Strength of the Calor League Southern

[Curtis]

I noticed that four clubs from Step 7, and one from Step 8 have confirmed their places in the 1st Round of the FA Cup..... everyone of them is from the Calor Southern League (Biggleswade, Stourbridge, St Albans, Corby Town and Daventry). And three others may yet get through after replays (Poole, Hemel Hempstead and Shortwood).

 

Not a single club from the Northern Premier or the Ryman Premier, and only three so far from the Conference South and two from the Conference North.

 

I thought at first this might have been due to the 'luck of the draw', but Corby Town and Stourbridge had convincing away wins against sides from the Conference North.

 

Is there a grading system for leagues? Is the Southern League actually a lot stronger than the other leagues at Step 7?

 

(worth also noting there will be a Step 7 side in the second round of the FA Cup as Stourbridge have been drawn at home to Biggleswade!)

[Chase Side Towner]

By and large there is a bit of luck Curtis. Last season Hastings United from the Ryman Premier made it all the way to the 3rd round, being beaten by Middlesborough 4-1 at the Riverside IIRC. They ended up being relegated to Ryman Div 1 South.

 

It's always interesting to see how your league rivals get on in the FA Cup to try and gauge how your own side will fare against opposition higher up the pyramid. but we all know they're just one off games - mostly the overwhelming favourites win, but there will always be upsets.

 

That's not to belittle any team getting through each round, as Corby and Stourbridge will have played well to get through, but a 90 minute match is what the cup is all about. Long term, consistency and wins is what the better teams are judged on each season.

 

Good luck to them all though. It's always good to see non-league teams get to the first round proper.

[Curtis]

And Shortwood win 2-1 in a replay at Aldershot..... six Southern League clubs in the 1st round of the FA Cup!