2018-19 Isthmian League Thread ("Bostik" if you must)

[beautifulgame2015]

 

[Red Deserato]

9 games in and Burgess Hill looked dead and buried. Completely decimated by Bognor 8-0

 

[Pink Panther]

9 games in and Burgess Hill looked dead and buried. Completely decimated by Bognor 8-0

They've been struggling ever since they came up a few years ago without showing signs of improvement. They'd have gone down last season without the expansion from 72 to 88 clubs at Step 3. It's fairly predictable that they're likely to drop this time.

 

[beautifulgame2015]

 

[Red Deserato]

another win today 3-1 against Kingstonian, We weren't great for the first 75th minute before kicking into life to get the win and stay in 2nd.

Kingstonian down to 17th and I was surprised at how average they are considering the money spent. I don't know who's responsible for their predicament but it needs to be sorted out.

 

[Raymondo316]

Thamesmead have gone into voluntary administration and will be liquidated

https://www.thamesmeadtownfootballclub.com/news/article/a-very-sad-day-for-the-mead/

 

[Pink Panther]

Thamesmead have gone into voluntary administration and will be liquidated

https://www.thamesmeadtownfootballclub.com/news/article/a-very-sad-day-for-the-mead/

Very sad the way they were treated by the ground owners when the facility had just had a major upgrade, but moving to Dartford was madness when the crowds were already tiny at Thamesmead.

 

[DarkSithLord]

AFC Hornchurch can confirm that we have submitted a request to the Football Association to change our name back to Hornchurch Football Club for the start of the 2019/20 season.

 

[Raymondo316]

Our old owner strikes again.

Said person nearly killed us off 7-8 years ago & left us in a right mess (we were 300-400k in debt), then killed off Thamesmead because he claimed his health was that bad he couldn't continue funding them any more.......yet now has suddenly taken over as CEO/Chairman of Ramsgate.

Very dodgy to say the least.

 

[Lurchin Urchin]

AFC Hornchurch can confirm that we have submitted a request to the Football Association to change our name back to Hornchurch Football Club for the start of the 2019/20 season.

Yes - we are very happy about this. Our financially doped years only lasted 2 years, but have been a real millstone around our standing with other clubs ever since. So it would be great to get back to more honest times (which are very much embraced by the post 2008 setup). Many (including me) would actually like to see a return to the older name, Hornchurch & Upminster, as we draw a lot of support from Upminster and the ground is (just) across the border between the two towns. Unfortunately this is not an option because of the very vibrant Upminster FC who play in the Essex Olympian League. So fair enough.

For those interested, the River Ingrebourne divides the two towns and originally coursed right through the middle of the current ground site. This was diverted a few yards to the west by Hornchurch Urban District Council (which also governed the smaller town of Upminster) in the early 50's to enable a football pitch and athletics track to be created on an open patch of land. The new stadium was named Hornchurch Stadium (original huh?), though these days is more generally known as "The Stadium" or "Bridge Avenue". As a result of this, the top local amateur team, Upminster FC of the Spartan League, were able to move in from their unenclosed site. But the good folk at HUDC insisted on a name change to Hornchurch & Upminster to better represent the area (and I guess the largess of the 'Ornchurch Council wot had spent all the money).

The Upminster element of the name was dropped in late 1959 to become pure Hornchurch FC - apparently because "Hornchurch & Upminster" was too unwieldy for the super modern Athenian League to which the club had just been elected. We actually have one or two supporters left who still resent this terribly. (Not me, I'm from the 'ornchurch side of the river and regard anyone from Upminster as a posho - except Riverside64 who is originally from t'Norf and therfore as big a pleb as me).

If you are interested in more info on any of this, feel free to ask. I can bore on forever!

 

[Ian_Wrexham]

Watched high-flying Enfield grind out a point at home to lowly Haringey Borough in an entertaining Great Cambridge Road Derby.

Boro should have had enough to nick it, especially after Enfield's number six took a straight red card to prevent Boro from scoring a winner. Former Enfield Town stalwart Mark Kirby nearly sealed it spectacularly, crashing a volley against the bar. Boro had to settle for the point but at least it halts the run of defeats.

Get Friday out the way, now and focus on staying up.

 

[beautifulgame2015]

 

[Paddy]

Back to winning ways yesterday with a 2-1 win over Margate at King George's Field & the first match I've attended this season which hasn't resulted in a tie or defeat!

Knocking on the door of the play off spots & I'm not a jinx so all in all a good day.

 

[Ian_Wrexham]

Watched Boro host Champions Elect, Big Spending* Dorking tonight.

For the opening half hour, Dorking looked like a Bostik Barcelona, pulling us this way and that and breaking down our defence at will and they raced into a two goal lead. After about half an hour, they seemed to decide that the 246 home fans and one away fan had had enough entertainment for the evening and resorting to cynical fouling, time wasting and kicking lumps out of Michael Ademiluyi.

In the end we ended up scoring three times directly from set pieces that came from cynical fouls and won 3 - 2. Makes it three wins on the spin for Boro since the FA Cup defeat to Wimbledon.

They'll probably win the league as they're a) horrible and b) good at football but that was a very satisfying football match to watch.

* Don't know if this is true, but they had a player on the bench I'd actually heard of so I'm gonna run with it.

 

[Paddy]

Dorking probably have a bigger budget than most, they've been quite well backed in their rise up the pyramid, coupled with being the only club in town for the last 2 or so seasons & now being at the newly revamped Meadowbank ground.

Sadly I don't think they (or many teams in the division) are spending as much as we seem to be despite our current just-outside-of-playoffs position but we've seemed to have got our act together now.

 

[Pink Panther]

Dorking probably have a bigger budget than most, they've been quite well backed in their rise up the pyramid, coupled with being the only club in town for the last 2 or so seasons & now being at the newly revamped Meadowbank ground.

Their squad seems to have evolved over several seasons. Regardless of what they're spending, they haven't suddenly splurged loads of money on new players. Jason Prior and Sami El Abd joined last summer and I would imagine they don't come cheap, and they picked up a couple of decent players from Leatherhead Leatherhead and Merstham, but I recognise most of the names from the team that finished in mid-table last season. And of course bigger crowds at the refurbished town centre ground are a big plus.

Surely part of Kingstonian's problem is the ridiculous turnover in playing personnel since Craig Edwards' departure. The current manager seems to have rebuilt the entire team three times in just over twelve months.

 

[beautifulgame2015]

 

[Ian_Wrexham]

Their squad seems to have evolved over several seasons. Regardless of what they're spending, they haven't suddenly splurged loads of money on new players. Jason Prior and Sami El Abd joined last summer and I would imagine they don't come cheap, and they picked up a couple of decent players from Leatherhead Leatherhead and Merstham, but I recognise most of the names from the team that finished in mid-table last season. And of course bigger crowds at the refurbished town centre ground are a big plus.

Surely part of Kingstonian's problem is the ridiculous turnover in playing personnel since Craig Edwards' departure. The current manager seems to have rebuilt the entire team three times in just over twelve months.

Not having this informed discussion based on sound knowledge and reasonable deductions. Dorking have bought the league and at least one of their weekly training sessions involves chasing foxes through the Surrey countryside and ripping them apart with their teeth while burning £20 notes. Fact.

 

[Pink Panther]

Dorking have bought the league and at least one of their weekly training sessions involves chasing foxes through the Surrey countryside and ripping them apart with their teeth while burning £20 notes. Fact.

I hadn't been aware of this. With that sort of training regime the members of this forum could probably be moulded into an unstoppable Isthmian championship winning squad.

 

[DarkSithLord]

Long standing AFC Hornchurch manager Jim McFarlane has stood down.

 

[Etienne Vermeer]

Cray Wanderers finally have their new ground rubber stamped by the Mayor. Made up for them!

 

[Red Deserato]

Cray Wanderers finally have their new ground rubber stamped by the Mayor. Made up for them!

about time as well!

 

[Paddy]

Jealousy is an understatement. Congratulations Cray Wanderers!

 

[#Beebot]

Kingstonian sign Dean Inman from Billericay. Massive coup for Ks to sign a player who I regard as a top half NL defender. Couldn't commit to Billericay going full time apparently.

 

[#Beebot]

Mark Stimson leaves Waltham Abbey to become the new Hornchurch manager.

 

[Red Deserato]

Hoping for another Worthing win today. Bishop Stortford have a decent team and a certain Jamie Cureton playing for them

 

[Paddy]

Kingstonian sign Dean Inman from Billericay. Massive coup for Ks to sign a player who I regard as a top half NL defender. Couldn't commit to Billericay going full time apparently.

Made his debut today in our 4-0 home defeat to Haringey Borough. Oh K's

 

[Atavistic]

Found myself at Dorking Wanderers today for their top-of-the-table clash with Tonbridge Angels.

Was impressed with the set-up they have, but the game was absolutely awful, the ball spending the vast majority of the game in the air and very few clear-cut chances to go around as the teams cancelled each other. Just one great chance apiece going into stoppage time in the second half (both keepers had made a brilliant save at one point to keep it goalless) and it looked to be going to a 0-0, but Tonbridge somehow bagged one from a corner in the 93rd or 94th minute to get the win (the player who scored received the ball facing away from goal just outside the box, kicked it over his head and somehow scored in the process).

Doesn't really change much at the top though, given that Kingstonian and Worthing both lost as well. It's looking like a very interesting title race in this league, so long as Worthing don't win all their games in hand to open up a good gap between themselves and the rest.

 

[Red Deserato]

I don't think we'll threaten the top in the state we're in at the moment. The performances haven't been amazing for a while and the only player who has a real clinical edge is Adjiboye. Now he's injured we lack anyone who can cut through a defense. As well as that we have other key players injured which has made us vulnerable in other areas of the pitch. If we cant get scoring again then I can't see us staying in the playoffs long-term.

 

[Ian_Wrexham]

Made his debut today in our 4-0 home defeat to Haringey Borough. Oh K's

Weird game - thought K's looked the most dangerous before Boro scored - our goal was one of two clear chances for us in the first half. After the second or third went in (which was a goalkeeping error), K's really went to pieces - but up until then we were just more clinical. Still got a ringing in my ears from the Basingstoke Town drummers who showed up and lent their support to the away fans...

That's five wins from five though including playing three of the top four. Seem to be getting the hang of this division.

Found myself at Dorking Wanderers today for their top-of-the-table clash with Tonbridge Angels.

Was impressed with the set-up they have, but the game was absolutely awful, the ball spending the vast majority of the game in the air and very few clear-cut chances to go around as the teams cancelled each other. Just one great chance apiece going into stoppage time in the second half (both keepers had made a brilliant save at one point to keep it goalless) and it looked to be going to a 0-0, but Tonbridge somehow bagged one from a corner in the 93rd or 94th minute to get the win (the player who scored received the ball facing away from goal just outside the box, kicked it over his head and somehow scored in the process).

Doesn't really change much at the top though, given that Kingstonian and Worthing both lost as well. It's looking like a very interesting title race in this league, so long as Worthing don't win all their games in hand to open up a good gap between themselves and the rest.

Thought Dorking and Tonbridge were both decent footballing sides when I saw them - though both sides have been enduring some dire recent results, so maybe that explains the lack of faith in their tactics.