Southern League 2017/18

[Jemfy]

Another 2 friendlies down, another 2 reasonable results against sides from levels above us.

First we lost 2-1 to St Ives, who have a good tactical manager we've encountered a fair few times before. They outdid us with a good game plan, and could be a good surprise package in the SLP.

Then we drew 2-2 at Brackley last night. Not entirely sure why that was an away game at the higher placed club, but it was. A credible draw even if we were outplayed for most of the match, against a side aiming for the top end of the conference north.

In squad news we've not formally added anyone new, but Peaks has made noises about having mostly used the old faces, and giving the opportunity for other players during the upcoming friendlies, so hopefully we will see some decent trialists.

Outgoing has been club stalwart Brad Harris. 213 games and 10 goals (earning him the nickname "goal machine"), Brad was leading our appearances chart having started with the club in the UCL Div 1. He's joined Rugby Town, who are now at step 5, on a 1 year contract! This is apparently a deal which we could not match both financially and in terms of practicalities (location, reduced travel, and his family commitments). He goes with out best wishes, it's sad to lose a player who is both versatile and committed. He always put a shift in.

As a side note, if anywhere takes bets on the winners of step 5 divisions then I'd like to know so I can put something on Rugby. They are either going to win the thing or implode.

Elsewhere in the division there are rumours that Bedford are putting in a bit of money for a run at it this season. I imagine we'll be hearing about a few other sides spending on their squads soon enough, after all it is the season with extra promotion(s) on offer.

 

[Jemfy]

Big blow for Diamonds as Ross Oulton has seen a occurrence of his injury, meaning he's going to be out for 6 months again.

Oulton was a hugely influential player in the first few months of last season, but got injured and was sorely missed. To be without him again for 6 months is going to be another big blow and may mean we look to bring in a fresh face there.

We're also still waiting on Jack Ashton's return from injury, and with Brad leaving we're now very short at CB.

I guess the sliver lining is that at least it was done in time that we have a couple of friendlies to try players out in and see how it goes. We've got a couple in the squad who can try to fill Oulton's boots, but the main player who was playing that role last season, Dan Quigley, has gone to Leamington this summer.

 

[Jemfy]

After winning our last friendly at Haydn Road (5-1 "away" vs Rushden & Higham), we've signed young full back Callum Westwood to a contract for the season. This makes him our only contracted player. There might have been a 7 day approach in the works for him, or we might have just felt the pressure to hold on to him after struggling to fill the position adequately for a while. Either way I'm pretty happy with this, Callum is a good full back, and he could develop in to a player who is capable of going much higher, if that is the case then it would be great to get a transfer fee.

Meanwhile the club have also confirmed that Ollie Brown-Hill and Taylor Orosz have gone elsewhere to try and find games. Both reasonable but not stand-out players. Brown-Hill seemed a good winger/attacking midfielder, while Orosz started to show something at the back end of last season as a winger/striker with a fair bit of pace. Orosz has signed for Newport Pagnell in the UCL, where he should do well. It's more a loss of depth than strength overall.

 

[E10rifle]

Should we rename this "The previously-bankrolled no-mark Frankenstein club thread"? I'm a stickler for accuracy.

 

[Jemfy]

Another friendly result from last night - Diamonds 4 - 2 Winslow United

We got to grips with the use of Hillgrounds as a home venue for the first time, going 2-0 up and then being pegged back to 2-2. Dillon then came on as a sub and scored 2, to make it 5 in the last 2 games and round out the scoring.

Winslow play 2 levels lower, so it's a bit of a nothing game in terms of the result, a few more trialists got some time on the pitch. Some more minutes for everyone. Not a terrible nor great performance by all accounts, though we seemed weak at the back while Winslow seemed strong going forwards. I imagine we will be keeping an eye on their lad who scored both of their goals.

Next up is a final friendly on Friday at Corby, I expect to see some more game time for final decisions on some of the trialists and youngsters getting a go. Interestingly we will line up against a few former AFCR&D players, as well as their former R&DFC representatives in GK Paul Bastock and manager David Bell.

 

[GarthK_HYUFC]

Should we rename this "The previously-bankrolled no-mark Frankenstein club thread"? I'm a stickler for accuracy.

Well I don't think we've ever been bankrolled. If we have the ones chucking the money in have been shit

 

[GarthK_HYUFC]

As pre season has been done and dusted for over a week now I shall give a run down on key players...if I can...I'm struggling to really put together a "preview" as I simply have no clue who the hell has signed up!!

Standout trialist has to be Sean Coughlan.. he seems like he has a lot of potential just needs to work on finishing but I'm confident he can bring something to the squad if signed.

Ishmael Ehui. Just nice to see him back again as he was a fan favourite previously back in the National South. He didn't score in pre season but I'm sure goals will come.

Joakim Ehui. Ishmaels brother. Decent player but not sure he's got what it takes.

Frankie Jones. Already confirmed as signed. Went off injured in the final pre season game and whilst not being a major loss it will be a small gap that'll need to be filled, if he is out for a while.

Luke ?. Don't know his surname. But he is very good on the overlap he's got plenty of gametime in pre season and I'm really hoping he is signed.

Whilst we do have more players officially signed. I'm going to be honest and say I still know hardly anything about them.

The GK we had in pre season needs to go as well he was awful.

On we go to Aylesbury next Saturday! Cannot wait.

Venue TBC

Am hoping for some news this week on the ground as the venue of the Aylesbury game MUST be decided

 

[Jemfy]

As pre season has been done and dusted for over a week now I shall give a run down on key players...if I can...I'm struggling to really put together a "preview" as I simply have no clue who the hell has signed up!!

Standout trialist has to be Sean Coughlan.. he seems like he has a lot of potential just needs to work on finishing but I'm confident he can bring something to the squad if signed.

Ishmael Ehui. Just nice to see him back again as he was a fan favourite previously back in the National South. He didn't score in pre season but I'm sure goals will come.

Joakim Ehui. Ishmaels brother. Decent player but not sure he's got what it takes.

Frankie Jones. Already confirmed as signed. Went off injured in the final pre season game and whilst not being a major loss it will be a small gap that'll need to be filled, if he is out for a while.

Luke ?. Don't know his surname. But he is very good on the overlap he's got plenty of gametime in pre season and I'm really hoping he is signed.

Whilst we do have more players officially signed. I'm going to be honest and say I still know hardly anything about them.

The GK we had in pre season needs to go as well he was awful.

On we go to Aylesbury next Saturday! Cannot wait.

Venue TBC

Am hoping for some news this week on the ground as the venue of the Aylesbury game MUST be decided

What about the other players signed up? Do you have an expected starting XI for the first game?

We only finished preseason games on Friday, I expect at least one of the trialists to be signed up, possibly more, suggesting we're going to have a signings announcement at some point next week - I'll do a squad preview at that point.

Also what exactly is going on with your ground situation? Is it similar to ours? (i.e. trying to get up to standard) What are the options for your first game venue?

We've only got 2 home games in August, which gives us time to get up to scratch, and only two again in September (barring cups), which suggests that from the ground perspective the fixtures have been as kind as they could be.

 

[Jemfy]

Big news from Diamonds today is that Hayden Road has been graded up to standard, meaning that all our home games will now take place in Rushden.

Absolutely delighted with that, it must have been a monumental effort by volunteers in order to get this all done in time.

This means that Hanwell will now have to travel a little further for the opening game of the season on Saturday. Hopefully they turn up to the right ground!

 

[GarthK_HYUFC]

Congrats to you all at Rushden & Diamonds.

We also have great news!! We will be playing at HOME this season. Hopefully this time round we won't be kicked out!

I'm shocked after all the delays in just giving us a yes or no answer this week (and the last 5/6 years) I was just expecting to hear the worst but nope I'm proved wrong and for the good of course!!

 

[Tivvyultras]

well I would take mid table obsurety and as for being bank rolled look where it got us set us back 5 years just to let everyone know I will be putting the fixtures/results and attendances up in this forum as I did for the S&W last season

 

[Tivvyultras]

Fixtures for the SL Prem 12th August
all 3pm ko unless stated otherwise

Banbury 5-1 Dorchester 369
Basingstoke 1-3 Frome 296
Biggleswade 0-3 Chesham 202
Kings Lynn 2-0 Gosport 827
Kings Langley 3-3 Hereford 661
Merthyr 0-0 Hitchin 439
Redditch 5-0 Dunstable 219
Royston 1-2 Stratford 224
Slough 1-2 Kettering 760
St. Neots 0-1 Frome 275
Tiverton 2-1 Bishops Stortford 253
Weymouth 0-1 St. Ives 665

 

[Jemfy]

OK I was expecting an official squad update from us before the start of the season, but it looks like we won't get anything new. Two latest signings (Punter and Bell-Toxtle) were written about in the local rag with quotes from Peaks, but not announced on the OS. Perhaps the club were expecting some more forms to be submitted to do one bigger update, or perhaps it's an oversight, either way here is everyone who is officially signed up as far as I can see:

Goalkeepers:
Matt Finlay - Reliable 'keeper who has been with us for a few years now. Solid, though maybe unspectacular. A cool head.
Ben Heath - Played as backup last season, and played his way in to a few games too, a good young 'keeper who should be challenging for the starting job.
There was little to choose between the two in the closing stages of last season. Neither has stood out for making mistakes, while both make good saves.

Defenders:
Callum Westwood - 19 year old RB who we've put under contract, which probably indicates interest from other clubs. Very good young player who has solved a problem position in the squad at the back end of last season, he should develop in to someone capable of playing a couple of levels higher, if not even more than that.
Sam Brown - Really sold LB, has been with us since UCL Div 1 days, reliable and capable of going forwards and putting in a good cross. Has filled in reasonably well at CB when called upon to do so.
Liam Dolman - Huge unit of a central defender, with a surprisingly cultured touch. Obviously relatively slow, but his reading of the game and heading are great, and he's always a danger at set pieces.
Jack Ashton - Probably our best CB in my opinion, however Jack is currently on a long term injury again. Not sure when he'll be back, but he'd be my choice to start when fit
Blaize Punter - New signing, previously with Rugby and Barwell, he's floated around a few clubs at this level. He scored in our final preseason against Corby. Hopefully a good solid signing.
We're a bit light in defense, so hopefully there will be a signing or two more to cover here, as well as coverage from some of the more utility players. Here the loss of Brad Harris as Mr Utility really shows.

Midfielders:
Richard Bunting - Club captain, a solid combative CM. Unspectacular but does a job.
Lewis Leslie - Attacking midfielder, decent enough on his day, but wouldn't be upset if he were one of the players who finds a squad position hard to come by and moves on for first team football elsewhere
Ben Farrell - A more defensively minded CM, a starting choice for me. A player who has played at conference level in the past and has a touch of relative class about him from that experience. One of the old men of the squad at 31.
Ben Ford - Left sided midfielder, likely to be mostly cover at LM and LB. A squad player rather than a starter for me.
Ross Oulton - High quality attacking CM, Oulton's injury last season was a key point, and he's gone and repeated the same injury in preseason. It'll all be about when he's fit again, and how the injuries affect him.
Joe Curtis - Decent CM player, not a stand out from his performances last season, but not poor either. He'll do a job.
Joel Gyasi - Joel was initially with us for the first few games of the UCL Premier winning season, he left to go abroad and now he's back in the country he's joined up again. Pacy winger who seems to have a good delivery on him, we'll have to see if it translates to competitive games at this level of course.
Luke Fairlamb - Similar to Gyasi, Fairlamb joined us once before, but he never made a competative appearance, moving on before going back to the US. He's now back in the country having finished his time at the college he was at. Another pacy winger that has been an exciting prospect in preseason.
Darryl Smith - Stepped up from Newport Pagnell, attacking midfielder/winger. Scored a few for them, hoping he can translate that up to this level. Part of their run to the FA Vase quarter finals too, so he has some good cup experience.
Fernando Bell-Toxtle - Young attacking midfielder released by Cambridge United, played the second half of last season on loan at St Neots the level above
A fair few midfielders but I expect one or two to move on sooner or later in order to find first team football. Oulton out long term too, but included for when he's fit again.

Forwards:
Tom Lorraine - Affectionately nicknamed "shanks" due to his shooting from range, Lorraine has been a good servant to the club, works hard and drops back when required. A bit of an all round player doesn't stand out with any particular aspect of his game. Generally fairly selfless too. Most seasons he's been good for about 15 goals or so.
Nabil Shariff - Former R&DFC player, Nabs is skillful on the ball and has a good shot on him, but is very much a form striker. On form he's too good for this level, off it he's anonymous. 26 goals in all comps last season.
Chris Dillon - Arguably the striker we've been missing for a couple of years since reaching this level, Dillon is an experienced player and a fox in the box, he'll compliment either Lorraine or Shariff. He's got a good goalscoring record both at this level and the one above.
Just the 3 out-and-out forwards in the squad right now. Smith or Fairlamb could easily push forwards to act as a striker.

That's 20, though 2 are out injured long term so really 18 to pick a matchday 16 from. We've also got 4 youngsters listed - Henbury (striker), Desborough (Midfielder), Baird (midfielder) and Shipley (striker), I expect all of these to be playing either U21 football or to dual register and represent UCL clubs. Hopefully we'll add another defender or two, we had a few more on trial.

 

[Darlo On Tour]

Four new faces for Aylesbury

Aylesbury FC Manager Davis Haule has completed his squad signings with the addition of another four players.
Ben Bateman, is a combative midfielder who breaks up play in front of the back four and who also has a good range of passing.
Matt Cruse is an attacking midfielder, quick and athletic. Most recently Matt was at Ardley but was also a prolific goalscorer from midfield for Buckingham Athletic with 28 goals from 57 appearances.
Ken Feyi is a very powerful striker. Player who has come through the U18s side.
Kuda Butawo is a speedy winger who can play on the right or the left. Has played at Luton Town Cedars for the past two seasons.

 

[Darlo On Tour]

Hitchin take Hatters midfielder on loan

Young Luton Town midfielder Kavan Cotter has joined Non-League neighbours Hitchin Town on a one-month youth loan.
The 18-year-old signed his first professional contract with the Town this summer after captaining the youth team.

 

[Tivvyultras]

Few new faces for Tiverton
GK Martin Rice signed from Confrence South side Truro. has experience in the football league with Exeter & Torquay
LB Liam Gregory was in Tiverton under 18's signed from neighbours Banstaple
CM Ollie Knowls Signed from Truro technically gifted and loves to shoot from range
RM Harry Horton signed from Bridgwater and was their captin left after relegation from Southern leauge
LM Callum Hall arived from Plymouths reserve side in S&W Premier division
CM Glenn Gould Promising youngster who's career was curtailed by injury recenly was at Seaton
ST Jordan Rodges Signed this summer from rivals Taunton a Prolific goal scorer for the peacocks who will add another dimension going forward with his pace and power

 

[Jemfy]

Full results for today:

AFC Dunstable 4 - 0 Fleet Town
AFCR&D 2 - 0 Hanwell Town
Arlsey 0 - 1 Marlow
Aylesbury United 1 - 4 Beaconsfield Town
Cambridge City 1 - 2 Ashford Town
Chalfont St Peter 1 - 2 Thame United
Egham 0 - 3 Barton Rovers
Hartley Wintney 2 - 0 Northwood
Hayes & Yeading 1 - 1 Aylsebury
Moneyfields 2 - 1 Kempston
Uxbridge 3 - 1 Bedford


For Diamonds it seems to be a case of "job done", a decent performance but Hanwell were good going forwards and hit the woodwork 3 times. Shariff netted both goals, first from the spot and second from a rebound. It remains to be seen where Hanwell will finish in the division, but you can't ask for much more than an opening day win, a clean sheet and no injuries. This was our first opening day win since 2013 apparently! Hopefully a sign we're starting a bit quicker this year.

Elsewhere the big results to look out for include Egham losing heavily at home to Barton Rovers. Common speculation was that Barton had lost a number of their better players, while Egham are normally a good side. Northwood are normally good too, so Hartley Wintney putting them away is a potential sign of things to come from them.

Quick turnaround though with a full set of midweek fixtures. For Diamonds it's a trip to Thame United, a real unknown quantity having been promoted to this level last season, Chalfont are normally a decent side for at least the first half of the season, so that should be a tough game.

 

[ForeverUnited]

Our draw yesterday means we will pass two years unbeaten away in the league. Our last away league defeat was 15th August 2015 our 3rd game ever. Unbelievable achievement.

 

[GarthK_HYUFC]

We had a completely new squad on that field. Barely recognised anyone and couldn't get a programme to match them neither as they sold out!

It was a match that took a while to really get going with nothing really happening until fairly late in the 1st half.

It was great to see Ehui score today. All the fans love him from his stint with us in the Conference South a couple of years back, hopefully many more from him.

We also had a couple of goals disallowed one of which I feel was fairly harsh. The ball swung straight into the net from a corner but all because the keeper ended up on the floor it was given as a foul. It was a cracking goal as well!

Aylesbury did threaten and we're certainly worthy of the goal they got. I missed the goal as my mate had to want a burger half way through the 2nd half.

On we go to Marlow on Tuesday night. Won't be attending as I'm off to Somerset for next week.

 

[Tivvyultras]

We had a completely new squad on that field. Barely recognised anyone and couldn't get a programme to match them neither as they sold out!

It was a match that took a while to really get going with nothing really happening until fairly late in the 1st half.

It was great to see Ehui score today. All the fans love him from his stint with us in the Conference South a couple of years back, hopefully many more from him.

We also had a couple of goals disallowed one of which I feel was fairly harsh. The ball swung straight into the net from a corner but all because the keeper ended up on the floor it was given as a foul. It was a cracking goal as well!

Aylesbury did threaten and we're certainly worthy of the goal they got. I missed the goal as my mate had to want a burger half way through the 2nd half.

On we go to Marlow on Tuesday night. Won't be attending as I'm off to Somerset for next week.

I'm so sorry

 

[Tivvyultras]

Monday 7:45 KO
Dortchester 1-0 Basingstoke 469
Hichin 2-2 St Neots 520

Tuesday 7:45 KO
Bishops Stortford 2-3 Kings Langley 355
Chesham 1-3 Banbury 355
Dunstable 1-4 Kings Lynn 145
Gosport 1-5 Slough 382
Hereford 1-0 Tiverton 2424
Kettering 1-0 Redditch 606
St. Ives 1-2 Biggleswade 184
Stratford 2-2 Merthyr 258
Wednesday 7:45 KO
Farmbough 0-1 Royston 324
Frome 1-4 Weymouth 408

 

[Jemfy]

Midweek results (east):

Beaconsfield 1 - 2 Hartley Wintney (Mon)

Ashford Town 3 - 2 Arlesey Town
Aylesbury 1 - 2 Cambridge City
Barton Rovers 0 - 1 Uxbridge
Bedford Town 3 - 1 Aylsebury United
Fleet Town 1 - 1 Chalfont St Peter
Hanwell 0 - 1 Egham
Kempston 1 - 0 AFC Dunstable
Marlow 3 - 1 Hayes & Yeading
Northwood 1 - 1 Moneyfields
Thame United 0 - 3 AFCR&D

Diamonds take another win with a clean sheet against a newly promoted side. From all accounts this could easily have been more, and we kept Thame, well, tame - which is almost surprising as apparently their frontman (Goss) apparently scored over 50 goals last season. Nabs scored 2, taking him up to 4 already, and the other came from CB Liam Dolman. More goals, a clean sheet, and top of the early season table (which means nothing right now of course). Can't ask for much more than that to go in to the FA Cup weekend!

Elsewhere it's interesting to see Barton Rovers pegged back after appearing to start strongly. After 2 games it's interesting to note only 5 clubs have a 100% record despite the fact there have only been 3 draws so far! A total of 6 teams currently unbeaten, including Marlow who made the playoffs last season, and just 3 teams without a point.

I note it's been a bit of a rough start for Hayes & Yeading, though Marlow are expected to be one of the strongest sides, so perhaps it's best to get that loss out of the system early?

 

[GarthK_HYUFC]

Midweek results (east):

Beaconsfield 1 - 2 Hartley Wintney (Mon)

Ashford Town 3 - 2 Arlesey Town
Aylesbury 1 - 2 Cambridge City
Barton Rovers 0 - 1 Uxbridge
Bedford Town 3 - 1 Aylsebury United
Fleet Town 1 - 1 Chalfont St Peter
Hanwell 0 - 1 Egham
Kempston 1 - 0 AFC Dunstable
Marlow 3 - 1 Hayes & Yeading
Northwood 1 - 1 Moneyfields
Thame United 0 - 3 AFCR&D

Diamonds take another win with a clean sheet against a newly promoted side. From all accounts this could easily have been more, and we kept Thame, well, tame - which is almost surprising as apparently their frontman (Goss) apparently scored over 50 goals last season. Nabs scored 2, taking him up to 4 already, and the other came from CB Liam Dolman. More goals, a clean sheet, and top of the early season table (which means nothing right now of course). Can't ask for much more than that to go in to the FA Cup weekend!

Elsewhere it's interesting to see Barton Rovers pegged back after appearing to start strongly. After 2 games it's interesting to note only 5 clubs have a 100% record despite the fact there have only been 3 draws so far! A total of 6 teams currently unbeaten, including Marlow who made the playoffs last season, and just 3 teams without a point.

I note it's been a bit of a rough start for Hayes & Yeading, though Marlow are expected to be one of the strongest sides, so perhaps it's best to get that loss out of the system early?

It has been a rough start indeed. I didn't attend Tuesdays game as I'm away but according to fans we were awful. Hopefully that is the rocky start over and we can get that 1st win on the board against Thame United which can kickstart the season. Personally I don't think this squad has fully gelled as hardly any that played the opening game played in pre season as far as I'm aware. I'm still optimistic about the season personally very very early days but clearly we can't be as 'bad' as we were against Marlow.

I'm also worried about tomorrow's FA Cup game I reckon we could be in for a nasty surprise. They will know we've had a dodgy start and will pounce on that opportunity if we aren't careful

 

[Tivvyultras]

Saturday 19th August fixtures/results 15:00 KO unless stated otherwise
Bishops Stortford 2-3 Weymouth 288
Chesham 1-1 Tiverton 269
Dortchester 0-2 Kings Lynn 371
Dunstable 0-6 Merthyr 93
Farmbough 1-3 Redditch 328
Frome 2-3 Biggleswade 197
Gosport 2-3 Royston 287
Hereford 0-1 Slough 2644
Hitchin 0-3 Banbury 391
Kettering 3-0 Basingstoke 557
St. Ives 1-1 King's Lynn 224
Stratford 1-1 St. Neots 209

 

[Darlo On Tour]

Dorchester Town have announced that Eastleigh FC's Tom Bearwish has signed dual registration forms with the Magpies.
Tom (17), an exciting attacking midfielder who hails from Portland, came up through the Blues youth ranks before joining the Spitfires.
Tom is expected to feature on Saturday when Dorchester Town entertain King's Lynn Town at the Avenue Stadium.

 

[Tivvyultras]

Saturdays 26th August fixtures/results 15:00 Ko unless stated otherwise
Banbury 2-1 Bishops Stortford 453
Basingstoke 5-0 Chesham 218
Biggleswade 2-1 Hitchin 379
Kings Lynn 0-0 Frome 948
Kings Langley 2-5 Kettering 261
Merthyr 3-0 Farmbough 451
Redditch 4-0 Dortchester 241
Royston 1-1 Dunstable 195
Slough 3-0 St. Ives 618
St. Neots 1-3 Hereford 516
Tiverton 2-0 Gosport 265
Weymouth 1-1 Stratford 676

 

[Jemfy]

AFC Dunstable 2 - 2 Ashford Town
AFCR&D 7 - 1 Fleet Town
Arlesey Town 1 - 3 Northwood
Aylsebury United 2 - 3 Barton Rovers
Cambridge City 1 - 2 Beaconsfield
Chalfont St Peter 1 - 0 Aylsebury
Egham Town 2 - 1 Bedford Town
Hartley Wintney 5 - 1 Hanwell
Hayes & Yeading 4 - 2 Thame United
Moneyfields 3 - 1 Marlow
Uxbridge 0 - 2 Kempston Rovers

The sting of conceding our first goal of the season was somewhat mitigated by scoring 7! Nabs got the first 2, pushing him up to 7 so far, Darryl Smith got a hat-trick, Dolman took a penalty before coming off at half time, and Claudiu Hoban finished things off coming from the bench in his first game back at the club. It seemed to be a game full of chances for Diamonds, and it could have even been more, Gyasi in particular may feel he should have got his name on the sheet too. 100% so far, so not too much to grumble about here!

Elsewhere the big news is that we're down to just 2 teams at 100% after 3 games, and 4 teams unbeaten so far. Hartley Wintney put up an impressive scoreline against bottom club Hanwell, while the biggest results seem to be Moneyfields beating Marlow and Kepston taking the 100% record from Uxbridge.

Quick turnaround of course, with it being a bank holiday weekend, some interesting fixtures coming up:

Ashford Town vs Egham Town
Aylsebury vs Aylsebury United
Barton Rovers vs Arlesey Town
Beaconsfield Town vs Chalfont St Peter
Bedford Town vs Cambridge City
Fleet Town vs Moneyfields
Hanwell Town vs Uxrbdige
Kempston Roves vs AFCR&D
Marlow vs Hartley & Wintney
Northwood vs Hayes & Yeading
Thame United vs AFC Dunstable

Stand out game for me (other than our own) is the Marlow vs Hartley & Wintney. Can see both of us potentially losing our 100% records here.

 

[Tivvyultras]

Monday 28th August fixtures/results 15:00 KO unless stated otherwise
Bishops Stortford 0-0 Biggleswade 312
Chesham 1-0 Kings Langley 343
Dortchester 0-3 Weymouth 1505
Dunstable 0-5 Banbury 197
Farmbough 1-2 Slough 483
Frome 0-1 Tiverton 258
Gosport 0-8 Basingstoke 271 (YES EIGHT)
Hereford 1-1 Merthyr 3336
Hitchin 1-0 Royston 513
Kettering 3-0 St. Neots 727
St. Ives 1-3 Kings Lynn 476
Stratford 0-0 Redditch 312

 

[Jemfy]

Ashford Town 2 - 3 Egham Town
Aylsebury 0 - 1 Aylsebury United
Barton Rovers 1 - 1 Arlesey Town
Beaconsfield Town 1 - 2 Chalfont St Peter
Bedford Town 1 - 4 Cambridge City
Fleet Town 1 - 4 Moneyfields
Hanwell Town 0 - 2 Uxrbdige
Kempston Roves 1 - 1 AFCR&D
Marlow 3 - 0 Hartley & Wintney
Northwood 2 - 0 Hayes & Yeading
Thame United 0 - 5 AFC Dunstable


Diamonds remain top with a 1 all draw at Kempston, not a bad result, plenty of good teams will go there and get worse, though it does feel a little disappointing. A swap in teams in second place though as Hartley & Wintney fell to heavy defeat, which was capitalised on by Moneyfields. They move up in to 2nd on GD, while all 4 playoff spots are now occupied by teams on 3 wins and a loss.

A poor start for Hayes & Yeading, just 4 points from 4 games, though there have been some (likely) tough fixtures (it's hard to be sure this early in the season). On the plus side it's going to be very hard for H&Y to get in to relegation trouble this year as only one side will go down, and the bottom side can often only have about 30 points. I think it's going to be a season of stability for them, maybe with a late playoff push if things turn around well.

Taking a quick look at the standings at the bottom end and it's clear Diamonds have probably mostly started against weak opposition with the exception of today's game - Hanwell and Fleet forming the bottom 2, while Thame are just a few places above them.

Most of the division are off next week for FA Cup 1st qualifying round games, with the exception of Barton Rovers taking on AFC Dunstable.

 

[GarthK_HYUFC]

We were excellent on Saturday against Thame in the 4-2 victort, but christ we were crap yesterday against Northwood.

Even got to the embarrassing part where 2 of our players went head to head in a slight game of handbags!

The defence is a major problem at the moment they aren't quick enough and some of the passing is awful at times. The attack is good when they get the service they need and the midfield is just about alright I think.

From what I've seen so far we are going to be very inconsistent. It's hard to tell which side will turn up. It's early days and hopefully we improve in the coming weeks/months.

Must give this a mention to all visiting Northwood this season. No programmes sold but you can download online! hope this doesn't start a trend. I'm sure there are mixed opinions on this but imho I go to a game get the programme and keep it. No need to open a laptop down load it then hope your memory stick don't bugger up in the future.

On we go to the FA Cup against Maldon and Tiptree this coming Saturday. I ay he attending depending on whether i got my place on the minibus. Do fear if the side we saw yesterday play we could get hammered, however if the Thame side turn up we will at least give Maldon a run for their money