Spennymour Town Northern League fixtures till 17th May?

[queues]

Match Fixtures

 

Date K/O Competition Opposition V Res Score 27th April 03:00 ENL Div.1 Durham City Home N/A N/A 29th April 07:30 ENL1 Penrith Home N/A N/A 1st May 07:30 ENL1 Hebburn Town Home N/A N/A 4th May 03:00 FA Vase Final Tunbridge Wells Away N/A N/A 6th May 11:00 ENL1 Shildon Away N/A N/A 8th May 07:30 DCC Final Bishop Auckland Away N/A N/A 11th May 03:00 League Cup Final Newcastle Benfield Away N/A N/A 13th May 07:30 ENL1 Dunston Away N/A N/A 15th May 07:45 ENL1 Celtic Nation Away N/A N/A 17th May 07:30 ENL1 Newcastle Benfield Home N/A N/A

 

 

Anyone explain why they do not have to complete the fixtures by the 7th May?

[Eastside Urchin]

It's obvious,they haven't been stitched up by their league like guernsey have.It makes sense for the ccl to want a club that can attract 1000 plus fans per game and exposure,what better way of keeping them in the league than to make them stick to a ridiculous schedule that Barcelona would probably struggle to live with.

2/3 weeks extra would of been fair for all concerned

[Beano]

The FA told all Step 5 Leagues that they have to nominate their promotion candidates by midnight on 7th May. There is only one promotion place available for Northern League clubs, but there are potentially two places for the Combined Counties League because of the expansion of the Isthmian League. As Guernsey are a promotion contender, they need to get their games in.

 

Spennymoor have the small matter of having to try and keep up with Darlington 1883, who have not had The FA Vase to distract them and have therefore played the bulk of their games. Like most clubs with fixture backlogs, Spennymoor have dropped points, meaning that Darlington could win the Northern League tomorrow. If Spennymoor can't go up, there's no problem if they play after 7th May.

 

Simple, really. And no "stiching up" involved. The CCL are simply trying to comply with an instruction from The FA, whereas, the Northern League have a history of doing what they want, regardless of what The FA say. If they'd taken up the offer to feed straight into the Conference they were made in the late '70s instead of isolating themselves, the National League System would look very different...

[Eastside Urchin]

Everyone I have spoken to,and it is a discussion amongst football fans,feels that Guernsey are being unfairly punished.Its simply not right that a club should constantly have to play as many games in a week as they have had to,most on consecutive days

Maybe "stitch up" and my reasoning is over the top but the leagues and FA have a duty to protect all clubs and players and by making them stick to a ridiculous schedule they are not doing this.

[VPCTFC]

Darlington need three points to win the title so Spennymoor almost certainly won't matter. The Northern League were well aware of the fixture cut-off point. It looks like they've assumed it'll be Darlington going up so the other team's fixtures don't matter as much.

 

Their local rag - http://www.thenorthe..._well_into_May/

 

"At the beginning of this month the FA's leagues manager, Mike Appleby, was quoted as telling clubs at Step 5 that the latest date for league games would be May 7.

Appleby, who was unavailable for comment last night, said on twentyfour7football.com: "It is vital that we are advised of your Step 5 promotion teams by midnight on May 7, as the Step 1 to 4 club allocation meeting takes place in Worcester on May 8.

 

Northern League fixtures secretary, Tony Golightly, however, revealed that the FA could, in theory, ask him to redo the fixtures that he has put together, forcing Spennymoor to play their remaining ten games by May 8.

 

He said: "The FA, as always, will make the decision. I will contact them about the situation and say that anybody with any sense can see that it's nobody's fault but the weather and Spennymoor just can't finish their fixtures [by May 7].

"I've been told today by someone, not the FA, that teams that haven't played their fixtures by a certain date cannot be promoted. Well I haven't been told that [by the FA].

"Mike Appleby did tell me that he wanted the clubs that have a chance of promotion to finish their fixtures by May 4. I wrote back and said that Darlington's fixtures will finish by May 4, but it's impossible for Spennymoor to have ended theirs by that date."

 

 

 

 

Guernsey's run of fixtures is still less tight than Canvey Island's in the Ryman Premier in 2000-01.

Their last 8 games were played April 27th, 28th, 29th, May 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th.

 

That season there were three unplayed games in the Ryman Premier Division as they ran out of time (May 5th was the cut-off) so what Guernsey are going through is nothing new in non-league football.

[Beano]

Eastside, you can't blame the League or The FA for the fact that Guernsey's pitch was basically unplayable for four months and that, coupled with their FA Vase run, has been the major factor in the fixture pile-up.

 

While I accept that playing Friday / Saturday / Sunday is an extreme manifestation of the late season problems that can affect successful clubs, it's hardly unique for a side to face a large number of games in a short period at this time of year. In the 2000-01 season VP mentioned, Bracknell Town played Saturday / Monday / Wednesday / Thursday / Saturday in a single week in April while playing in Isthmian League Division Three.

 

As fans of clubs playing outside the CCL, you and I can't know whether the League might have given Guernsey the opportunity to play out their season in the same way as Guernsey and the club themselves then asked for the fixtures to be arranged in such a way as to make them eligible for promotion.

[lazarus]

This matter came to my notice last week and we have been in contact with the National Leagues Manager to express our concern.

 

We have no problem with the Northern League and one or two of our fixtures will not be played before next week's deadline. None of those matches though will have any influence upon possible promotion from Step 5 to 4. Because Guernsey are a promotion contender, it was made clear to us that they and any other clubs in that situation must complete their fixtures prior to the Allocations Meeting on 8 May.

 

What would be galling is if, at that meeting, the promotion contenders from the Northern League are shown as Darlington OR Spennymoor. That would be manifestly unfair upon the likes of Guernsey and doubtless other clubs as all leagues must receive consistent treatment from the FA. We have also suggested that the meetings to decide where promoted and relegated clubs are going to play next season be put back by a least a week in future seasons. Surely there is no need for a full week to elapse before the recommendations of those making the allocations are rubber stamped by the full FA Leagues Committee.

[Green_Fingers]

Darlington won today so Spennymoor can't be promoted. Winning the Vase will be some consolation though.

[GuernseyGeordie]

Darlington won today so Spennymoor can't be promoted. Winning the Vase will be some consolation though.

 

Is everyone absolutely CERTAIN that the NL will not get a second place i.e. Spennymoor ?

[bomaya]

Yes.

[Beano]

All of the three Contributory Leagues will expand to 24 teams next season. In addition, the Isthmian (Ryman) League is expanding Division One North and Division One South to 24 clubs each, but the Southern League and Northern Premier League are not doing the same with their Step 4 Divisions. As a result, there are additional promotion places available for the Leagues in the South-East, but not for anywhere else in the Country.

 

What this means is that all the Champions of the Step 5 Leagues will be promoted if their ground grading and paperwork are sorted. The extra places will be allocated to those runners-up in the eligible Leagues with the best points per game (PPG) ratio. Therefore, Spennymoor cannot be promoted but Guernsey could, if their position in the table and PPG prove good enough.

[Trebor]

Are we sure spennymoor haven't notified the FA that they dont want to apply for promotion like they have the past few seasons when they have been league champions?

[Green_Fingers]

Are we sure spennymoor haven't notified the FA that they dont want to apply for promotion like they have the past few seasons when they have been league champions?

 

Spennymoor applied this season - but Darlington have been too strong & secured the only promotion slot available.

[VPCTFC]

Are we sure spennymoor haven't notified the FA that they dont want to apply for promotion like they have the past few seasons when they have been league champions?

 

It was only in the past few months that Spennymoor did the work to get the grading for promotion so they definitely want it now.

The spreadsheet that's doing the rounds - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AqII2SlGRhT7dHIwSUdacDRlaDV3VkNsSjc3UVdqWnc#gid=0 - has the various applicants colour-coded. The details regarding who applied, who withdrew, who passed and who failed the grading have been taken from FA documents. The teams in green that are highlighted as promoted aren't definite. Peter, who created the document, says that the promotion places "are down to his own interpretation of FA guidelines".

[Regan]

Peter, who created the document, says that the promotion places "are down to his own interpretation of FA guidelines".

 

Blimey - even the FA can't interpret their own guidelines properly so there's no hope for anyone else!

[Big J R]

So many questions   --  So FEW answers !

 

(Nothing new there, then !!)

[A town]

Maybe guernsey should think of setting up a reserve team on mainland in case of any repeat if this . Surely with there financial system that seems in place they could do it ? Maybe arrange a groundshare somewhere as they've now made a name for themselves they would create a lot if talent ?

[Krooner]

Maybe guernsey should think of setting up a reserve team on mainland in case of any repeat if this . Surely with there financial system that seems in place they could do it ? Maybe arrange a groundshare somewhere as they've now made a name for themselves they would create a lot if talent ?

I got the impression that Guernsey will do lots of different things next season no matter what happens in regards of the league they play in.  At some point what has happened this year would have happened so at least they know the problems early in their development.

[queues]

I got the impression that Guernsey will do lots of different things next season no matter what happens in regards of the league they play in.  At some point what has happened this year would have happened so at least they know the problems early in their development.

 

 

how right you are

this year has been a far steaper learning curve than last year both on the pitch and more so off the pitch, hope we learn from the mistakes, and will be a far stronger club next season for it.

[Panthera]

how right you are

this year has been a far steaper learning curve than last year both on the pitch and more so off the pitch, hope we learn from the mistakes, and will be a far stronger club next season for it.

Quite right, every match is reviewed on and off the pitch, and where it is warranted, changes are made, and their effectiveness measured. We have learned more this season than ever, and grow more efficient and are becoming a well oiled machine. To put on the successive games that we have had to has not been easy, but the team have adapted well. Hats off to the players, support team and supporters for making this club what it is today. Roll on next season!