National League North 2023-24

[Ninety Per Cent]

Fortunately there's a few NLN posters in here, so will start posting a bit more.

The line up looks like this(with thanks to SpennyfanChris

National League North
1 Alfreton Town
2 Banbury United
3 Bishop's Stortford (Promoted From Isthmian League Premier As Champions)
4 Blyth Spartans
5 Boston United
6 Brackley Town
7 Buxton FC
8 Chester FC
9 Chorley FC
10 Curzon Ashton
11 Darlington FC
12 Farsley Celtic
13 Gloucester City
14 Hereford FC
15 King's Lynn Town
16 Peterborough Sports
17 Rushall Olympic (Promoted From SL Central Division As Play Off Winners)
18 Scarborough Athletic
19 Scunthorpe United (Relegated From National League)
20 South Shields (Promoted From NPL Premier Division As Champions)
21 Southport FC
22 Spennymoor Town
23 Tamworth FC (Promoted From Southern League Central PD As Champions)
24 Warrington Town (Promoted From NPL Premier Division As Play Off Winners)

I've not been to Spennymoor for 35 years, wonder if it's changed much? Local games against Boston, Kings Lynn and Chav Sports to look forward to. Farsley to see our Ex manager and Captain Russ Wilcox. returning to South Shields after they deservedly dumped us out the cup.

 

[Ninety Per Cent]

On paper things seem to be moving at Scunny... We have four new signings (Danny Whitehall, Michael Kelly, Tyler Denton and Will Evans) and there's pictures gone up (probably)of the club buying land in the Town.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1658435801397567492

It's north of the town centre. is it for a new ground? is it for training pitches? is it to get fans on side with a fans' forum at the ground tonight(Bond holders and Season Ticket holders first of course...)? who knows.

Nobody is sure. You have fans like Bottega Don who are firmly in the Dean/Hilton can do no wrong and should be backed at all costs camp,those who don't trust them at all and some are in the middle.

For me, the manager is completely out of his depth but he won't be going anywhere, and i want to trust the new owner but sounds like someone the Chester Supporters will be familar with.

 

[TonyM]

On paper things seem to be moving at Scunny... We have four new signings (Danny Whitehall, Michael Kelly, Tyler Denton and Will Evans) and there's pictures gone up (probably)of the club buying land in the Town.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1658435801397567492

It's north of the town centre. is it for a new ground? is it for training pitches? is it to get fans on side with a fans' forum at the ground tonight(Bond holders and Season Ticket holders first of course...)? who knows.

Nobody is sure. You have fans like Bottega Don who are firmly in the Dean/Hilton can do no wrong and should be backed at all costs camp,those who don't trust them at all and some are in the middle.

For me, the manager is completely out of his depth but he won't be going anywhere, and i want to trust the new owner but sounds like someone the Chester Supporters will be familar with.

Can't comment on the owner but many Lynn fans would have taken Dean when Culverhouse left and think he will do well for you at NLN, certainly in signing Tyler Denton you have got a proven starter at this level who can play either on the left of a back three or leftback / wingback. He lives in Yorkshire which is the reason we have been given for his move but will be sorely missed at the Walks and I am sure he will receive a warm welcome when he comes back with you.

Hope the fans meeting goes well tonight and people can come together and get the club's fortunes turned around

 

[BigDaveCUFC]

Cannot really tell you what Scunny need for this level because it’s one weird league to do well in.

Splashing cash helps but doesn’t always win you the league, York and Stockport had full time large squads and struggled, Fylde took 2 seasons.

Still Scunny is another addition to this league being mid 90’s division four.

 

[BigDaveCUFC]

Farsley manager left today that is a huge blow for them as he did so well considering the lack of resources there.

 

[SpennyfanChris]

Bishop's Stortford have appealed to being in the National League North

https://twitter.com/x/status/1658910739111845913

 

[BigDaveCUFC]

It won’t succeed I don’t know what other options they can do.although it is ridiculous having a club on that location in the north.

 

[SpennyfanChris]

I've not been to Spennymoor for 35 years, wonder if it's changed much? Local games against Boston, Kings Lynn and Chav Sports to look forward to. Farsley to see our Ex manager and Captain Russ Wilcox. returning to South Shields after they deservedly dumped us out the cup.

It's changed a lot, I've been watching a Spennymoor team play at the same ground for 18 years pretty much and seen the change in what the ground looks like, tidy ground compared to what it use to be when Spennymoor United folded

 

[Ninety Per Cent]

Can't comment on the owner but many Lynn fans would have taken Dean when Culverhouse left and think he will do well for you at NLN, certainly in signing Tyler Denton you have got a proven starter at this level who can play either on the left of a back three or leftback / wingback. He lives in Yorkshire which is the reason we have been given for his move but will be sorely missed at the Walks and I am sure he will receive a warm welcome when he comes back with you.

Hope the fans meeting goes well tonight and people can come together and get the club's fortunes turned around

Report from our forum:

It was about as candid as a fans forum you are likely to see.
Hilton did a complete character assassination on Swann; it felt abit uncomfortable after the first couple of jokes, however it was an easy clap in the room
The deal for the land has fallen through because of an unregistered piece of land in the car park- a piece of land that miraculously avoided detection when the land passed from Wharton to Swann. The strip of land can be used as a ransom strip against the club and hinders insuring the land. In addition the planning permission has expired on the apartments which will also require significant ground works due to being in a flood zone. There is an also a massive discrepancy in land valuations- Hilton had to agree on the original price to purchase the club and save us from going bust. It was that black and white: buy the club without carrying out due diligence or we were out of business.
Hilton has bought the land at Glebe road to build a new ground. The council are on board with this and I know this to be a fact, they proposed the land to him. The funding will come from multiple sources; the levelling up fund being one such source. No confirmation on design or capacity as it’s too early. The biggest obstacle will be land remediation work; Initial surveys have come back ok. However, no-one knows what was dumped there. Hilton is further ahead with progressing with the new ground than I Initially thought. He he hoping for planning in 3 months with completion set in 24 months.
In the short term, he hopes we remain at Glanford park. This is where it gets confusing and to be honest I can’t explain it well; he is sub letting the ground from himself, to the club for a minimum of 12 months but hoping for 24 months. He expects Swann to sue him personally for this. He is willing to pay Swann £20,000 a month to lease the ground but they are no longer in speaking terms. This will get incredibly messy as we all know Swann will fight this tooth and nail.
Hilton has paid off the tax bill in full and covering the wages since his purchase. Approx £200,000 a month in which less than 50% is spent on players- a truly shocking statistic.
The club is making little to no money on secondary spending, Ie food/drink/hospitality etc. we even lost money from the Oldham game due to policing costs. Whatever you think of the new ground, you surely must accept that GP is no longer fit for purpose in its current state.
Hilton also wants to invest £2million into a training facility, within scunthorpe, it will have 4g pitches/restaurant and possibly player accommodation. The site will be revealed soon and he is working with the council to develop this.
They are going out to win the league next year and are going to over spend “without being reckless” before moving to a sustainable model. This bit made me feel uneasy after our last endeavours but can we afford to spend years in the NLN?
Overall, I left the meeting feeling more optimistic than I have in years. However, we have all been here before haven’t we? I’ll continue to question decisions and remain cautious until we see action rather words. In the meantime he has my backing and I’ll encourage others to get behind the club as we really need to pull together now.

 

[TonyM]

Report from our forum:

Thanks for the link, I can understand the cautiousness but have to think you are in a better place than you were 12 months ago. Spending to get out at the first attempt isn't a given but should ensure you are at least there or thereabouts

 

[Clem Fandango]

Expected that Tim Flowers will be announced as our new manager at some point. Did very well first season at Solihull, ok second season. Beyond awful at Barnet, but seemed to do pretty well at Stratford albeit for only four months (steering them to safety tbf)..On the fence got to say, unfortunately nobody is going to have the CV Steven King has. Can't be any worse than Chris Todd or Paul Groves mind...surely

 

[Bottega Don]

On paper things seem to be moving at Scunny... We have four new signings (Danny Whitehall, Michael Kelly, Tyler Denton and Will Evans) and there's pictures gone up (probably)of the club buying land in the Town.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1658435801397567492

It's north of the town centre. is it for a new ground? is it for training pitches? is it to get fans on side with a fans' forum at the ground tonight(Bond holders and Season Ticket holders first of course...)? who knows.

Nobody is sure. You have fans like Bottega Don who are firmly in the Dean/Hilton can do no wrong and should be backed at all costs camp,those who don't trust them at all and some are in the middle.

For me, the manager is completely out of his depth but he won't be going anywhere, and i want to trust the new owner but sounds like someone the Chester Supporters will be familar with.

Sorry? What are you basing that on

 

[Chief Rocka]

Expected that Tim Flowers will be announced as our new manager at some point. Did very well first season at Solihull, ok second season. Beyond awful at Barnet, but seemed to do pretty well at Stratford albeit for only four months (steering them to safety tbf)..On the fence got to say, unfortunately nobody is going to have the CV Steven King has. Can't be any worse than Chris Todd or Paul Groves mind...surely

Flowers was Brexit football at Solihull, all 6ft+ fridges, kicked lumps out of teams, route one torpedo balls to the front men, minging stuff.

 

[Clem Fandango]

I don't think we scored a single goal from a corner this season, so having some taller players isn't necessary a bad thing. We were quite direct at times under Rowe, had Carline throwing Delap like balls into 6 foot 5 Liam Daly and stuff. Coincidentally Flowers had Carline and Daly at Solihull and re-signed Daly from us when he went to Barnet.

 

[TonyM]

On paper things seem to be moving at Scunny... We have four new signings (Danny Whitehall, Michael Kelly, Tyler Denton and Will Evans) and there's pictures gone up (probably)of the club buying land in the Town.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1658435801397567492

It's north of the town centre. is it for a new ground? is it for training pitches? is it to get fans on side with a fans' forum at the ground tonight(Bond holders and Season Ticket holders first of course...)? who knows.

Nobody is sure. You have fans like Bottega Don who are firmly in the Dean/Hilton can do no wrong and should be backed at all costs camp,those who don't trust them at all and some are in the middle.

For me, the manager is completely out of his depth but he won't be going anywhere, and i want to trust the new owner but sounds like someone the Chester Supporters will be familar with.

You can add Michael Clunan to your signings list https://www.kltown.co.uk/2023/05/22/clunan-departs-the-linnets/ . Dean attracting one of the NLN team of the season might suggest he isn't as out of his depth as you feared. If he is having a clear out then adding Denton and Clunan isn't a bad place to start and makes you firmly one of the favorites for next season and leaves two big holes to fill in one of your (potential) rivals.

 

[Lucky Bobble]

Callum Stead leaves Brackley. He was our Supporters', Players' & Manager's player of the year. Wants fulltime football, so presume he's had a NL offer.

 

[Harrier94]

Callum Stead leaves Brackley. He was our Supporters', Players' & Manager's player of the year. Wants fulltime football, so presume he's had a NL offer.

I do wonder if we're in for him. If we are what's he like? Didn't particular notice him in the final

 

[Lucky Bobble]

I do wonder if we're in for him. If we are what's he like? Didn't particular notice him in the final

No-one shone in the final. Good player, tenacious, fast, can score. We played him up front at start and at 5.7'' or so, it was hopeless. Coming from wide, or playing the second striker suits him. Got a lot better as the season progresses, so will need a bit of time. I'd probably jut about pick him ahead of Matty Lowe, who ended up with a move into L1 last year.

 

[Lucky Bobble]

P.s. Well done on the promotion.

Bitter at watching my 8th unsuccessful playoff campaign in 16 years... and at the hard slog of another season where the best we can hope for is another chance to lose in the playoffs... but Kiddy belong in the Nat League really.

Have Scunthorpe got a lot of money? I presumed they'd be broke after a shambolic few seasons?

 

[Bottega Don]

P.s. Well done on the promotion.

Bitter at watching my 8th unsuccessful playoff campaign in 16 years... and at the hard slog of another season where the best we can hope for is another chance to lose in the playoffs... but Kiddy belong in the Nat League really.

Have Scunthorpe got a lot of money? I presumed they'd be broke after a shambolic few seasons?

Remains to be seen whether we have money or not. We have a new owner but what kind of money he has is unknown.

I don't think taking Kings Lynn's better players shows we have money though particularly. We should be able to pay more than Kings Lynn, we get over double their attendances.

 

[Kenneth Dodd]

Remains to be seen whether we have money or not. We have a new owner but what kind of money he has is unknown.

I don't think taking Kings Lynn's better players shows we have money though particularly. We should be able to pay more than Kings Lynn, we get over double their attendances.

Trust me that doesn’t mean anything in this league it’s mind blowing seeing the squads the smaller supported clubs put together, being a well supported club doesn’t get you any points believe me.

 

[Clem Fandango]

Andy Whing quits as Banbury boss. Big surprise that one and difficult to replace for them

 

[Clem Fandango]

Flowers signed three today, all local players. Spencer Hamilton returns, was Captain at Chippenham. Also from Chippenham is Joe Hanks, massive signing that one as our set pieces were poor last season. He's a class act. Lastly was Danny Wright, at 38 he's definitely at "veteran" stage and then some but still did a ok job for Havant - clearly a target man though and I'd assume an option from the bench.

Seems there's been a lot of interest in Kieran Phillips which isn't too surprising however it's not beyond reasonable doubt that he could stay unless it's a really good offer from elsewhere. Hoping Harry Williams also makes a come back, Southern Prem top scorer and scored 39 in 41. Good start

 

[Bottega Don]

Trust me that doesn’t mean anything in this league it’s mind blowing seeing the squads the smaller supported clubs put together, being a well supported club doesn’t get you any points believe me.

I didn't say it did.

I was just saying we should be able to pay players more than Kings Lynn, it doesn't mean we are spending large amounts of money.

 

[Kenneth Dodd]

I didn't say it did.

I was just saying we should be able to pay players more than Kings Lynn, it doesn't mean we are spending large amounts of money.

It wasn’t a dig at yourself or your team it’s a reality in this league that the size of your crowd doesn’t always guarantee success .

 

[AndyPark]

Not the best of starts for us.

Alex Purver has turned down a new contract with us & went to Scarborough as he works with their manager and coach during the day.

Jack Lambert has also turned down a new deal to look for a FT club, he can definitely do a job at the league above - Would be furious if joined another club at our level.

But, we have signed Tom Platt from Boston & apparently next up is Nathan Buddle from Blyth.

 

[Ninety Per Cent]

You can add Michael Clunan to your signings list https://www.kltown.co.uk/2023/05/22/clunan-departs-the-linnets/ . Dean attracting one of the NLN team of the season might suggest he isn't as out of his depth as you feared. If he is having a clear out then adding Denton and Clunan isn't a bad place to start and makes you firmly one of the favorites for next season and leaves two big holes to fill in one of your (potential) rivals.

He's spending again, the only way he can manage, he'd be out of his depth at say, Yaxley who finished bottom of the NPL Midlands and went through three managers.

P.s. Well done on the promotion.

Bitter at watching my 8th unsuccessful playoff campaign in 16 years... and at the hard slog of another season where the best we can hope for is another chance to lose in the playoffs... but Kiddy belong in the Nat League really.

Have Scunthorpe got a lot of money? I presumed they'd be broke after a shambolic few seasons?

Not convinced yet, it's one thing after another here, Advertising board goes up saying land acquired for SUFC, and it gets removed two days later, at the moment we don't know where the games are next season, i wonder if the National League are watching this.

 

[Clem Fandango]

Chorley have a new owner, gotta say the press release reads like an inheritance scam email from Nigeria!

https://www.chorleyfc.com/2023/05/23/a-new-era-at-chorley-fc/

 

[AndyPark]

Well, we've just hit the 100k mark on the Boost the Budget with 7 days to go. Quickest we've ever gotten to this figure.

50k to go and the target is hit.

 

[Chief Rocka]

Chorley have a new owner, gotta say the press release reads like an inheritance scam email from Nigeria!

https://www.chorleyfc.com/2023/05/23/a-new-era-at-chorley-fc/

If that statement wasn't written by an AI I'll eat my hat.