Gone for now
By Nick Montgomery-Clarke
May 27 2022
We've one place left to go, but next season our Division will be without some old rivals. It will be a strange season. Here's a quick guide to who has gone.
Forest Green
They seem to have been with us forever, either in the National League or League 2. Yet next season our lentil munching mates from the New Lawn will have gone up in the world. No more Dale Vince to laugh at. No more looking for where the hell the place is on the map. No worries about getting stuck in that awful school car park after an away game. They have gone, probably just for a season. We will miss the noise both their fans made at our place, but not their sense of superiority. Suspect they'll be back down in 12 months.
Exeter City
Forever the wall flower at the school disco, this season Exeter escaped League 2. St James' Park has always been a great place to visit its friendly fans and decent ale. I won't miss that long trek down to Devon, suspect it was our furthest away game. They always brough a decent following to our place too, and played a huge part in our history when we beat them back in 1987, a staggering 35 years ago, to stay in the League and light the touch paper on our trip to the moon. Suspect they will do OK in the league above.
Bristol Rovers
Anothwe club with a pantomime villain. Take a bow Joey Barton. 1 season down here and straight back up. They were nowhere before Christmas and stormed up the League to nick promotion from under our noses. A visit to the Memorial Stadium never seemed to deliver a decent result. Parking was also a nightmare, you always seemed to have to park miles away. They brought a loyal following to our place though. The Pirates have sailed off into the sunset, suspect they are on course for a double promotion , thus proving that ther is no God.
Oldham Athletic
Rumour has it that shares in Damart nosedived after Oldham were relegated. Ice station zebra, the ground that made Oakwell seem like a trip to the Caribbean. They were rivals for so long. What lies ahead for them? Whisper it quietly, but the comparison that springs to mind is Bury. Dodgy finances mean that it is going to be a long time before we can hope to put 13 past this lot on a Boxing Day afternoon (which was, to be fair, a very long time ago).
Scunthorpe
Uncle Fester weaved his magic and turned a very poor club into an appalling one. Remember, back in August they beat us at their place. Admittedly at the time we were a total disaster, but there must have been a glimmer of a hope that the Iron had turned the corner and brighter days lay ahead. Nope. Like Oldham off the pitch problems have taken their toll. Also like Oldham it may be a fair while before they are playing at this level.
Tomorrow Mansfield Town or Port Vale will escape. My money is on Vale, which means that one of the easier away games will go. I may be wrong but I reckon neither team will do well in the division above.
Meanwhile we have another year of mouth watering football to come. No, I'm not being sarcastic! OK, I am. Keep the faith, the season starts again on 30th July.
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But anything is possible with a good manager who knows how he wants to play and signs players to fit that system. Cheltenham & Cambridge have done very well. Both finished comfortable when I I expected both to struggle. Same with Morecambe, they just survived but given their resource that is a superb achievement.
All 3 of these teams I would expect had lower budgets than us yet got promoted and survived their first season in L1. Just goes to show anything is possible. Not worth mentioning Bolton!
I also think Mansfield will go up and if they do will do well with Cloughs know how and I expect, a considerable backing from the owners in terms of budget.
Strangely though there doesn't appear to have been loads of silly spending on a trip to the second or first tier, which some Bristol Rovers fans might have expected possibly.
Then I ate his Liver.......... with some baked beans and a can of coke.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2022:05:28:14:03:20 by dave-p.
Would have been a lot more if there hadn’t been the obligatory re-instatement to Div Four for the bottom team.
Won’t be long before National League has all past Football League teams in it.
Quote:TRSince1968
Won’t be long before National League has all past Football League teams in it.
Maybe eventually, but when we were in the national league there were two other common types of club,
1) Small clubs in rich London suburbs or close to London (Sutton, Bromley, Maidstone, Maidenhead, Borehamwood, Welling, Woking, Wealdstone) or prosperous big city commuter belt (Altrincham, Eastleigh, Solihull and Macclesfield (RIP))
2) Tiny club elsewhere with a benefactor and big ambition (Forest Green, AFC Fylde).
If you’re not ex-football league and not one of these types you’ll never last long in the national league.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2022:05:28:13:15:37 by CleeHillRoadROAR.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2022:05:28:14:32:02 by the kav.
Quote:the kav
I would take this down mate, just in case
Now that he has, you might want to do the same! ☝️
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2022:05:28:14:19:19 by Aldosmuzzy.
Quote:AldosmuzzyQuote:the kav
I would take this down mate, just in case
Now that he has, you might want to do the same! ☝️
Great thinking mate, cheers
Quote:the kav
5/9 goals scored by ex trfc players
Yes and Grimsby also had Erico Sousa the Portuguese who played for us in the 9-0 vs Solihull Moors.
Glad to see Wrecscum falling at the second to last hurdle. Grimsby will be good to have back.
But biggest drag of the season was Everton staying up agent Lamps will see them off next season for sure hopefully he was just giving false hope to make it all the funnier.
Red sheet got what they deserved 3 finals no goals scored Champions of the penalty shoot out. Sadio and Salah will be off to PSG this summer so hopefully there decline begins !