When will Slough get back into the Conference?

[Edinburgh Rebel]

I'm a Hearts fan but I've followed the results of Slough Town for years as my mum is from there originally.

 

What are people's opinions on when Slough will get back into the Conference (if ever)? Obviously from only following the club's progress online it is difficult to get a real feel for how things are but surely a club from a place the size of Slough will be able to one day get back to the top of the non-leagues?

 

What impact do you think that moving back to Slough would have on the fortunes of the club? I definitely plan on going to a Slough Town match one day (I've only ever actually been to Slough once in my life to see where my mum grew up and her first house etc.) but I'd certainly be far more inclined to go to a game if I was actually seeing the club in it's hometown.

[Ian]

I think your point about moving back to Slough is most valid. No chance of progressing until we get back to playing in the town. Even then I think getting to the Conference is a big ask but when you look at Staines Town who are mid table conference south with gates not much better than ours currently and you wonder what we could achieve.

[Mark44]

I think the point is exactly getting our own ground, if we do i think our attendances will double over time giveen the right marketing. Slough is a big town but not really a footballing town.

 

With the extra money i can see us as a good conference south side and then you dont know what can happen from there

[Martin]

I am not sure we will ever reach the Conference again, In the 12 and half years since we were last there it has become a fully professional league and is more like "League 3" than the top echelon of non-league football. Conference South is more realistic. But we definitely need to be back in the Borough in order to rebuilt the fan base and sustain the club at a higher level. We need to concentrate on getting out of this division first!

[Edinburgh Rebel]

Thanks for the replies.

 

I think that, in an ideal world, in the next 10 years Slough will have a new ground in Slough and have reached the Conference South. It's a hell of a lot easier for me to say that having never been to any of their games and I might be being completely unrealistic...

 

I promise I'll go to a few games if they reach the Conference South . In all honesty, I plan to go to a game if/when they move back to Slough or if they reach the 1st round of the FA Cup again (and hopefully they will get drawn against a team in the north of England ie as close as possible to Edinburgh...).

[Fuzzy Royal]

I would say the biggest challenge is getting out of your current division. once you get out (and I would be surprised if you don't in the next few years) you will find the Premier only slightly better but your level of support would grow considerally (at least initially) with fans who have lost interest over the years (providing much improved cash flow and a good financial base to start from). I would be surprised if you couldn't attract good players using the Slough name (historically a big club) and from there you may be able to persuade the council to help source and fund a ground. I would agree Conf South is probably the ceiling due to the fact the Conf proper is professional.

 

But it is getting out of your current division that is tough, look at Totton and Hitchin (in the S&W and Central respectively) 2 VERY good teams that in any other season with their points tally last season would have gone up.

 

Hopefully see you next season for our derby again, good luck for the rest of the season

[chris sliski]

Got to agree with fuzzy royal...however ...more the higher the team more the problems ..and I for one don't want to see Slough go the way we did before..we must have stablity and firm foundation to work from...if and when we get a new home , we will need to take it carefully and not to expand too quickly...Slough must be in it for the long haul not the quick success and a slippery sliding slope to fall down again !

 

Conference Football is not the be end and be all for us..I in fact think that the conference has a lot of questions to be answered , in how teams and clubs are run in that division and the way clubs have gone to the wall ...they should be helping them more..

 

anyhow that is my own opinion.

 

 

 

[missunderstood]

Got to agree with fuzzy royal...however ...more the higher the team more the problems ..and I for one don't want to see Slough go the way we did before..we must have stablity and firm foundation to work from...if and when we get a new home , we will need to take it carefully and not to expand too quickly...Slough must be in it for the long haul not the quick success and a slippery sliding slope to fall down again !

 

Conference Football is not the be end and be all for us..I in fact think that the conference has a lot of questions to be answered , in how teams and clubs are run in that division and the way clubs have gone to the wall ...they should be helping them more..

 

anyhow that is my own opinion.

 

 

 

 

Slough certainly seem to be taking a sensible and realistic approach to rebuilding their club and eventually returning home. All to often supporters of all non league clubs harbour unrealistic dreams of some money man pumping millions of pounds into their clubs when the reality is that those sort of people are about as rare as hens teeth.

 

Good luck to Slough, and lets hope all the hard work will be worthwhile.

 

 

Edited December 13, 2010 by missunderstood