2016/17 National League North

[JE93]

Good result for us against a decent tamworth team, especially with results at Salford and Chorley going our way. Think 3-2 flattered them a bit in the end but more than happy to take the 3 points. Moves us back up into 5th place. I think 10 points from 4 games would get us a playoffs spot. So in reality that looks like win the next 3 against Alfreton, FCUM and Telford then a draw away at Salford on the last day of the season.

All starts with Alfreton on Saturday. Need a win and maybe a few goals just to boost that GD a little bit.

One things for sure we've had a very credible first season in this league and I think barring any major losses (Mark Beck our big CF) and a couple of additions mainly an experienced CB to sort out our leaky defence. We could have a real go at winning this league next year evenue with Salford and Harrogate being FT.

 

[B2TF]

I wouldn't worry about Harrogate. Going full time for clubs like Harrogate means nothing more than recruiting inferior players and paying the same part time wages as the previous bunch got but making them work longer for it.

600+ sold for East Monday with 5 more days to go before they're taken off sale. Brace yourself Betty, better get some extra serviettes and cream cakes in.

 

[HG Yellow&Black]

No B2TF.

Everyone knows in non league football that it means Simon gets to have even more contact time with players to make them shitter/more confused/loathe him more than he is able to at the moment.

I do hope you all say hello and well done to him on Monday, as he deserves plaudits this season for turning an even more talented bunch of players into such this year's crop of daddysbuying XI. #againstallodds

If anyone wants a National league goalscoring forward - ask your club to get in contact with John Paul Pittman. Looks like we don't have a use for him in Simon's grand plans. Neither that a Goalkeeper watched by Burnley, Swansea or Leeds.


Oh 600, Darlo would shit that in 2 days. Not going to make the 'Bigger than Darlo?' totaliser are you.

 

[DarkSithLord]

It appears Blackwell Meadows does not assure darlington of a place in the National League North play offs -

http://nonleaguedaily.com/top-stori...alks-over-blackwell-meadows-ground-grade.html

 

[wybantam23]

Seems odd. Why were Ferriby allowed to compete? Is Darlo's stadium much worse than Ferriby's?

 

[B2TF]

After admitting Ferriby and being willing to admit Brackley, neither of whom have grounds that are even fit for Conference North it's absolutely ridiculous that Darlington's admittance is in question.

 

[genesimmons]

Seems odd. Why were Ferriby allowed to compete? Is Darlo's stadium much worse than Ferriby's?

Im guessing the fa are been tougher due to the ferriby farce

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[wybantam23]

Im guessing the fa are been tougher due to the ferriby farce

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Hardly a farce, no issues have come from our stadium this season.

They stopped Eastwood Town from getting into the playoffs a few years ago and relegated them. Must be something to do with massively unsafe stadiums.

 

[genesimmons]

Hardly a farce, no issues have come from our stadium this season.

They stopped Eastwood Town from getting into the playoffs a few years ago and relegated them. Must be something to do with massively unsafe stadiums.

More on about fact north ferriby did not meet requirement yet for some reason were allowed up but never did any work and are definately going straight down. Seems like the fa are actually enforceing rules r.e. ground gradeing

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[genesimmons]

After admitting Ferriby and being willing to admit Brackley, neither of whom have grounds that are even fit for Conference North it's absolutely ridiculous that Darlington's admittance is in question.

The fa are actually enforceing ground rules. Rightfully so as most teams heading up have adequate stadiums

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[BigDaveCUFC]

Stalybridge 1-0 Kidderminster.

big goal at both ends of table if it stays that way

 

[B2TF]

Do the rest of you fuckers want promotion or don't you?

 

[Andy Harrier]

Do the rest of you fuckers want promotion or don't you?

It seems not

 

[Andy Harrier]

Massive result for Stalybridge though. 4 matches unbeaten and right back in the battle to survive. Steve Burr working his magic again.

 

[eightiesrobin]

Stalybridge are going to get out of this aren't they?

 

[Fyldefan]

Superb night

 

[Harrier94]

This team have absolutely no bottle. So many big games we've not performed in no chance in the playoffs if this is how they perform in big matches.

 

[B2TF]

Seriously guys, this is a piss poor league. Our side isn't a patch on the ones Neil Aspin assembled in Conference North, we've been shit all season, but look where we are! With just half an ounce of quality we could have pissed it this season.

 

[DarkSithLord]

Stalybridge are going to get out of this aren't they?

Incredibly I think they just might. Thank God for Worcester.

 

[DarkSithLord]

I see Jimmy Armson has signed a new contract at Brackley for next season. A big signal of intent that as I have always rated him.

 

[BigDaveCUFC]

Massive weekend coming up as we head into last 2 weeks of the season.....and lots to play for.

By Tuesday we may very well have our champions and possibly the relegation battle sorted....we shall see.

Key areas of table.

1. Fylde 78 - plus 43 gd
2. Kidderminster 72 - plus 29 gd
3. Halifax 71 - plus 31 gd
4. Salford 68 - plus 30 gd
5. Darlington 67 - plus 20 gd
6. Chorley 67 - plus 19 gd
7. Stockport 67 - plus 16 gd

And bottom

19. Worcester 34 - minus 15 gd
20. Gainsborough 31 - minus 30 gd
21. Stalybridge 29 - minus 38 gd

And games.

Friday:
Chorley vs Worcester
Curzon vs Altrincham
Halifax vs Fylde
Gainsborough vs Salford
Kidderminster vs Boston
Stockport vs Telford

Sat:
Alfreton vs Darlington
BPA cs Tamworth
FCUM vs Brackley
Gloucester vs Stalybridge
Nuneaton vs Harrogate

Monday:
Fylde vs BPA
Telford vs Nuneaton
Altrincham vs Kidderminster
Boston vs Gloucester
Brackley vs Gainsborough
Darlington vs FCUM
Harrogate vs Halifax
Salford vs Curzon
Stalybridge vs Chorley
Tamworth vs Alfreton
Worcester vs Stockport

 

[Harrier94]

Wow Darlo banned from the playoffs. What a ridiculous decision.

 

[B2TF]

Darlington banned from play-offs due to ground requirements- what the actual fuck??? Have these fucking clowns ever BEEN to Brackley, North Ferriby, Guisly et al? Darlington, your brother clubs are with you. Stay strong and appeal with all your might.

On a side note, the club statement says the rules changed in May 2016 and they "didn't pick up on it". You had one job- know the fucking rules! This highlights several issues with fan-owned clubs. First is the limited capacity to raise funds- as soon as cash has to be spent on a stadium, the money quickly starts to run out. Secondly, the officials are amateurs, performing a labour of love, when what's needed in the boardroom are professionals.

 

[DarkSithLord]

Wow Darlo banned from the playoffs. What a ridiculous decision.

Yes so basically if you win the league you have to the following March to get the required improvements completed. If you need to go up via the play-offs you must get them completed in the promotion season. Ridiculous. Then of course there is the whole North Ferriby farce.

Statement from the Darlington Board -

The Board has now received confirmation from the National League that the club will not be allowed to participate in the National League North play-offs. The requirement to have 500 covered seats across two stands as at 31 March 2017 came about as a result of a change to the Ground Grading rules in May 2016 which was not picked up at the time of the development of Blackwell Meadows. The Board will be appealing against this decision and is liaising with Poole Town FC who are in a similar situation.

The rules prior to May 2016 allowed temporary seating to be used for the play-offs as long as the club could show that it had obtained planning permission and had detailed plans to construct a permanent seated stand – which we of course do. To this end the Board obtained quotes for the relocation of the seating currently residing at Heritage Park which belongs to the Club in order to satisfy the requirement.

This change in the requirement for permanent covered seating was only brought to the Board’s attention in the past couple of months. By the time the Board was fully aware of the requirement, it was not able to act because of the timescales involved and the lack of funds available. In order to be able to meet the seated stand requirements, an additional round of fundraising through the Community Share route has a lead time of at least 6 weeks to prepare the offer and then an unknown amount of time to raise the estimated requirement of £150k, plus the actual construction time for the additional seats. We understand that an absolute minimum of 12 weeks would be needed – time that just wasn’t available once the Club had finally moved into Blackwell Meadows.

Unfortunately, and in any event, the budget for the development of Blackwell Meadows would not have extended to a further covered seated stand. As was revealed in the narrative to last year’s accounts, the actual cost of moving back to the town was significantly greater than had been budgeted. Additionally, there have been running costs associated with the operation of Blackwell Meadows, for example increased security and stewarding, which have been insisted upon by Safety Advisory Group, which costs have not been met by an increase in crowd numbers attending, save for the first game against FC Halifax Town.

At the time of deciding on the move to Blackwell Meadows, every alternative option was considered and progressed, but ultimately Blackwell Meadows was the only viable solution.

The Board has not tried to avoid its responsibilities, nor keep information from fans. We hope that there will be an understanding that every difficult issue the Board has to deal with cannot be debated in public, and the Board is committed to sharing information with fans as soon it is considered to be in the best interests of the club. The Board of the Supporters Group, the club’s majority shareholder, is regularly updated on developments.

Understandably, our manager, Martin Gray, is very frustrated at this situation, as the incredible efforts of the players and coaching staff will not give us the chance of promotion this year unless the appeal is successful and we are allowed to participate in the play offs.

We are as disappointed as everyone else that our success on the field is not reflected in our ability to move to a higher level at this time. But we would remind everyone that had we thought that we would be playing back in our home town, in the second tier of the non-league pyramid, under our original name, and all within five years of that fateful day in 2012, not many would have had faith in that dream.

The Board is now working with the Supporters Group to set a five year plan to develop the ground at Blackwell Meadows, in conjunction with DRFC, which we hope will meet the ambitions of the manager and players and playing staff, all of our volunteers, the Board, and most importantly of our fans and the people of Darlington and the surrounding area.

The Board and the Supporters Group thank everyone who has helped to get our club to where it is and we hope that, in overcoming inevitable but hopefully occasional disappointments, we can continue on our journey to rebuild and re-establish our club where it belongs, back in the Football League.

 

[Southern Shayman]

Seems harsh, but the statement reads laughably.

Basically saying "we know the rules, we're not meeting the rules, but lets kick up a fuss and appeal anyway".

The league have clearly been fed up with clubs promising to do works and not delivering and therefore changed the rules in May last year. Hopefully they apply it consistently going forwards...

 

[Fyldefan]

Feel for Darlington, imagine earning the right to the play offs and then having it taken away from you

 

[eightiesrobin]

We could do with losing our last 4 games, to ensure the current management doesn't get the gig next season.

 

[Harrier94]

We could do with losing our last 4 games, to ensure the current management doesn't get the gig next season.

Hopefully, we'll oblige.

 

[BigDaveCUFC]

Knowing us this season, we will lose to alty then beat salford

 

[eightiesrobin]

Hopefully, we'll oblige.

I hope so too