Isthmian Pub Leagues 2016/17

[Paddy]

Welcome to the jungle, baby. Running off the basis that there's barely any of us left on this forum who support Isthmian teams because they've all pissed off to the Conference South (stop getting yourselves bloody promoted) I felt like it was my responsibility to make the new season thread for the second season running.

ISTHMIAN LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION
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This is where the magic happens - Or almost happens if you are Dulwich. We wave goodbye to Hampton & Richmond Borough as league champions as well as Electric Train Unit (you had to be there) who were victorious in the play offs. It's a strange hello to Havant & Waterlooville who oddly go Isthmian ahead of Hayes while we welcome back those farmers Lowestoft Town from the barren wastelands of the north. AFC Sudbury, Folkestone Invicta, Harlow Town & Worthing all join the fun from the Isthmian feeder leagues below. Pending the powers that be sensibly swapping Hayes with Havant the Premier Division line up is as follows:

AFC Sudbury (promoted from Isthmian Division One North)
Billericay Town
Bognor Regis Town
Burgess Hill Town
Canvey Island
Dulwich Hamlet
Enfield Town
Folkestone Invicta (promoted from Isthmian Division One South)
Grays Athletic
Harlow Town (promoted from Isthmian Division One North)
Harrow Borough
Havant & Waterlooville (relegated from National League South)
Hendon
Kingstonian
Leatherhead
Leiston
Lowestoft Town (relegated from National League North)
Merstham
Metropolitan Police
Needham Market
Staines Town
Tonbridge Angels
Wingate & Finchley
Worthing (promoted from Isthmian Division One South)

Anyone daring enough to make any predictions so early on? Personally I'd have Dulwich as faves for the title, obviously on the basis that the mighty Kingstonian do not win the league. Folkestone are my dark horses for a play off spot while I'm also hoping Lowestoft & Leiston both go down so we can return to a more traditional Isthmian League.

ISTHMIAN LEAGUE DIVISION ONE NORTH
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I've never heard of some of these places let alone know anything about their football teams. AFC Hornchurch should be due a return to the Premier after coming close last season although I'm not sure the "you have fans on 1FF therefor you will be promoted" theme applies to them, something I call the Kingstonian effect.

AFC Hornchurch
Aveley
Bowers & Pitsea (promoted from Essex Senior League)
Brentwood Town (relegated from Isthmian Premier)
Brightlingsea Regent
Bury Town
Cheshunt
Dareham Town
Great Wakering Rovers
Haringey Borough
Heybridge Swifts
Maldon & Tiptree
Norwich United (promoted from the Eastern Counties Premier)
Phoenix Sports
Romford
Soham Town Rangers
Thamesmead Town
Thurrock
TIlbury
VCD Athletic (relegated from Isthmian Premier)
Waltham Abbey
Ware (transferred from Southern Division One Central)
Witham Town
Wroxham

ISTHMIAN LEAGUE DIVISION ONE SOUTH
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This is an interesting division, with Cray & Godalming both joining from the Southern League & Lewes being relegated down from the Premier. Guernsey add to the occasion but season after season they are languishing in the division so the novelty might be starting to ware thin there.

Carshalton Athletic
Chatham Town
Chipstead
Corinthian-Casuals
Cray Wanderers (transferred from Isthmian Division One North)
Dorking Wanderers
East Grinstead Town
Faversham Town
Godalming Town (transferred from Southern Division One Central)
Greenwich Borough (promoted from Southern Counties East)
Guernsey
Hastings United
Herne Bay
Horsham (promoted from Southern Combination League)
Hythe Town
Lewes (relegated from Isthmian Premier)
Molesey
Ramsgate
Sittingbourne
South Park
Three Bridges
Tooting & Mitcham United
Walton Casuals
Whyteleafe

 

[Murphy]

Norwich United and Romford representing the my adopted home vs my actual home(ish), is quite amusing, even that far down the pyramid!

 

[Aberstone]

Havant should piss the Premier tbh. Most talented squad, biggest budget (if I was to guess). Their undoing was being mentally fragile, heads would drop once they conceded.

 

[Raymondo316]

Harlow's owner is aiming to get them into the football league.
http://www.harlowstar.co.uk/Harlow-...fans-support/story-29258595-detail/story.html

So looks like you can look forward to another team throwing money around.

 

[JaredSUFC]

In Isthmian 1 South the new Carshalton manager is one Dean Lodge

 

[chipmunx]

Geez - are Lewes and Hyde United (oop Norf) having a race to see who can go from Conference National to local league park football the quickest?

 

[Tilbury]

Awful additions to the north (bar that Norwich team).
I saw actually going to see Harlow for an outside bet for the play-offs even before I saw that article. Alex Read will bang a load of goals in for them.

 

[Paddy]

In Isthmian 1 South the new Carshalton manager is one Dean Lodge

wait... what?

 

[rudebwoyben]

Hopefully Hendon will be playing at their new ground in West Hendon rather than at Earlsmead this season. Surely they'll do much better than last season?
As for Fingate, I'd imagine a similar finish to last season would be a great achievement for them.

 

[DarkSithLord]

Hopefully Hendon will be playing at their new ground in West Hendon rather than at Earlsmead this season. Surely they'll do much better than last season?
As for Fingate, I'd imagine a similar finish to last season would be a great achievement for them.

Bit off topic but have you heard about a new football club in North London?

Enfield Borough FC http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/enfieldboroughfc

Looks like they are taking the place of Brimsdown in the Spartan South Midlands League

 

[rudebwoyben]

Yes, I've heard about that. They're going to be playing at Enfield Town's ground. Are they a successor to Brimsdown?

 

[DarkSithLord]

Yes, I've heard about that. They're going to be playing at Enfield Town's ground. Are they a successor to Brimsdown?

Yes apparently they are. Is that 3 clubs in Enfield now? Enfield Town, Enfield 1893 and Enfield Borough?

 

[rudebwoyben]

Yes apparently they are. Is that 3 clubs in Enfield now? Enfield Town, Enfield 1893 and Enfield Borough?

Enfield 1893 play at Harlow's ground.

 

[DarkSithLord]

Enfield 1893 play at Harlow's ground.

Ah ok. Still there is a large amount of clubs in a small area in North London.

 

[chipmunx]

which one (if any) of the Enfield clubs took over from the Enfield we played in the epic 1988 FA Trophy 4 match semi-final?

 

[Etty Abrics]

K's v Folkestone play-off final, calling it early hehe

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

 

[DarkSithLord]

Nobody expecting Bognor to go one better next season and clinch the title?

 

[rudebwoyben]

which one (if any) of the Enfield clubs took over from the Enfield we played in the epic 1988 FA Trophy 4 match semi-final?

Enfield Town are generally regarded as the 'real' Enfield club.

 

[Paddy]

Enfield 1893 were the direct continuation of the old Enfield, but there was something the supporters took exception too & so they split to form Enfield Town (a bit like the MK Dons/AFC Wimbledon scenario but less publicized & no one fucked over a smaller non league club in the process).

K's v Folkestone play-off final, calling it early hehe

I reckon Folkesone will be there. Unfortunately Kingstonian are usually either exceptional or mediocre so it'll be league champions or sod all for us.

 

[JaredSUFC]

Weren't Enfield 1893 formed when the old Enfield club went bust in 2007? Town were formed in 2001 because EFC showed no desire really in returning to Enfield (they were at Boreham Wood at the time).

 

[Paddy]

Weren't Enfield 1893 formed when the old Enfield club went bust in 2007? Town were formed in 2001 because EFC showed no desire really in returning to Enfield (they were at Boreham Wood at the time).

That's the one.

 

[Paddy]

How did I let this bit of super important news slip me by for 24 hours? I must be living under a rock to be late to this party...

http://www.kingstonian.com/news/ryman-league-charity-shield-1615017.html

As if the honour & prestige of winning the Turvey wasn't enough it now seems that we've managed to sort out the game that only occasionally gets played: the Isthmian League Charity Shield. On Tuesday 2nd August (so it's a pre season game...) we travel over the Thames to take on Isthmian League champions Hampton & Richmond Borough at the Beveree. No doubt both sides will see this as their highlight of the 2016/17 season & put out their strongest sides without a care in the world about the league kick off just around the corner.

 

[chipmunx]

we have just signed Moussa Diarra from H & R - any opinions on him?

 

[Anon]

Took the plunge and got a Hamlet season ticket yesterday.

Danny Waldren has gone, Damien Scannell off to Tonbridge. Edwards loan ended as well.

 

[GFCSludge]

Go on the Bourne!

 

[Paddy]

Andre McCollin has moved from K's to Tonbridge Angels.

We are officially fucked now.

 

[Kim Mitten]

Took the plunge and got a Hamlet season ticket yesterday.

Danny Waldren has gone, Damien Scannell off to Tonbridge. Edwards loan ended as well.

How was Scannell? Loved him at Southend, some real virtuoso performances, mainly from the bench.

I look forward to watching this level again next season, also think Folkestone could be a dark horse in the Premier, but then I thought that about Needham Market last season!
Also looking forward to how Bowers & Pitsea do in the North.

 

[Anon]

How was Scannell? Loved him at Southend, some real virtuoso performances, mainly from the bench.

Only saw a few games last season, think I only saw him two or three times and he didn't stand out, did little as sub in the E.Thurrock playoff final - but then so did all of the players. The Hamlet regular PinknBlue will give a better appraisal.

 

[publeaguelegend]

we have just signed Moussa Diarra from H & R - any opinions on him?

MOOSE! That's a hell of a commute. Tall, gangly, looked solid enough in our tie in south west London.

 

[chipmunx]

MOOSE! That's a hell of a commute. Tall, gangly, looked solid enough in our tie in south west London.

6'5" and 14 goals last season - we signed him and a "small" 6'4" 28 goal striker on Sunday then Chester's top scorer from last season - 24 goal Ross Hannah on Monday