FC Clacton are still bottom of the table with a record of thirteen defeats in as many matches - The Seasiders travel across Essex to Saffron Walden Town this weekend. 


THURLOW NUNN LEAGUE 

PREMIER DIVISION
CURRENT TABLE  
TOP THREE ONLY 

POS TEAM P GD PTS
1 MILDENHALL TOWN 11 +25 30
2 STANWAY ROVERS 13 +13 27
3 GORLESTON 10 +10 24


The players of Portsmouth Saturday League side Widbrook United will be happy to get back to league action against Bishops Waltham Dynamos this weekend. They made the short trip to Gosport Borough on Tuesday evening for a Portsmouth Senior Cup game where the Vanarama South Side played a near full strength side resulting a 19 (NINETEEN) - 1 victory with only a reported 'remarkable display' from Widbrook's substitute goal-keeper keeping the scoreline down! The result breaks Gosport's record victory which has stood since 1945 when they won 14-0 against Cunliffe Owen. 

It's bottom v top in the Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division this weekend as St Margaretsbury entertain London Colney. The Bury have not won a league game as yet in their eleven games player with the current table topper's Colney now eleven points clear of second placed Berkhamsted following their important 0-1 victory at title-rival's Welwyn Garden City last weekend which was followed by a 1-9 thumping of London Tigers in midweek. All the teams below them have games in hand so it's certainly not all over yet as there are many twists and turns to follow. Hertford Town have five games in hand so if they win all of them could go two points ahead of Colney - they go to Holmer Green this weekend. 


SPARTAN SOUTH MIDLANDS LEAGUE 

PREMIER DIVISION 
CURRENT TABLE 
TOP FIVE ONLY 

POS TEAM P GD PTS
1 LONDON COLNEY 13 +31 34
2 BERKHAMSTED 11 +16 23
3 WEMBLEY 11 +15 22
4 HERTFORD TOWN 8 +15 21
5 COCKFOSTERS 12 +2 21

The London Senior Cup for 2016/17 started this midweek with Cockfosters getting a great result at Essex Senior League leader's Barking - 'Fosters were 2-0 down but fought back and won 2-3 on a memorable night for the club. Welling United, took a break from their struggle in the Vanarama South, to play Southern Counties East Premier Division side Erith Town and won comfortably 2-7 - former Chelsea youth player Adam Coombes scored four goals in the game taking the ex Bromley, Notts County and Yeovil Town striker's tally to 16 goals in 11 games this season so far. In the Second Round 'Fosters will travel to the winners of the Wingate and Finchley v Tower Hamlets First Round game with The Wings hosting the winner of the Cray Valley (PM) v Croydon tie. 

London Senior Cup (supported by Coventry Scaffolding) 2016/17

FIRST ROUND 
Barking 2 Cockfosters 3
Erith Town 2 Welling United 7 
Wingate & Finchley v Tower Hamlets
Haringey Borough v AFC Croydon Athletic
Metropolitan Police v Beckenham Town 
Erith & Belvedere FC v London Bari 
Hanwell Town v Thamesmead Town
Corinthian-Casuals v AFC Wimbledon
Haringey & Waltham v Fisher
Clapton v Greenwich Borough
Barkingside v Harrow Borough
Cray Valley v Croydon

SECOND ROUND
Redbridge, Tooting and Mitcham United, Hendon and Dulwich Hamlet all join the competition along with Cockfosters and Welling United.

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