Bottom versus top in this Eastern Counties Football League Division One North clash with 47 points separating Wisbech St Mary and Mulbarton Wanderers.
There is, however, more optimism than you might expect at Wisbech where manager Alex Kaufman has brought about an improvement in fortunes since his appointment in October.
"We just have to get as many points on board as we can," he told the Fenland Citizen newspaper after the 2-2 draw with Sheringham.
"With the team we are building it would be sad if we do go down."
Saturday has been designated as ‘Community Day’ and there is free admission for all spectators for the 3pm kick-off.
Thursday 30 January 2020
Tuesday 28 January 2020
January Review
A look back at some of the teams and matches covered in the blog over the past month or so...
Queen's Park offered football for a fiver at Hampden Park on the opening weekend of January and a bigger than average crowd watched the Spiders gain a 2-1 victory against Stenhousemuir.
After the momentous decisions in late 2019 to shed their amateur status and approve the sale of Hampden to the Scottish FA, the new year has seen more changes with new manager Ray McKinnon now able both to put his squad onto professional contracts and move into the transfer market for reinforcements.
The FA Vase tie between Deal Town and Binfield was decided by the thinnest of margins after both the original game and a reply couldn't separate the sides, Deal winning 7-6 on penalties and now making plans for the long trip to Consett AFC in the last sixteen on Saturday 8 February.
It is 20 years since Deal won the competition at Wembley and manager Derek Hares told Kent Online that he is beginning to dream of glory this year.
It's looking good for The New Saints to retain their Welsh title after they won the battle of the top two against Connah's Quay but The Nomads can lift some silverware this coming weekend when they contest the final of the Nathaniel MG (League) Cup against surprise package STM Sports.
The game takes place at the home of Newtown AFC at 5.15pm on Saturday (tickets priced at £7 Adults, £3 Seniors and Students and £1 for Juniors) with a full preview available at the excellent Y Clwb Pel-Droed website.
Queen's Park offered football for a fiver at Hampden Park on the opening weekend of January and a bigger than average crowd watched the Spiders gain a 2-1 victory against Stenhousemuir.
After the momentous decisions in late 2019 to shed their amateur status and approve the sale of Hampden to the Scottish FA, the new year has seen more changes with new manager Ray McKinnon now able both to put his squad onto professional contracts and move into the transfer market for reinforcements.
The FA Vase tie between Deal Town and Binfield was decided by the thinnest of margins after both the original game and a reply couldn't separate the sides, Deal winning 7-6 on penalties and now making plans for the long trip to Consett AFC in the last sixteen on Saturday 8 February.
It is 20 years since Deal won the competition at Wembley and manager Derek Hares told Kent Online that he is beginning to dream of glory this year.
It's looking good for The New Saints to retain their Welsh title after they won the battle of the top two against Connah's Quay but The Nomads can lift some silverware this coming weekend when they contest the final of the Nathaniel MG (League) Cup against surprise package STM Sports.
The game takes place at the home of Newtown AFC at 5.15pm on Saturday (tickets priced at £7 Adults, £3 Seniors and Students and £1 for Juniors) with a full preview available at the excellent Y Clwb Pel-Droed website.
Sunday 26 January 2020
The Scottish Scene
The Wikipedia entry on the Scottish football league system calls it 'among the most fractured and multi-faceted in Europe' but the creation of a pyramid system in 2013 has changed the nature of the game north of the border and created a playing pathway into the SPFL for ambitious clubs.
The Lowland Football League was founded in that year and lies at Level 5 on the pyramid with the champions then meeting their Highland League counterparts in a play-off for the right to face the bottom club in League Two.
Being an entirely new league has allowed for some really good central communication and marketing, particularly on the Twitter page where upcoming fixtures, with admission prices, are clearly advertised with some beautiful matchday posters from Football Stadium Prints.
The Highland League is different in that respect but like the Lowland it provides affordable football at all of its clubs and with the added bonus of some stunning backdrops in some of the most beautiful parts of the country.
I've had a couple of cracking days out this season, at Rothes and at Keith, both clubs located in whisky country and clearly an important part of their local community.
Junior Football has a long and proud tradition in Scotland. Its clubs are split across East, West and North regions, under the auspices of the Scottish Junior FA, and come together for a fiercely contested cup competition every season.
With the national team having reached major tournaments in 2017 and 2019 and increased competition to perennial champions Glasgow City in the SWPL, the women's game in Scotland continues to grow and the Scottish Women's Football website is an invaluable source of news and information.
Cutting across all of the different levels of the game is the Scottish Football Fixtures website which does exactly what it says in the title and provides fixtures on a day-by-day basis.
The Lowland Football League was founded in that year and lies at Level 5 on the pyramid with the champions then meeting their Highland League counterparts in a play-off for the right to face the bottom club in League Two.
Being an entirely new league has allowed for some really good central communication and marketing, particularly on the Twitter page where upcoming fixtures, with admission prices, are clearly advertised with some beautiful matchday posters from Football Stadium Prints.
The Highland League is different in that respect but like the Lowland it provides affordable football at all of its clubs and with the added bonus of some stunning backdrops in some of the most beautiful parts of the country.
I've had a couple of cracking days out this season, at Rothes and at Keith, both clubs located in whisky country and clearly an important part of their local community.
Junior Football has a long and proud tradition in Scotland. Its clubs are split across East, West and North regions, under the auspices of the Scottish Junior FA, and come together for a fiercely contested cup competition every season.
With the national team having reached major tournaments in 2017 and 2019 and increased competition to perennial champions Glasgow City in the SWPL, the women's game in Scotland continues to grow and the Scottish Women's Football website is an invaluable source of news and information.
Cutting across all of the different levels of the game is the Scottish Football Fixtures website which does exactly what it says in the title and provides fixtures on a day-by-day basis.
Wednesday 22 January 2020
Game Of The Week: Thackley AFC v Eccleshill United
Bragging rights at stake in this West Yorkshire local derby between the ‘Dennyboys’ of Thackley and Eccleshill United with the two sides currently around mid-table in the Northern Counties East League (NCEL) Premier Division.
With Leeds and Huddersfield not in action and Bradford City on the road there should be a decent crowd in attendance at Dennyfield and the hosts will hope that their offer of ‘Pay What You Want’ admission on the gate increases those numbers.
Founded in 1930, Thackley have been members of the NCEL Premier Division since its inception in 1982 and a nice, potted history on the official website brings together Ian Ormondroyd and Johan Cruyff as having links to the club.
Stop Press: I'd just finished the above piece when I saw a tweet from Silsden AFC about their game in the same division on Saturday, against Knaresbrough Town, which will also be 'Pay What You Want' in celebration of the life of club stalwart John McNulty.
The excellent NCEL website is a great resource for fixtures and results from both divisions of the league.
With Leeds and Huddersfield not in action and Bradford City on the road there should be a decent crowd in attendance at Dennyfield and the hosts will hope that their offer of ‘Pay What You Want’ admission on the gate increases those numbers.
Founded in 1930, Thackley have been members of the NCEL Premier Division since its inception in 1982 and a nice, potted history on the official website brings together Ian Ormondroyd and Johan Cruyff as having links to the club.
Stop Press: I'd just finished the above piece when I saw a tweet from Silsden AFC about their game in the same division on Saturday, against Knaresbrough Town, which will also be 'Pay What You Want' in celebration of the life of club stalwart John McNulty.
The excellent NCEL website is a great resource for fixtures and results from both divisions of the league.
Monday 20 January 2020
Nottingham Switch for Continental Cup Final
I was at Bramall Lane for last season’s Continental Cup Final (the competition open to teams in the top two tiers of the women’s game in England) and it was a family-friendly occasion as Manchester City defeated Arsenal on penalties in unseasonal February sunshine.
Tickets were well-priced but the attendance was disappointingly low at just 2,424.
A year on and it will be interesting to see what effect a positive World Cup and some high-profile Women’s Super League fixtures, together with a switch of venue, has when this season’s final is played at the City Ground at 5.30pm on Saturday 29th February.
Perhaps unsurprisingly the semi-finals will be contested between what is increasingly becoming the ‘big four’ in the women’s game with Arsenal hosting Manchester City and Chelsea travelling to Manchester United at the end of the month.
Early-bird tickets are available until 7th February, priced at £7.50 for Adults (£10 after). Concessions tickets are £1.
Wednesday 15 January 2020
Game Of The Week: The New Saints v Connah’s Quay Nomads
Can anyone stop The New Saints from winning a 9th consecutive Welsh top-flight title?
If so then Connah’s Quay Nomads will see themselves as the most likely contenders and they travel to Park Hall this Saturday just one point behind leaders TNS ahead of the split into top and bottom-six.
Admission prices for domestic matches are £8 Adults, £4 Concessions and £1 Juniors and a fans guide on the TNS website explains that a warm welcome is on offer for anyone making a first visit who gets in touch with the club beforehand.
Following a review of the pyramid structure in Wales, football at step 2 came under the auspices of the FAW at the beginning of the 2019/20 season.
That meant the creation of the Cymru North and Cymru South leagues to feed into the Cymru Premier (formerly the Welsh Premier League) with further steps below that.
The Welsh Premier has always fared well in terms of supporter affordability and many of its clubs work hard to increase attendances.
Very helpful for keeping up with the domestic game are Y Clwb Pel-Droed and This Is Welsh Football as well as the official Cymru Football site.
Following a review of the pyramid structure in Wales, football at step 2 came under the auspices of the FAW at the beginning of the 2019/20 season.
That meant the creation of the Cymru North and Cymru South leagues to feed into the Cymru Premier (formerly the Welsh Premier League) with further steps below that.
The Welsh Premier has always fared well in terms of supporter affordability and many of its clubs work hard to increase attendances.
Very helpful for keeping up with the domestic game are Y Clwb Pel-Droed and This Is Welsh Football as well as the official Cymru Football site.
Tuesday 14 January 2020
Football For A Fiver & Optimism Back At Charlton Athletic
A new year and new optimism at The Valley after the completion of a takeover of Charlton Athletic by East Street Investments meant the end of Roland Duchatelet's time at the club.
Manager Lee Bowyer has a new five-year contract and the talk, of course, is of reaching the Premier League but equally important will be getting the club back to a position where their supporter engagement was the envy of many.
Football for a Fiver continued through the Duchatelet era but there will be a new impetus to the offer, in place for the visit of Blackburn Rovers on Saturday 15th February.
Not too far away, Dagenham & Redbridge celebrate their Diversity Day the following Saturday, 22nd February, when Solihull Moors are their opponents.
Tickets purchased before the day of the game are available from just £2.50 for Adults and 50p for Concessions.
Manager Lee Bowyer has a new five-year contract and the talk, of course, is of reaching the Premier League but equally important will be getting the club back to a position where their supporter engagement was the envy of many.
Football for a Fiver continued through the Duchatelet era but there will be a new impetus to the offer, in place for the visit of Blackburn Rovers on Saturday 15th February.
Not too far away, Dagenham & Redbridge celebrate their Diversity Day the following Saturday, 22nd February, when Solihull Moors are their opponents.
Tickets purchased before the day of the game are available from just £2.50 for Adults and 50p for Concessions.
Saturday 11 January 2020
Big Guns Enter FA Women's Cup
The draw for the Fourth Round of this season's competition sees clubs from the FA Women's Super League and Championship enter the fray with the obvious highlight being a Manchester derby between United and City.
Looking at the draw on the FA website you will see home ties for Southampton FC Women and Southampton Women's FC, something BBC Sport looked at prior to the previous round.
Recent Women's FA Cup Finals have been well attended, family friendly occasions and the 2020 showpiece should be no different when it takes place on Saturday 9 May.
Adult tickets are priced at £15 with up to two children per adult free of charge.
One other line from the women's game is that the WSL clash between Everton and Liverpool on Sunday 9 February will take place at Goodison Park with tickets for non-members priced at £6 and £3.
Looking at the draw on the FA website you will see home ties for Southampton FC Women and Southampton Women's FC, something BBC Sport looked at prior to the previous round.
Recent Women's FA Cup Finals have been well attended, family friendly occasions and the 2020 showpiece should be no different when it takes place on Saturday 9 May.
Adult tickets are priced at £15 with up to two children per adult free of charge.
One other line from the women's game is that the WSL clash between Everton and Liverpool on Sunday 9 February will take place at Goodison Park with tickets for non-members priced at £6 and £3.
Tuesday 7 January 2020
Game Of The Week: Deal Town v Binfield
The thought of Wembley is now very real for the 32 teams left in the FA Vase who take part in the Fourth Round this weekend.
Deal Town, whose proud existence dates back to 1908, tasted glory in the competition in 2000 as they became the final winners at the old Wembley.
This Saturday the Southern Counties East League side take on Binfield FC who also ply their trade at Step 5 of the pyramid in the Hellenic League. Admission is £7 Adults, £4 Concessions and free for Under 12's.
The excellent Football In Berkshire website covers Binfield along with a host of other clubs while Kentish Football does a great job in that fine county.
Deal Town, whose proud existence dates back to 1908, tasted glory in the competition in 2000 as they became the final winners at the old Wembley.
This Saturday the Southern Counties East League side take on Binfield FC who also ply their trade at Step 5 of the pyramid in the Hellenic League. Admission is £7 Adults, £4 Concessions and free for Under 12's.
The excellent Football In Berkshire website covers Binfield along with a host of other clubs while Kentish Football does a great job in that fine county.
Attention is now on next Saturday and our 4th round fixture in the FA Vase against @binfield_fc ⚽️— Deal Town FC (@DealTownFC) January 5, 2020
Let’s do the boys proud and show them the support they deserve! Club house open from 13:00 🍺🍻🍔🍟
Game is being sponsored by @baylissexecutivetravel thank you for your support 👏🏼 pic.twitter.com/s9JYnCfNSZ
Sunday 5 January 2020
Honours Even As Hallam Battle Back
After recent postponements, including what would have been an interesting game against North Ferriby last Saturday, Hallam FC returned to action in the Northern Counties East League against Worsbrough Bridge Athletic.
Just over 300 were at Sandygate and a biting wind would normally make the warmth of the clubhouse very inviting but both teams kept the spectators fully engaged as they shared six goals.
Hallam had already missed the first of several good chances when the visitors took the lead from the penalty spot and Worsbrough recovered from the loss of an equaliser by scoring twice more before the break, the first of which was the type of goal that contractually has to be described as 'Beckhamesque' as it involved the goalkeeper being lobbed from around the halfway line.
But the advantage of the Sandygate slope saw the hosts cut the deficit within seconds of the second-half starting and a neatly taken equaliser looked to have set up a grandstand finish, especially when Worsbrough were reduced to ten men.
The score stayed the same however, both teams perhaps having given their all in difficult conditions.
Adult admission at Hallam remains just £5, with Concessions £3. The official NCEL website has an excellent fixture list.
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