A couple of non league snippets

[Reading Rebel]

On 18/12/2024 at 22:03, cufcgeneral said:

Would love to have him back at the Meadow but we need defenders and a winger more than a centre mid right now

Looks like you've got your winger having signed Gary Abisogun.

Maidenhead lost again today unfortunately teams around them keep losing.

[Irishadrian]

Darren Way announced today as new manager of Bath City  played 220+ games for Yeovil .

 

[Holyport Rebel]

 

I watched Spencer's interview after their game yesterday at home to Hampton.

He is not very complimentary towards the female ref they had for the game.

I have to say that ,if true, I'm on his side when he complains of having to pay £600 ref's expenses for this official to travel from Sheffield on  Boxing Day.

No trains on a Boxing Day, so did the ref travel to and from the game by taxi ?

£600 for an official to ref a game seems a ridiculous amount for a club in our division to be forced to pay.

 

  

 

 

[GlenSTFC]

He’s had his pants pulled down if he’s agreed to pay that! I think she also stopped off in London, had a nice lunch, bought some presents and stayed over at a 5 star hotel for that amount! This is why he continually moans about his tiny budget!

Edited December 27, 2024 by GlenSTFC

[Sir Rebel1965]

19 minutes ago, Holyport Rebel said:

 

I watched Spencer's interview after their game yesterday at home to Hampton.

He is not very complimentary towards the female ref they had for the game.

I have to say that ,if true, I'm on his side when he complains of having to pay £600 ref's expenses for this official to travel from Sheffield on  Boxing Day.

No trains on a Boxing Day, so did the ref travel to and from the game by taxi ?

£600 for an official to ref a game seems a ridiculous amount for a club in our division to be forced to pay.

 

  

 

 

Watched this video as well and have to agree with his comments, and it looks like the video backs up his comments.

I think the FA don't give a F about the quality of officiating as has been seen with VAR and the Cootes incident.

As long as they can take in TV money and fines from those who dare to criticise, and turn a blind eye to the oil money which is corrupting the sport they don't give a toss.

Unfortunately for those who want to watch a decent game of football, it has turned into a lottery of wether you get a trainee ref or one with an ego who ends up spoiling the game.

Well done Spencer for standing up and speaking the truth, unfortunately he will get fined for flagging up the FA's failings.

[Reading Rebel]

23 hours ago, GlenSTFC said:

He’s had his pants pulled down if he’s agreed to pay that! I think she also stopped off in London, had a nice lunch, bought some presents and stayed over at a 5 star hotel for that amount! This is why he continually moans about his tiny budget!

Not sure he had a choice on who the ref was and the £600 cost.

Was it a case of no other more local refs being available or as he said just part of their training scheme no matter where they live? 

If so surely the FA/league should cough up some of the cost.

Edited December 28, 2024 by Reading Rebel

[Ian g f]

Tamworth are charging silly  money for their fa cup game Vs spurs reserves 

[Markskelton]

Lucan is starting again today for Virginia water 

[Irishadrian]

31 minutes ago, Ian g f said:

Tamworth are charging silly  money for their fa cup game Vs spurs reserves 

£42 in the stands  £38 on the terraces they know Spurs will sell out and have decided their loyal supporters don't count

[Irishadrian]

5 hours ago, Reading Rebel said:

Not sure he had a choice on who the ref was and the £600 cost.

Was it a case of no other more local refs being available or as he said just part of their training scheme no matter where they live? 

If so surely the FA/league should cough up some of the cost.

The ref at this game is highly thought of officiates at international level but has a take no shit attitude in fact in her last 7 games she issued 30 yellows!

[Reading Rebel]

2 hours ago, Markskelton said:

Lucan is starting again today for Virginia water 

And scored a goal in their 3-0 win.

[Holyport Rebel]

As I write down these ramblings, there isn't much left of 2024.
It's the time of the year when you look back at what happened in the  previous 12 months, and wonder what may lay in store for us in the new year ahead.
Our footballing year started with the disappointment of a last minute defeat at Hampton on New Year's Day, and it ended in a surprisingly flat 1-1 draw at home to Chesham on Boxing Day.
( Cracking goal by Scott, mind. )
In between it was 12 months that saw us incredibly only lose two games at home.
12 months that had a  season ending in a valiant  but ultimately unsuccessful chase to gain a play-off place, and a new season starting which has seen us mostly looking towards the upper rungs of the table from the very first league game in August.
12 months that have  quite often seen home attendances of 1,000+. 
12 months that have seen us win through a few rounds of both the FA Cup and FA Trophy.
The season's come and go so quickly now.
They never used to !
Season 23/24 is already despatched to the history books, and it won't be long, as time goes so damn fast ,before season 24/25 is too.
I really enjoy the section in our match programme called  "From the Archives".
Every home game match programme continues to tell the story of a particular season in Slough's past.
The one being told presently is season 1991/92.
( By the way I find it hard to believe that there was a glaring mistake in it on Boxing Day !
Commenting on that famous 3-3 comeback game against Reading at Wexham Park in the FA Cup, the article says that our late, late equalising third goal was a penalty scored by Steve Thompson.
Errrrrrrr.......no it wasn't. 
It was a powerful header from Paul McKinnon that went in via the woodwork ! ).
Anyway, I love looking back at season's past. 
The scary thing is though, these current years will be looked back on from the future all to quickly from a distance of five, ten, or even twenty+  years.
(Youngsters may think that 10 years is an awfully long time to pass, but believe me, the last 30-40 years of my life have passed in a flash. )
How will these current seasons be remembered then?
Others of course may well think differently to me, but I think these last couple of years  will be seen as a really fantastic spell in Slough's footballing history.
We have an exceptionally popular player/manager with the talent and ability to create a formidable "never say die" team spirit, as well as having a special bond with the supporters, and also having a footballing philosophy of trying to win games by playing good to watch, attacking football.
We have owners who were able to secure the future of Slough Town at Arbour Park with a 50 year lease.
Also we are playing at a very high and prestigious level of football.
I'm very happy watching Slough compete at Level 2.
The National League is a different animal compared  to the top level Conference League we had many memorable seasons in 30 years ago.
The thing is, almost  every year the National League gets bigger and more professional teams in it ,and is more expensive to compete in, and this will in turn each year I think  make the National League  North and South Divisions harder to survive in.   
We'll have bigger, richer teams than us being relegated into our division from above, and they won't all be able to get promoted back up to the National League straight away, and we'll also of course as always, have ambitious and well financed teams getting promoted up to our division too.  
Things are not going to get any easier.
Standing still will only lead to us going backwards.
That's why I think these years are flippin' good years for us.
Competing well in a very competitive and strong League.
So we're off to Kidderminster soon.
I have good memories of going there in our Conference days.
Some clubs you get a good feel for, others the opposite, but Kidderminster  I've always (so far) had a very positive reaction to.
I see they won again on Boxing Day, and have gone top of the National League North.
Doh!
Bloomin' typical.
Not the best time to be playing them !
I can well remember going there for our last game of the 97/98 season.
Matty Stowell scored from 25 yards out.
Top right hand corner of the net I'm sure it was.
I was  watching on the terraces from behind the goal and was right in line with the shot if my memory isn't playing tricks with me.
A great 1-0 win there to finish 8th in the Conference and an unlucky semi-final defeat in the Trophy that same season as well..
All us Slough supporters left that game full of optimism and confidence for the next season ahead.
Little did we know what surprises and disappointments lay in store for us that summer, and the completely new  and unknown team we would have in August for that first game away at Sutton back down in the Isthmian League.
That's why I'm relishing what Slough are doing now.
Nobody knows what is around the corner, and being I think a glass half full type of person rather than a glass half empty one I'm very happily enjoying so very much what we have at this moment in time. 
Other's may disagree, and want us to aim for promotion some time in the future.
Based on our experiences as away fans at current National League clubs Bromley and Woking, and an imminent trip to a previously well established National League club Boreham Wood who have banned Rebels Radio and seemingly very reluctantly allowed us to use their facilities, I think our supporter away days would be much less appetising in the National League than those we have now in the National League South if we were ever to go up ! 
Good times like I think these are  can be taken away from you so quickly and unexpectedly for many differing reasons, as we have seen with our own eyes in the past.
And these I would say again are very good days.
I say long may these current times last, because sometimes football has a nasty habit of being a very fickle mistress. 

To finish, I'd just like to wish everyone connected to our special football club Slough Town...........
A very happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.
Let's hope 2025 is a good one for all of us.

 
  
 

Edited December 31, 2024 by Holyport Rebel

[Kaiser Gibbs Batman (KGB)]

Well said, Holyport Rebel.

[Reading Rebel]

HR, whilst I agree with everything you say am I right in saying that you would be content staying as we are and never getting promoted? 

[Holyport Rebel]

29 minutes ago, Reading Rebel said:

HR, whilst I agree with everything you say am I right in saying that you would be content staying as we are and never getting promoted? 

Hi RR, I can well understand that the owners, management, players and no doubt many fans  would love for Slough to be playing in the National League.

Me ?

It might seem quite boring and unambitious, ( a lot like myself really, 😄 ), but if we never managed to get promoted up to the "big" league it wouldn't bother me in the slightest.

 

[Bernie Gogan]

Agree with HR, I'm happy where we are also, especially having been relegated to Step 4 and almost Step 5 in our homeless days. We were sneered at by a host of clubs when we visited them back then. Who can forget AFC Hayes (Brook House)?! The prospect of a promotion to National League should never be turned down however, but having seen how poorly treated away fans are at current and ex NL clubs it doesn't hold much glamour for me. It would of course be nice to host the likes of Southend or Aldershot competitively, but the prospect of some of their supporters maybe not (I've seen Aldershot's in action at Maidenhead for example).

I like the prospect of seeing/meeting opposition supporters in our bars rather than viewing them as some kind of enemy corralled in a section of our ground. Apart from last season's Farnborough experience we've had no trouble that I'm aware of at Step 2.

[Reading Rebel]

Promotion to the NL is certainly a double edged sword.

It has it's benefits, mainly the prospect of playing against the bigger clubs but the negatives are plain for all to see.

 

[Irishadrian]

2 hours ago, Holyport Rebel said:

As I write down these ramblings, there isn't much left of 2024.
It's the time of the year when you look back at what happened in the  previous 12 months, and wonder what may lay in store for us in the new year ahead.
Our footballing year started with the disappointment of a last minute defeat at Hampton on New Year's Day, and it ended in a surprisingly flat 1-1 draw at home to Chesham on Boxing Day.
( Cracking goal by Scott, mind. )
In between it was 12 months that saw us incredibly only lose two games at home.
12 months that had a  season ending in a valiant  but ultimately unsuccessful chase to gain a play-off place, and a new season starting which has seen us mostly looking towards the upper rungs of the table from the very first league game in August.
12 months that have  quite often seen home attendances of 1,000+. 
12 months that have seen us win through a few rounds of both the FA Cup and FA Trophy.
The season's come and go so quickly now.
They never used to !
Season 23/24 is already despatched to the history books, and it won't be long, as time goes so damn fast ,before season 24/25 is too.
I really enjoy the section in our match programme called  "From the Archives".
Every home game match programme continues to tell the story of a particular season in Slough's past.
The one being told presently is season 1991/92.
( By the way I find it hard to believe that there was a glaring mistake in it on Boxing Day !
Commenting on that famous 3-3 comeback game against Reading at Wexham Park in the FA Cup, the article says that our late, late equalising third goal was a penalty scored by Steve Thompson.
Errrrrrrr.......no it wasn't. 
It was a powerful header from Paul McKinnon that went in via the woodwork ! ).
Anyway, I love looking back at season's past. 
The scary thing is though, these current years will be looked back on from the future all to quickly from a distance of five, ten, or even twenty+  years.
(Youngsters may think that 10 years is an awfully long time to pass, but believe me, the last 30-40 years of my life have passed in a flash. )
How will these current seasons be remembered then?
Others of course may well think differently to me, but I think these last couple of years  will be seen as a really fantastic spell in Slough's footballing history.
We have an exceptionally popular player/manager with the talent and ability to create a formidable "never say die" team spirit, as well as having a special bond with the supporters, and also having a footballing philosophy of trying to win games by playing good to watch, attacking football.
We have owners who were able to secure the future of Slough Town at Arbour Park with a 50 year lease.
Also we are playing at a very high and prestigious level of football.
I'm very happy watching Slough compete at Level 2.
The National League is a different animal compared  to the top level Conference League we had many memorable seasons in 30 years ago.
The thing is, almost  every year the National League gets bigger and more professional teams in it ,and is more expensive to compete in, and this will in turn each year I think  make the National League  North and South Divisions harder to survive in.   
We'll have bigger, richer teams than us being relegated into our division from above, and they won't all be able to get promoted back up to the National League straight away, and we'll also of course as always, have ambitious and well financed teams getting promoted up to our division too.  
Things are not going to get any easier.
Standing still will only lead to us going backwards.
That's why I think these years are flippin' good years for us.
Competing well in a very competitive and strong League.
So we're off to Kidderminster soon.
I have good memories of going there in our Conference days.
Some clubs you get a good feel for, others the opposite, but Kidderminster  I've always (so far) had a very positive reaction to.
I see they won again on Boxing Day, and have gone top of the National League North.
Doh!
Bloomin' typical.
Not the best time to be playing them !
I can well remember going there for our last game of the 97/98 season.
Matty Stowell scored from 25 yards out.
Top right hand corner of the net I'm sure it was.
I was  watching on the terraces from behind the goal and was right in line with the shot if my memory isn't playing tricks with me.
A great 1-0 win there to finish 8th in the Conference and an unlucky semi-final defeat in the Trophy that same season as well..
All us Slough supporters left that game full of optimism and confidence for the next season ahead.
Little did we know what surprises and disappointments lay in store for us that summer, and the completely new  and unknown team we would have in August for that first game away at Sutton back down in the Isthmian League.
That's why I'm relishing what Slough are doing now.
Nobody knows what is around the corner, and being I think a glass half full type of person rather than a glass half empty one I'm very happily enjoying so very much what we have at this moment in time. 
Other's may disagree, and want us to aim for promotion some time in the future.
Based on our experiences as away fans at current National League clubs Bromley and Woking, and an imminent trip to a previously well established National League club Boreham Wood who have banned Rebels Radio and seemingly very reluctantly allowed us to use their facilities, I think our supporter away days would be much less appetising in the National League than those we have now in the National League South if we were ever to go up ! 
Good times like I think these are  can be taken away from you so quickly and unexpectedly for many differing reasons, as we have seen with our own eyes in the past.
And these I would say again are very good days.
I say long may these current times last, because sometimes football has a nasty habit of being a very fickle mistress. 

To finish, I'd just like to wish everyone connected to our special football club Slough Town...........
A very happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.
Let's hope 2025 is a good one for all of us.

 
  
 

A brilliant read as always!

[sdelaney2308]

4 hours ago, Bernie Gogan said:

Agree with HR, I'm happy where we are also, especially having been relegated to Step 4 and almost Step 5 in our homeless days. We were sneered at by a host of clubs when we visited them back then. Who can forget AFC Hayes (Brook House)?! The prospect of a promotion to National League should never be turned down however, but having seen how poorly treated away fans are at current and ex NL clubs it doesn't hold much glamour for me. It would of course be nice to host the likes of Southend or Aldershot competitively, but the prospect of some of their supporters maybe not (I've seen Aldershot's in action at Maidenhead for example).

I like the prospect of seeing/meeting opposition supporters in our bars rather than viewing them as some kind of enemy corralled in a section of our ground. Apart from last season's Farnborough experience we've had no trouble that I'm aware of at Step 2.

My sentiments to, agreeing with you and HR I even sent RR a message days ago on the same theme.

Many of these big clubs when relegated think it is beneath them but still need the big finances to keep their club running as before.

And their treatment of the away supporters is not good

Local clubs socialising on the coach in the bar and round the ground are going out of fashion for us who have been  supporting the Rebels home and away for many years with segregation not even allowed to look at a clubhouse don.t  even think about drinking in one.

Their are a few clubs that are an exception to the rule.

But time moves on.

With promotion means alot more long trips I want to go support and socialise with the team not listen to the superb Rebels Radio every Saturday.

 

4 hours ago, Bernie Gogan said:

Agree with HR, I'm happy where we are also, especially having been relegated to Step 4 and almost Step 5 in our homeless days. We were sneered at by a host of clubs when we visited them back then. Who can forget AFC Hayes (Brook House)?! The prospect of a promotion to National League should never be turned down however, but having seen how poorly treated away fans are at current and ex NL clubs it doesn't hold much glamour for me. It would of course be nice to host the likes of Southend or Aldershot competitively, but the prospect of some of their supporters maybe not (I've seen Aldershot's in action at Maidenhead for example).

I like the prospect of seeing/meeting opposition supporters in our bars rather than viewing them as some kind of enemy corralled in a section of our ground. Apart from last season's Farnborough experience we've had no trouble that I'm aware of at Step 2.

 

 

Edited December 31, 2024 by sdelaney2308

[Holyport Rebel]

I feel I should point out that if we ever were in a position to go up to the National League, of course I would acknowledge and appreciate what a fantastic achievement that would be for us.

I'm sure I would go to all the home games and the vast majority of the away games too.

(If there was a coach to say, Hartlepool away and the like ! )

But.....................

I would so love to see Slough play in the FA Cup 3rd Round.

I would so love to see Slough play at Wembley in a FA Trophy Final.

Playing in the National League wouldn't come close to the magic and happiness  that either of those other two milestones  would give  me.

 

Edited December 31, 2024 by Holyport Rebel