Yes, Southern D1 Central and Isthmian South Central are both step 4. I presume Rayners Lane have some money. He left Flackwell on good terms, reading his posts, enjoyed his time there and was grateful for the opportunity they gave him.
Bit surprised he hasn't gone up a step given his scoring record. I seem to recall from them being in the same league as Flackwell last year and both vying for the title, Rayners Lane are well funded for the level.
Flackwell had already brought in Jeffrey Fordjour from Holmer Green, to bolster their forward line. He looked lively but very raw on the two occasions I’d seen him earlier this season.
In terms of today’s action, well done to Penn for reaching the top of the CCD1 with a 5-0 thrashing of Windsor.
In the same division, Holmer Green thumped Woodley 9 (NINE)-2.
Amersham Town kept in touch at the top of the CC Prem North, with you-know-who grabbing a brace to beat Ardley.
Away from the hot house that is WWFC, I thought it's a good time to check-in on local sides at the half-way point of the season. Can't cover every side in detail so here's a few of the leagues/teams I keep an eye on. Most info taken from Football Web Pages, which is a fantastic resource but may not be entirely accurate.
⚽ NATIONAL LEAGUE (Step 1 in NL)
Maidenhead have made NL survival a habit but they're right in the thick of a logjammed relegation battle. Upcoming games against table-topping York (they lost 6-2 in the reverse fixture) and promotion-chasing Barnet might not do them any favours. However, a home game against fellow strugglers Fylde looks like a proverbial six-pointer this month.
Maidenhead average attendance - 1,235 (21/24)
⚽ NATIONAL LEAGUE SOUTH (Step 2)
Player-manager Scott Davies might still be able to pull off viral-worthy worldies but his Slough Town side will most likely have to settle for another mid-table placing. Recent thumpings at the hands of Boreham Wood and Kidderminster (FA Trophy 4R) respectively will have hurt the Rebels' pride and they're winless in the league since late November. Meanwhile, Chesham are still making a good fist of it since promotion. The Generals are in 15th position but sit 14 points above the relegation places following their NYD win over Hemel. Consolidation would represent a decent campaign.
Slough average attendance - 900 (13/24)
Chesham average attendance - 887 (16/24)
⚽ SOUTHERN PREMIER SOUTH (Step 3)
Marlow's wretched season continues with the Blues still rock bottom and 11 points from safety. Shipping goals has been a big issue with 62 conceded in 24 games. November's mini revival, whereby Marla notched two of their three league wins thus far, is a distant memory.
Marlow average attendance - 265 (21/22)
⚽ SOUTHERN LEAGUE CENTRAL (Step 4)
Flackwell Heath's promotion charge continues. Although they're seven points behind leaders Berkhamsted, the Heathens are a comfortable-ish six points within the play-off spots. The return of last season's top scorer, Jethro Odumosu, as well as the form of new recruit, Jeffrey Fordjour from Holmer Green, gives them plenty of firepower to keep up their pursuit of a double promotion. Thame United sit just outside the play-offs in sixth, with Aylesbury United in eighth position, albeit 10 points off the top five. Beaconsfield Town have been the big disappointment. Having lost their Step 3 status last term, The Rams find themselves looking over their shoulder rather than up.
Flackwell Heath average attendance - 240 (5/21)
Thame United average attendance - 129 (15/21)
Aylesbury United average attendance - 171 (at Chesham United, 9/21)
Beaconsfield Town average attendance - 120 (16/21)
⚽ Combined Counties Premier Division North (Step 5)
Like Flackwell, Amersham Town are also dreaming of a double bounce. They sit top of the division, albeit only a point above Egham Town. According to FWP, Mr. J. Tabor has netted just the 29 league goals so far this season, although @Steve_Peart may have more accurate statistics. Holyport (never been, feel like I should) are a point inside the play-offs with Burnham seven points away from the season-defining spots, having played far fewer games than some of their rivals. Risborough Rangers were the toast of this division a few years ago but they lie in 18th of the 20 teams, with just the one relegation spot in this league.
Amersham Town average attendance - 79 (11/20)
Holyport average attendance - 62 (12/20)
Burnham average attendance - 44 (18/20)
Risborough Rangers average attendance - 139 (2/20)
⚽ Combined Counties Division One (Step 6)
Penn & Tylers Green are having a superb campaign albeit they'll have a fight on their hands to repel Windsor & Eton. Penn sit top, three points above the Berkshire side, but have played three games more (should mention W&E are third with Westside second).
Keith Scott's Holmer Green (it's like Wayne Rooney's Plymouth) are still having a much better campaign than last term's horror show. However, they've recently lost a couple of key players to local rivals higher up the pyramid. The Greens lie in eighth but seven points outside the play-offs. Langley and Windsor (the reformed club that isn't the most recently reformed club in the town) are in mid-table mud while Chalfont St. Peter's hard times show no sign of letting up. The Saints secured a vital pre-Christmas win over Holmer Green but find themselves just three points above the four-team drop zone. Holmer Green earnt a reprieve last season, not sure if Chalfont would get the same deal? Seems mad that they were recently a respectable Step 4 club, but recent campaigns have been an utter shambles.
Penn & Tylers Green average attendance - 70 (6/23)
Windsor & Eton average attendance - 287 (1/23)
Holmer Green average attendance - 82 (5/23)
Langley average attendance - 66 (7/23)
Windsor average attendance - 85 (at Beaconsfield Town, 4/23)
Excellent round up @williwycombe. Tabor is now on 37 goals from 32 games in all competitions, league only is 31 from 24. No penalties so far, nine assists and seven yellows in all games.
Jake Tabor and Richard Pacquette (23 years’ the former’s senior), both bagged a brace as Amersham Town thrashed Berks County 6-1 yesterday.
Amersham are seven points clear at the top of the CCPN (Step 5) but nearest rivals Egham Town have three games in hand.
The other big local highlight of the day was the incredible 5-5 draw between Real Bedford and Flackwell Heath in the Southern Div One Central (Step 4). Bedford were 3-2 up at half-time before the Heathens turned it around to go 5-3 up, only to finally surrender their lead in the 97th minute. Football, eh? Bloody hell.
A very interesting "Location Football" 15 minute report on Amersham Town, with interviews with Jake Tabor, Richard Pacquette, the manager and the chairman.
Tabor speaks very well, he's clearly smart and level headed, and seems to be aiming for a transfer to a NL or EFL club, when his contract expires at the end of this season. His trial at Wycombe comes up twice, no mention of why he didn't get an offer, when RK did, but he has previously tweeted that he was asked to play wing back. The chairman thinks they can get £30-40k for Tabor, and that a step 4 playing budget, if promoted, would be £2k a week.
Tabor currently had has 44 goals from 36 games this season, 38 from 28 league only.
When I was looking through the Luton forum early last week, seeing what they were saying about Kone, one of their fans mentioned Tabor, and said they should be taking a chance on him. So it's not just us that have noticed him. Personally I don't see the problem with giving him another go, and maybe play him in his right position ? He could well be the next Kone
It seems odd that he was asked to play out of position, if that is true. Maybe that was part of a character test. Would the potential transfer fee have been a problem? £40k doesn't seem much to us anymore.
Funny old game. That video was posted on the Facebook group with many calling him ‘vile’ and saying he had an awful attitude. He scores goals, has a great knack for it, and is looking to take a giant leap, so if he’s not going to back himself, no one else will. Doubt he’d get a second chance with us but equally I hope it doesn’t bite us down the line.
It may have been a test and if he kicked off about it he'll probably regret it, but If you'd been asked to give up a week or even a few days of your time (at your own expense) to show your skills and then we're told you weren't very good based on something completely unfamiliar you were asked to do you might be annoyed too. Can't remember how long ago it was but any kind of fee would likely have been tricky for someone who was just a prospect.
Wiktor returned to Flackwell a couple of weeks ago, and got two goals in the 5-5 draw at leaders Real Bedford on Saturday. Real got a draw with a 90+7 penalty. His goals:
If his striking abilities weren’t in question, and even at the level he is playing at vs ours you can’t really question it, then other things might have to be looked at - like your willingness to do a job you aren’t familiar with for the sake of the team. How far was he willing to go for the good of the team over personal glory.
Cos I like to think one of the key aspects of our players and club is/was that anyone of them would play in any position and give it the maximum no matter the circumstances
I don't disagree with that, the matches are a small part of any trial, if they didn't like what they saw in training he's lucky to have got game time in any position, and if he'd come away thanking them for the opportunity, asking for development feedback and saying he'd come back at any time and play in any position that would have done him more good than bitching about it.
Speculation on limited information again though, people get upset and react, it doesn't have to be the end of his dreams.
I have to say one thing in his defence around his character though, he was perfectly happy with me asking some probing questions On twitter about how he reacted to being put in a wrong position and asked if he let it be known he was unhappy doing it etc, and he answered every question with respect and honesty. He would have been completely in his right to ignore me, or get his back up and be a dick about it. But he didn’t, we answer the Q’s from a random and we had a decent conversation.
Sometimes there’s going to be fine margins between taking a player or not and I rather suspect it can just fall on gut feeling. And maybe they had a limited number of spots the club could afford to take a player, even a non league one, on at.
Did the club get it right in picking Kone over Tabor when they were on trial together?
Well, the proof on the pitch certainly says they didn’t get it wrong. But it could also be Tabor slipped through our fingers on the basis we had to choose him or Kone.
There are 72 EFL teams and 72 National League Teams. None of them have yet signed Jake Tabor. Just because he plays and presumably lives fairly locally doesn't give us exclusive rights over him.
Presumably those who make these decisions haven't seen what they are looking for in him and his game. I imagine one day a club at a higher level than Amersham will sign him. Time will tell whether the judgements of all those clubs was right.
Comments
The Flackwell player was sent off for a stamp on the Thame player. Look a justified red card from what I saw.
I think that's at the higher step 4 level. The clubs have faced each other before!
You could be right, that was based off info in the preview on the Thame website, they list it as the first competitive fixture between the sides in the "head to head" section - https://www.thamefootball.co.uk/news/flackwell-heath-vs-thame-united-match-preview-19-n-2886326.html
They have definitely played each other in the Hellenic League!
Flackwell Heath striker Wiktor Makowski, 22 goals in all games this season, has joined Isthmian South Central club Rayners Lane.
Is that the same step on the pyramid?
Yes, Southern D1 Central and Isthmian South Central are both step 4. I presume Rayners Lane have some money. He left Flackwell on good terms, reading his posts, enjoyed his time there and was grateful for the opportunity they gave him.
Bit surprised he hasn't gone up a step given his scoring record. I seem to recall from them being in the same league as Flackwell last year and both vying for the title, Rayners Lane are well funded for the level.
Flackwell had already brought in Jeffrey Fordjour from Holmer Green, to bolster their forward line. He looked lively but very raw on the two occasions I’d seen him earlier this season.
In terms of today’s action, well done to Penn for reaching the top of the CCD1 with a 5-0 thrashing of Windsor.
In the same division, Holmer Green thumped Woodley 9 (NINE)-2.
Amersham Town kept in touch at the top of the CC Prem North, with you-know-who grabbing a brace to beat Ardley.
Away from the hot house that is WWFC, I thought it's a good time to check-in on local sides at the half-way point of the season. Can't cover every side in detail so here's a few of the leagues/teams I keep an eye on. Most info taken from Football Web Pages, which is a fantastic resource but may not be entirely accurate.
⚽ NATIONAL LEAGUE (Step 1 in NL)
Maidenhead have made NL survival a habit but they're right in the thick of a logjammed relegation battle. Upcoming games against table-topping York (they lost 6-2 in the reverse fixture) and promotion-chasing Barnet might not do them any favours. However, a home game against fellow strugglers Fylde looks like a proverbial six-pointer this month.
Maidenhead average attendance - 1,235 (21/24)
⚽ NATIONAL LEAGUE SOUTH (Step 2)
Player-manager Scott Davies might still be able to pull off viral-worthy worldies but his Slough Town side will most likely have to settle for another mid-table placing. Recent thumpings at the hands of Boreham Wood and Kidderminster (FA Trophy 4R) respectively will have hurt the Rebels' pride and they're winless in the league since late November. Meanwhile, Chesham are still making a good fist of it since promotion. The Generals are in 15th position but sit 14 points above the relegation places following their NYD win over Hemel. Consolidation would represent a decent campaign.
Slough average attendance - 900 (13/24)
Chesham average attendance - 887 (16/24)
⚽ SOUTHERN PREMIER SOUTH (Step 3)
Marlow's wretched season continues with the Blues still rock bottom and 11 points from safety. Shipping goals has been a big issue with 62 conceded in 24 games. November's mini revival, whereby Marla notched two of their three league wins thus far, is a distant memory.
Marlow average attendance - 265 (21/22)
⚽ SOUTHERN LEAGUE CENTRAL (Step 4)
Flackwell Heath's promotion charge continues. Although they're seven points behind leaders Berkhamsted, the Heathens are a comfortable-ish six points within the play-off spots. The return of last season's top scorer, Jethro Odumosu, as well as the form of new recruit, Jeffrey Fordjour from Holmer Green, gives them plenty of firepower to keep up their pursuit of a double promotion. Thame United sit just outside the play-offs in sixth, with Aylesbury United in eighth position, albeit 10 points off the top five. Beaconsfield Town have been the big disappointment. Having lost their Step 3 status last term, The Rams find themselves looking over their shoulder rather than up.
Flackwell Heath average attendance - 240 (5/21)
Thame United average attendance - 129 (15/21)
Aylesbury United average attendance - 171 (at Chesham United, 9/21)
Beaconsfield Town average attendance - 120 (16/21)
⚽ Combined Counties Premier Division North (Step 5)
Like Flackwell, Amersham Town are also dreaming of a double bounce. They sit top of the division, albeit only a point above Egham Town. According to FWP, Mr. J. Tabor has netted just the 29 league goals so far this season, although @Steve_Peart may have more accurate statistics. Holyport (never been, feel like I should) are a point inside the play-offs with Burnham seven points away from the season-defining spots, having played far fewer games than some of their rivals. Risborough Rangers were the toast of this division a few years ago but they lie in 18th of the 20 teams, with just the one relegation spot in this league.
Amersham Town average attendance - 79 (11/20)
Holyport average attendance - 62 (12/20)
Burnham average attendance - 44 (18/20)
Risborough Rangers average attendance - 139 (2/20)
⚽ Combined Counties Division One (Step 6)
Penn & Tylers Green are having a superb campaign albeit they'll have a fight on their hands to repel Windsor & Eton. Penn sit top, three points above the Berkshire side, but have played three games more (should mention W&E are third with Westside second).
Keith Scott's Holmer Green (it's like Wayne Rooney's Plymouth) are still having a much better campaign than last term's horror show. However, they've recently lost a couple of key players to local rivals higher up the pyramid. The Greens lie in eighth but seven points outside the play-offs. Langley and Windsor (the reformed club that isn't the most recently reformed club in the town) are in mid-table mud while Chalfont St. Peter's hard times show no sign of letting up. The Saints secured a vital pre-Christmas win over Holmer Green but find themselves just three points above the four-team drop zone. Holmer Green earnt a reprieve last season, not sure if Chalfont would get the same deal? Seems mad that they were recently a respectable Step 4 club, but recent campaigns have been an utter shambles.
Penn & Tylers Green average attendance - 70 (6/23)
Windsor & Eton average attendance - 287 (1/23)
Holmer Green average attendance - 82 (5/23)
Langley average attendance - 66 (7/23)
Windsor average attendance - 85 (at Beaconsfield Town, 4/23)
Chalfont St. Peter average attendance - 63 (9/23)
Excellent round up @williwycombe. Tabor is now on 37 goals from 32 games in all competitions, league only is 31 from 24. No penalties so far, nine assists and seven yellows in all games.
I knew you'd have more up-to-date stats!
Thanks for that excellent post. I needed some sanity after coming out of the Sonny Bradley thread.
Excellent work, thank you @williwycombe
Jake Tabor and Richard Pacquette (23 years’ the former’s senior), both bagged a brace as Amersham Town thrashed Berks County 6-1 yesterday.
Amersham are seven points clear at the top of the CCPN (Step 5) but nearest rivals Egham Town have three games in hand.
The other big local highlight of the day was the incredible 5-5 draw between Real Bedford and Flackwell Heath in the Southern Div One Central (Step 4). Bedford were 3-2 up at half-time before the Heathens turned it around to go 5-3 up, only to finally surrender their lead in the 97th minute. Football, eh? Bloody hell.
A very interesting "Location Football" 15 minute report on Amersham Town, with interviews with Jake Tabor, Richard Pacquette, the manager and the chairman.
Tabor speaks very well, he's clearly smart and level headed, and seems to be aiming for a transfer to a NL or EFL club, when his contract expires at the end of this season. His trial at Wycombe comes up twice, no mention of why he didn't get an offer, when RK did, but he has previously tweeted that he was asked to play wing back. The chairman thinks they can get £30-40k for Tabor, and that a step 4 playing budget, if promoted, would be £2k a week.
Tabor currently
hadhas 44 goals from 36 games this season, 38 from 28 league only.https://youtu.be/mCL6TrT4Z6k?si=jp_bTRp-68ylc7T6
When I was looking through the Luton forum early last week, seeing what they were saying about Kone, one of their fans mentioned Tabor, and said they should be taking a chance on him. So it's not just us that have noticed him. Personally I don't see the problem with giving him another go, and maybe play him in his right position ? He could well be the next Kone
It seems odd that he was asked to play out of position, if that is true. Maybe that was part of a character test. Would the potential transfer fee have been a problem? £40k doesn't seem much to us anymore.
Funny old game. That video was posted on the Facebook group with many calling him ‘vile’ and saying he had an awful attitude. He scores goals, has a great knack for it, and is looking to take a giant leap, so if he’s not going to back himself, no one else will. Doubt he’d get a second chance with us but equally I hope it doesn’t bite us down the line.
It may have been a test and if he kicked off about it he'll probably regret it, but If you'd been asked to give up a week or even a few days of your time (at your own expense) to show your skills and then we're told you weren't very good based on something completely unfamiliar you were asked to do you might be annoyed too. Can't remember how long ago it was but any kind of fee would likely have been tricky for someone who was just a prospect.
Wiktor returned to Flackwell a couple of weeks ago, and got two goals in the 5-5 draw at leaders Real Bedford on Saturday. Real got a draw with a 90+7 penalty. His goals:
https://x.com/FHFC1907/status/1886701141276131444?t=4C2bhnK6hToRKARki1piow&s=19
If his striking abilities weren’t in question, and even at the level he is playing at vs ours you can’t really question it, then other things might have to be looked at - like your willingness to do a job you aren’t familiar with for the sake of the team. How far was he willing to go for the good of the team over personal glory.
Cos I like to think one of the key aspects of our players and club is/was that anyone of them would play in any position and give it the maximum no matter the circumstances
I don't disagree with that, the matches are a small part of any trial, if they didn't like what they saw in training he's lucky to have got game time in any position, and if he'd come away thanking them for the opportunity, asking for development feedback and saying he'd come back at any time and play in any position that would have done him more good than bitching about it.
Speculation on limited information again though, people get upset and react, it doesn't have to be the end of his dreams.
I have to say one thing in his defence around his character though, he was perfectly happy with me asking some probing questions On twitter about how he reacted to being put in a wrong position and asked if he let it be known he was unhappy doing it etc, and he answered every question with respect and honesty. He would have been completely in his right to ignore me, or get his back up and be a dick about it. But he didn’t, we answer the Q’s from a random and we had a decent conversation.
Sometimes there’s going to be fine margins between taking a player or not and I rather suspect it can just fall on gut feeling. And maybe they had a limited number of spots the club could afford to take a player, even a non league one, on at.
Did the club get it right in picking Kone over Tabor when they were on trial together?
Well, the proof on the pitch certainly says they didn’t get it wrong. But it could also be Tabor slipped through our fingers on the basis we had to choose him or Kone.
There are 72 EFL teams and 72 National League Teams. None of them have yet signed Jake Tabor. Just because he plays and presumably lives fairly locally doesn't give us exclusive rights over him.
Presumably those who make these decisions haven't seen what they are looking for in him and his game. I imagine one day a club at a higher level than Amersham will sign him. Time will tell whether the judgements of all those clubs was right.
thanks for the explanation