Risborough Rangers can win title this evening
In a very important Spartan South Midlands Premier Division match this evening (Tuesday), Risborough Rangers can win the title with a victory at Tring Athletic FC (Cow Lane, Tring HP23 5NS). All other local sides have home games tonight too if you fancy catching a match:
Aylesbury Vale Dynamos v Oxhey Jets
Flackwell Heath v Harefield United
Holmer Green v Leverstock Green
Tring Athletic v Risborough Rangers
Please post a short match report if you get along to any of these.
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Huge game down by the coast tomorrow when Exmouth and Tavistock meet. With two games left, Tavi lead Exmouth by three points and 3goal GD.
Well worth getting to if anyone is in Devon for Easter. Do I have a vague memory that @Jonny_King msy live in Exmouth??
I went to watch Exmouth Town v Bridport in an early game 2 or 3 seasons ago. There was a “Gape” playing for Bridport - a brother or cousin maybe? (I know Dominic Gape is from Dorset).
Funnily enough I saw Bridport yesterday. They have had a terrible season shipping 180+ goals. To be fair even though they were outclassed they, much to their credit, kept on working throughout. Can't be easy losing heavily every week. Don't think there was a Mr Gape playing now.
Afternoon @DevC. I did indeed live in Exmouth, but moved to (sigh) Plymouth last September.
Glad to hear Town are having a good season. They did pretty well in the Vase a couple of years ago IIRC. I must confess, I never went to watch them, despite only living a 15 min walk from the ground. I did play there once (just a friendly between two scratch sides, not against Exmouth) and the facilities were surprisingly good.
Sadly, I think the donkeys in the next field may no longer be there.
Yeh @Jonny_King I know. I used to see these posts from @A_Worboys and wonder why anyone would watch that level. Took me over 20years to try it and discovered I thoroughly enjoy this level - in fact arguably more than professional level. Does benefit from being 10 mins up the road and not four hours too!
Anyway welcome to the Plymouth area. Its a nice place to live I think. If you fancy giving lower level footie a go in the new season, give me a shout and I'll introduce you to the delights of Tavistock Town (and it seems in all likelihood Neil Warnock who intends to be a fan now) on a wet autumn day. Hopefully if we can at least get a draw at Exmouth, we will be a Southern league side by then (although probably in truth only for one season).
Dom Gape, a son of Burton Bradstock, was a talented all rounder when he played for nearby Bridport CC as a teenager.
Full-time: Tring Athletic 2 Risborough Rangers 1.
Tonight’s Spartan South Midlands games:
Aylesbury Vale Dynamos 1 Oxhey Jets 0
Flackwell Heath 3 Harefield United 2
Holmer Green 2 Leverstock Green 2
Tring Athletic 2 Risborough Rangers 1
The title now is a straight shoot-out on Saturday between Risborough Rangers & New Salamis. How about an evening kick-off Risborough?
Apparently Risborough being denied promotion due to ground grading issues? 2 would go up anyway from the Spartan Premier this season, so they have already achieved enough points on the pitch.
Does anyone know in what way Risborough have apparently failed the ground regs rules and whether or not they are likely to win their appeal.
@DevC not sure of all the particulars but there’s a ‘live’ thread here: https://www.nonleaguematters.co.uk/forums/index.php?threads/risborough-rangers-failed-ground-grading.7092/#post-148223.
Seems like they’ve only recently failed the grading, and according to some, are lucky to be playing at their current level given the condition of their ground. The plot thickens.
Rangers had to build a new 100 seat stand just to meet the grading requirements of their current division. They launched a fundraising appeal on gofundme but, checking just now, that has only raised £2256 out of a target £10,000.
I had understood they were paying players quite big salaries for that level. Odd if they knew the ground needed work to gain promotion from those players.
Have to be honest my interest is more in its impact on my local team.
I believe nine of the 16 second place teams in leagues of that level get promotion with the rest playing an away playoff against a low finishing team from the level above.
With Risborough not included I calculate that if Tavistock lose tonight but win on Saturday and so do Wroxham and Hadley, they would be ninth best team and earn promotion on PPG by 0.01PPG!!! A bit of me rather hopes that Alan Swann actually lives in Wroxham....
It would be a great shame should Risborough Rangers not get promoted but to be honest their ground needs a big upgrade. Improving grounds to match improving teams needs to go hand-in-hand.
Not directly related to this thread, but my mind wandered to the possibility of Luton winning the Championship playoff final, and failing to get promoted due to the state of their ground.
Would they be denied promotion? I somehow doubt it, but I wonder what the criteria are for teams going up into the Prem?
I can't imagine it's any different from the Championship
From the Mirror: The ground not only has a modest capacity of 10,356 but would need all manner of upgrades to be considered ready for the Premier League. New floodlights would have to be installed and a vast renovation of the media facilities would need to be undertaken to make the ground suitable for top-flight games.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/luton-town-premier-league-stadium-26629625
They probably have a year to make suitable changes by which time they'll be back down??
Luton's ground has been unfit for some years and the lack of investment in even the basics does cast a small shadow over what is happening on the pitch. Other clubs invest in their stadiums and there should be a minimum standard for supporters and not just media and floodlighting
City Ground on the other hand is all present and correct!
Luton are moving to a new ground aren't they? When is that happening?
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-60147206.amp
Sounds like it will happen, imagine a club making money out of land.... but not even at final plans / permission stage yet so will be a while
The Risborough Rangers planning application for two 50 seater stands is here (brought to notice by petermiller36 on Twitter):
https://publicaccess.wycombe.gov.uk/idoxpa-web/applicationDetails.do?keyVal=QXK4N1SCI3900&activeTab=summary
Submitted on 9 August 2021, permission to go ahead was given on 30 March 2022, which seems a bit late for the ground grading inspection. I note this condition in the Decision Notice, which could only delay things.
"No works (other than demolition) shall begin until a surface water drainage scheme for the site, based on sustainable drainage principles has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority."
There are lots of other documents there, if someone has time to get the full picture.
Perhaps we should let them groundshare at Adams Park for a season while they get the work completed. Wouldn’t that be nice?
Lol
And was extended nicely to 30,000 capacity for Euro 96…ready for Premier League duty...sir!
What is it with you and suggesting miniscule games taking place at Adams Park
@Malone It was tongue-in-cheek! They’ve got to sort their own house out - starting with the access road & parking.
Never know with you chief
Risborough not happy.....
Meanwhile down in Devon Tavistock and Exmouth went into final game separated by just one goal GD making for a nervous afternoon checking other teams score on twitter. A dubious injury time penalty finally gave Tavi a 1-0 win and a well deserved title and [promotio0n to the heady heights of the Southern League.