Week ending 2nd April

[Greenacres]

In entire time Chester were opponents of FGR in Conference they never won a single match.

I think it is also true that the unpaid...for some time...Chester players refused to get on the coach to travel to a game against us and just a few days later were wound up and their results expunged. I believe that a number of managers have been sacked after losing games to Rovers but that is probably the only occasion where a team has folded because their players didn't fancy playing us.

 

[Stripes]

They did best us a few times, 2002 they best us twice. I remember one one of those at the old Lawn. In those days we were all stood together.

 

[chipmunx]

I remember the Conference days, hard not to lol. Chester were massive.

some of the "big" teams from ancient Conference days aren't even at Conf North or South levels now....Scarborough, Enfield, Rushden & Diamonds, Northwich Vics etc
6 founder members of the conference (Alliance Premier League way back then) made it to the EFL - we are the only ones still here (for now).
There are 28 former Conference teams in the EFL...... including 15 of the teams currently in League 2 - although most Exeter fans seam to have forgotten they were ever down there....

 

[kieran_vale]

some of the "big" teams from ancient Conference days aren't even at Conf North or South levels now....Scarborough, Enfield, Rushden & Diamonds, Northwich Vics etc
6 founder members of the conference (Alliance Premier League way back then) made it to the EFL - we are the only ones still here (for now).
There are 28 former Conference teams in the EFL...... including 15 of the teams currently in League 2 - although most Exeter fans seam to have forgotten they were ever down there....

I remember Stafford Rangers used to be a pretty big team for non-league at one time as think they were Conference mainstays and won one or two FA Trophy’s. Certainly they were the biggest local non-league team at least. Think they’re now milling round in the league below the Conference North.

 

[denzel ecfc]

some of the "big" teams from ancient Conference days aren't even at Conf North or South levels now....Scarborough, Enfield, Rushden & Diamonds, Northwich Vics etc
6 founder members of the conference (Alliance Premier League way back then) made it to the EFL - we are the only ones still here (for now).
There are 28 former Conference teams in the EFL...... including 15 of the teams currently in League 2 - although most Exeter fans seam to have forgotten they were ever down there....

Au contraire I remember those 5 seasons in the Conference. It was actually those years which have made the club what it is now. Trust ownership, formation of a decent model emphasising bringing players through and continuing improvements.
Games against Leigh RMI, Canvey Island, Histon, Farsley Celtic and many others. Play off agony, and triumph. FA Trophy and Setanta Shield. Characters like Jeff King and Colin Peake.
Some great away days and random grounds - going to Billericay three days after being at Old Trafford.
Happy memories which I am glad we had, but wouldn't want to do again, as I don't think the National League is the same again now

 

[JaredSUFC]

Sutton’s home crowd average of 2600+ is impressive considering 7 years ago we were scraping 500 at home (btw we sold 500+ season tickets for 22/23 within 24 hours of the early bird sales starting on Tuesday).

Whilst 2600+ isn’t massive in the context of this league it’s great for us, a historically non-league club within easy reach of some of the biggest clubs in the country and Crystal Palace. And hopefully it’s a number that’ll continue to grow.

 

[JaredSUFC]

Au contraire I remember those 5 seasons in the Conference. It was actually those years which have made the club what it is now. Trust ownership, formation of a decent model emphasising bringing players through and continuing improvements.
Games against Leigh RMI, Canvey Island, Histon, Farsley Celtic and many others. Play off agony, and triumph. FA Trophy and Setanta Shield. Characters like Jeff King and Colin Peake.
Some great away days and random grounds - going to Billericay three days after being at Old Trafford.
Happy memories which I am glad we had, but wouldn't want to do again, as I don't think the National League is the same again now

The National League is a different beast from 14 years or so ago. 2 up/ 2 down has effectively killed the non-league vibe. Pretty much every club segregates every game and BELTism dominates

 

[Chris FGR]

Au contraire I remember those 5 seasons in the Conference. It was actually those years which have made the club what it is now. Trust ownership, formation of a decent model emphasising bringing players through and continuing improvements.
Games against Leigh RMI, Canvey Island, Histon, Farsley Celtic and many others. Play off agony, and triumph. FA Trophy and Setanta Shield. Characters like Jeff King and Colin Peake.
Some great away days and random grounds - going to Billericay three days after being at Old Trafford.
Happy memories which I am glad we had, but wouldn't want to do again, as I don't think the National League is the same again now

I would say given your set up now it’s unlikely you’ll ever be bad enough off the pitch to go down again tbh, stable clubs with a good youth set up punching around the right level for a club of their size are very unlikely to ever fail too badly. Shows the value of trust ownership, would do a lot of clubs good I reckon.

 

[JaredSUFC]

some of the "big" teams from ancient Conference days aren't even at Conf North or South levels now....Scarborough, Enfield, Rushden & Diamonds, Northwich Vics etc
6 founder members of the conference (Alliance Premier League way back then) made it to the EFL - we are the only ones still here (for now).
There are 28 former Conference teams in the EFL...... including 15 of the teams currently in League 2 - although most Exeter fans seam to have forgotten they were ever down there....

Of those 4 clubs you mentioned Scarborough went bust in 2007, and a phoenix club is in place.
The majority of Enfield fans split from Enfield FC in 2001 to form Enfield Town (the inspiration for AFC Wimbledon), Enfield FC went bust in 2007 and a phoenix club Enfield 1893 were formed, although they’re known now as Enfield FC
Rushden & Diamonds went bust in 2011, a phoenix club AFC Rushden & Diamonds were founded not long after but had to wait until the 12/13 season to play mens senior Football
Northwich Victoria saw the majority of their remaining fans split to form 1874 Northwich in 2012. Whilst Victoria haven’t gone bust they’re now in a lower league than 1874

 

[Chris FGR]

There are/were two reformed Scarborough’s I think? Athletic seem to have done ok.

Back in the days when they first dropped thanks to Jimmy Glass’s goal it was virtually impossible to get back up quickly, with only the Champions going up the majority of the division was out of realistic promotion contention after 2 or 3 months of the season. We knew we had zero chance of challenging for promotion, it was impossible for most smaller clubs to think they had any real chance in that set up.

 

[Stripes]

Someone on here once said you really just need a league to play in. In the end that is all that matters even if it's below expectations. I bet Hereford will get back here one day, maybe.

 

[JaredSUFC]

There are/were two reformed Scarborough’s I think? Athletic seem to have done ok.

Back in the days when they first dropped thanks to Jimmy Glass’s goal it was virtually impossible to get back up quickly, with only the Champions going up the majority of the division was out of realistic promotion contention after 2 or 3 months of the season. We knew we had zero chance of challenging for promotion, it was impossible for most smaller clubs to think they had any real chance in that set up.

There was also a Scarborough Town. When Athletic formed by fans of Scarborough FC they played in Bridlington, so Town were formed with the selling point of being in Scarborough itself, albeit in a lower league.

Scarborough Town don’t seem to exist any longer and Athletic are in Scarborough and are currently in the promotion hunt to get promotion to the Conference North

 

[chipmunx]

There was also a Scarborough Town. When Athletic formed by fans of Scarborough FC they played in Bridlington, so Town were formed with the selling point of being in Scarborough itself, albeit in a lower league.

Scarborough Town don’t seem to exist any longer and Athletic are in Scarborough and are currently in the promotion hunt to get promotion to the Conference North

getting out of Conference North is nearly as tough as getting out of the Conference itself. It's full of ex-league and phoenix clubs;-

Hereford, Darlington, York, Bradford PA. Boston, Gateshead, Chester, Kidderminster & Southport. You might be able to add Scarborough and South Shields to that list next season.

 

[JaredSUFC]

getting out of Conference North is nearly as tough as getting out of the Conference itself. It's full of ex-league and phoenix clubs;-

Hereford, Darlington, York, Bradford PA. Boston, Gateshead, Chester, Kidderminster & Southport. You might be able to add Scarborough and South Shields to that list next season.

Tbf at least 5 of those clubs are phoenix clubs rather than ex-league clubs.

But the Conference North does seem to be more of a graveyard of ex-league clubs and phoenix clubs than the Conference South. I think Torquay are the only southern ex-EFL team to have been relegated to the Conference South, and they bounced back within a season. Is that a commentary on how clubs in the north of England are run, compared to the south of England?

 

[GEORGE]

Tbf at least 5 of those clubs are phoenix clubs rather than ex-league clubs.

But the Conference North does seem to be more of a graveyard of ex-league clubs and phoenix clubs than the Conference South. I think Torquay are the only southern ex-EFL team to have been relegated to the Conference South, and they bounced back within a season. Is that a commentary on how clubs in the north of England are run, compared to the south of England?

Maidstone United

 

[denzel ecfc]

The National League is a different beast from 14 years or so ago. 2 up/ 2 down has effectively killed the non-league vibe. Pretty much every club segregates every game and BELTism dominates

I don't recall many games that weren't segregated, even then. The Billericay game as I mentioned, but that was the FA Trophy. Even Grays gave us our own end so we had the pleasure of watching us get thrashed by their bankrolled side.

 

[PuB]

Maidstone United

Maidstone are a phoenix as well

 

[JaredSUFC]

Maidstone United

They’re a phoenix club. AFC Wimbledon and Newport County have both played in the Conference South as well but it’s hard not to think that they weren’t phoenix clubs either

 

[Essex2Wessex]

I think the difference in the quantity of ex-league teams (and phoenixes) between the NLN (lots) and the NLS (none, or arguably at most the new Maidstone, who unlike their D4 predecessors do play in the town they are named for) is principally linked to the legacy of league football being historically, initially, being far more concentrated in the north (and especially the north-west) than elsewhere - there are (or were) just more big teams per head of population there than there were (or are) down south.