2018-19 National League South

[Aberstone]

Following on from Braintree's playoff success, we now know the make-up of the division for next season.

Teams:
Bath City
Billericay Town
Chelmsford City
Chippenham Town
Concord Rangers
Dartford
Dulwich Hamlet
Eastbourne Borough
East Thurrock United
Gloucester City
Hampton and Richmond Borough
Hemel Hempstead Town
Hungerford Town
Oxford City
Slough Town
St Albans City
Torquay United
Truro City
Wealdstone
Welling United
Weston-Super-Mare
Woking

Warm welcome to yellow, Bleeper, Gullsdiv2, Gulliball, DontBringBertie, Sparrow, pinknblue and Pink Panther. If I've missed anybody else, apologies.

I'm looking forward to another year of midtable mediocrity but at least there are some more established clubs in here and new away days to look forward to this season.

 

[Gullsdiv2]

What’s the best away day down here then? Really don’t know what to expect from this league, hopefully for once we’re challenging at the right end of the table but not going to hold my breath!

 

[Aberstone]

What’s the best away day down here then? Really don’t know what to expect from this league, hopefully for once we’re challenging at the right end of the table but not going to hold my breath!

Bath and it's not even close.

 

[yellow]

Bath was fun last time.

 

[Bleeper]

Think if we get off to a good start and all the new grounds to see, we will take 200+ away i reckon.

 

[Raymondo316]

Has McGinty re-signed for you guys?? Always looked decent when I've seen you play & with him being a local lad i thought we might go in for him.

 

[Silver Stone]

C’mon Dulwich, blow right through this league like we did! And bring either Dartford or Torquay with you.

 

[Bleeper]

Has McGinty re-signed for you guys?? Always looked decent when I've seen you play & with him being a local lad i thought we might go in for him.

He hasn't signed as yet but wouldn't be too disappointed if he leaves... The Plainmoor stand's roofs will be happy!

 

[Farleigh]

Stronger than last year. You would expect Woking, Torquay, Dulwich and the mad circus club to do well.

 

[yellow]

Has McGinty re-signed for you guys?? Always looked decent when I've seen you play & with him being a local lad i thought we might go in for him.

Please take him.

 

[Seventyseven]

Stronger than last year. You would expect Woking, Torquay, Dulwich and the mad circus club to do well.

Yes, others would expect us to do well being an ex-League club and staying full-time. But I'm under no illusion as to how tough this league is going to be. Let's face it, we were no great shakes last season, or the season before that, or the season before that and unless Owers puts out a team that have the passion and desire to win every game then we are going to struggle.

I've mentioned this before elsewhere, but Gulls fans who have not been to the likes of East Thurrock, Concord et al are in for a very big culture shock. Teams in this league don't play 'pretty' football and some of the defending would make Norman Hunter wince.

Some of the grounds are full of 'character', typical non-league affairs. But, this is where we're at.... this is what we have to look forward to in a year that could either see us creep our way back into the top level of non league, or see us fail... much to the delight of our current owner who would love nothing more than the Plainmoor faithful stay away in droves making it much much easier for the weasel to get his hands on the freehold.

 

[Pink Panther]

What’s the best away day down here then? Really don’t know what to expect from this league, hopefully for once we’re challenging at the right end of the table but not going to hold my breath!

St Albans is a decent day out close to London. Old school ground with ancient main stand close to the station. Roman ruins, mediaeval cathedral city with lots of pubs.

C’mon Dulwich, blow right through this league like we did! And bring either Dartford or Torquay with you.

The priority for Dulwich is to still be in this division when we get back to our own ground, which may take a couple of years. The good news is that Gavin Rose looks like staying fora 10th season as manager, and with the ridiculous 6 team play-offs for second place I wouldn't rule us out.

 

[DontBringBertie]

CORRECT THREAD for a change. We’re not gonna piss this tinpot league.

 

[Raymondo316]

Please take him.

By that I take it he's normally pretty crap then??

 

[yellow]

He can head further than most can kick, while his most common passing target has been somewhere out of the stadium. Terrible footballer.

Fully expecting him to re-sign here.

 

[Aberstone]

He can head further than most can kick, while his most common passing target has been somewhere out of the stadium. Terrible footballer.

Fully expecting him to re-sign here.

Sounds like your average Conny Sarf defender then.

St Albans is a decent day out close to London. Old school ground with ancient main stand close to the station. Roman ruins, mediaeval cathedral city with lots of pubs.

The priority for Dulwich is to still be in this division when we get back to our own ground, which may take a couple of years. The good news is that Gavin Rose looks like staying fora 10th season as manager, and with the ridiculous 6 team play-offs for second place I wouldn't rule us out.

On St. Albans, yeah that's a decent enough away day but I'm not a fan of Clarence Park, it's just a concrete mess even with all its history. Chelmsford has plenty of pubs in the city centre and I always enjoy Truro. I'm just hoping the fixture gods give us Weston away on a day that I can attend - 5 seasons we'll have been in this league with them now and various reasons have prevented me from attending the first 4. It's also the only ground from the clubs in the league last year that I've yet to visit.

 

[Kim Mitten]

Think Torquay will have a similar time of it to York this season, fancy them to challenge for the playoffs, may get in, may not. As 77 said will be a culture shock, wait for Concord, they're not even the biggest team on Canvey.

Expecting Billeri$$$$ay to walk away with it, only hope is Tamplin gets fully involved in team affairs and they stumble to mid-table. Dartford and Chelmsford to be up there again along with Woking.

 

[Pinner Stones]

Sounds like your average Conny Sarf defender then.



On St. Albans, yeah that's a decent enough away day but I'm not a fan of Clarence Park, it's just a concrete mess even with all its history. Chelmsford has plenty of pubs in the city centre and I always enjoy Truro. I'm just hoping the fixture gods give us Weston away on a day that I can attend - 5 seasons we'll have been in this league with them now and various reasons have prevented me from attending the first 4. It's also the only ground from the clubs in the league last year that I've yet to visit.

St Albans is fun initially but actually the ground isn’t all that, so dampens the experience.

Truro as a weekend is great as long as you don’t spend the whole time in the county town.

As Aber says Chelmo has decent pubs in town, one which piles away fans with free shots to keep them there. Even Bill n Riccay had a great micro pub not far from the ground.

Best away trip bar none is Bath. Just a brilliant day out.

 

[yellow]

When are fixtures out? Same as the conference (early July?)?

Fully expecting all of our relatively local games to be Tuesdays - Bath, Weston, Chippenham.

Truro at Christmas.

 

[Aberstone]

Yup, same time as the National. Weston was our lengthy Tuesday night trip last season and if we have to go somewhere distance wise midweek, I'd hope it was Gloucester and/or Chippenham.

Slough will be our festive fixture.

 

[DarkSithLord]

BREAKING: Woking appoint Alan Dowson as their new manager from Hampton and Richmond Borough. Martin Tyler is also on his coaching staff.

 

[Aberstone]

Alan Dowson's record speaks for itself, success at Walton, Kingstonian and Hampton. He'll get Woking in the right direction if he is given time. Bad timing for Hampton though as there will likely be a player exodus heading down the M3 so whoever takes the job there will need to get a move on with player recruitment.

Glenn Tamplin has confirmed on Twitter that the budget will be cut to £15,000 per week which will still be the highest budget in the league (Torquay fans to confirm).

 

[yellow]

From the numbers I've been told, I believe that's higher than ours.

Feels unusual for us to be signing players this early, but Bobson Bawling has joined, fresh off a long term injury. A quick google of his name brings up him missing an open goal from about 3 yards in an FA Cup game last season. Should fit in.

 

[LondonOrn]

Bath was fun last time.

View attachment 8370

Was that when you played them in the FA Cup in 2007? I went to Twerton Park once, when Bath played Woking in the Conference South play-off final in 2010 (Bath went up).

Bath is indeed a great place for an away trip, but I can't imagine Twerton being a very pleasant place to live in, if the numerous weirdos goading the Woking fans just outside the ground on that day are anything to go by.

 

[yellow]

Yeh. Remember it well - managed to avoid the trouble outside fortunately!

 

[LondonOrn]

This lot were doing it from just outside the ground while the match was in progress, I don't remember anything kicking off after the match though. The Woking fans just laughed at them, that's what they deserved no more no less.

 

[Ollie.TUFC]

By that I take it he's normally pretty crap then??

I can't remember which match it was in this season just gone, but I remember the ball was passed back to him and he was under no pressure whatsoever. He hoofs the ball and it goes out for a throw in. I think there's potential in him somewhere under the right manager, but we are yet to see it in a yellow shirt.

 

[Pinner Stones]

15k Aber? That’s 5k up on what he said a couple of weeks ago, though about half of what he was paying last season.

 

[Raymondo316]

Glenn Tamplin has confirmed on Twitter that the budget will be cut to £15,000 per week which will still be the highest budget in the league (Torquay fans to confirm).

Knew he wouldn't stick to 10k a week like he claimed. I bet that budget will go up again before the season starts.

 

[yellow]

This lot were doing it from just outside the ground while the match was in progress, I don't remember anything kicking off after the match though. The Woking fans just laughed at them, that's what they deserved no more no less.

Nah, if I recall right we had a decent following up there as it was when we were big dogs in the Conference (what I'd do for that standing right now...god bless the brotherhood). There was quite a bit going on in between fans (throwing of bottles etc) in the ground, and it spilled outside as all the Bath lot waited outside the away end.