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Still not done and dusted... |
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 Still not done and dusted... Time is ticking down...WTFC are to hear on Thursday after the FA sit if their ground grading is successful thanks to Darren Lovell (Peter Albin for posting on WTFC forum) the following...
Mr. Lovell's words of wisdom....
Well,
here we are at "crunch time!" This has been the week when our applicant
clubs have found out whether their grounds have been graded as suitable
for Step 4 football next season or not. Joy for some and heartache for
(it would appear) many.
By my calculations, this week has seen
25 clubs either withdraw from the promotion process or indeed fail to
make a suitable ground grading. In fact, this number may rise
significantly during the forthcoming week as clubs announce that they
have/have not achieved the necessary ground grading.
I believe
that there are now only 60 clubs from an initial pool of 100 applicants
remaining in the promotion race. A large number of these clubs will
fail to make a top 3 league position at the end of the season simply
due to the number of applicants within their own league.
In
fact, of the remaining 60 clubs, only a maximum of 34 of these will be
able to reach the final top 30 positions. (eg NW Counties League
technically still has 9 clubs in contention. Only a maximum of 3 can be
promoted, therefore at least 6 NWC clubs will be lost to the process by
the end of the season.)
This week's chart has altered
radically. At its' most populated, the chart had 36 clubs on it
(comprising of teams that were in a top 3 promotion position). This
week sees a record low of only 28 clubs populating our chart. If the
season were to finish tomorrow, then maybe 2 Step 4 clubs would be
saved from relegation?
I think it would be clearer to approach
the overall picture in a leagueby league manner this week owing to the
massive changes that have occurred.
In the Combined Counties
League it would seem that all 7 applicants are now out of contention
following ground grading visits. However, the circumastances
surrounding Merstham's exclusion may well lead to an appeal.
Significant work has been completed at their ground, including the
requisition of a new all seated stand, which apparently was ordered on
February 10th this year. The stand has been paid for in full. The
foundations have been prepared but agonisingly for Merstham, the
company supplying the stand this week contacted the club to say that
there was a production delay and that it would not be delivered and
installed on time.
No stand, no grading. An appeal? Probably. A positive decision on Merstham's behalf from the FA? Let us hope so.
The
Eastern Counties League now has only 2 applicant clubs remaining from
an initial list of 7. AFC Sudbury and Bury Town continue to pursue
promotion and currently sit in 1st and 3rd positions respectively.
The
Essex Senior League continues to have a "race" to see who can take 2nd
place behind champions AFC Hornchurch. Confirmed ground grading news
has not materialised at this time, so the assumption must remain that 5
of the 6 original applicant clubs remain on course for promotion.
Brentwood Town can now no longer achieve a top 3 position, so there are
in effect 4 clubs now fighting for places 2 and 3.
The second
club to guarantee a promotion spot this season are Hellenic League side
Didcot Town. They can now finish no lower than 2nd place. The only team
in a position to overhaul them are Bishops Cleeve. They too have
achieved the necessary ground grading for promotion. News on the other
applicant clubs' grading results are keenly awaited.
Kent
League numbers are now reduced from 6 applicants to 3. Only Maidstone
United, Erith & Belvedere and Whitstable Town can now be promoted.
Herne Bay achieved the necessary grading but cannot now attain a top 3
position.
4 clubs have fallen by the wayside in the Midland
Alliance leaving just 6 clubs in contention. Ground grading news has
again been in short supply here. In our table Chasetown move up to 3rd
place whilst Romulus slip to 4th.
A major casualty in the
Northern Counties East League this week was Liversedge, who currently
occupy 2nd position. Of the 10 original applicants, 6 now remain. For
the first time Harrogate Railway Athletic make the top 3 at the expense
of Sheffield.
9 clubs continue to be in contention in the
North West Counties League and many of the clubs still have quite a few
games to play. This is of course in part due to both Nantwich Town and
Cammell Laird being in the FA Vase Semi Finals. The Lairds have dropped
out of the top 3 this week with Salford City being the beneficiary.
Whether the stress of playing 16 further league fixtures before the end
of the season hampers Cammell Laird's promotion prospects remains to be
seen and at present they are the only NWC club with a confirmed ground
grading pass.
The Isthmian 2nd Division now has only 10 clubs
in contention for promotion. Ware Town continue to lead the way with
Brook House in a solid second place. These two clubs are both confirmed
as having passed the grading criteria. In 3rd place this week are
Witham Town who edge out Flackwell Heath.
The Spartan South
Midland League promotion race remains intersting with 5 of the original
6 clubs pushing for the top spots. Harefield United this week dropped
out of the top 3 with Aylesbury Vale moving back up. Confirmed ground
grading news is still awaited.
And then there was one! Horsham
YMCA achieved a ground grading pass this week and topped a great week
off for the club by achieving a confirmed top 2 finish in the Sussex
County League and thereby assuring themselves of promotion this season.
There are no longer any other Sussex teams in the promotion hunt.
Woodford
United and St Neots Town are the two remaining promotion applicants in
the United Counties League from an initial list of 4 clubs. Woodford
are still in second place whilst St Neots are back in 5th place in the
table.
Finally, the Wessex League had its' list of promotion
candidates trimmed from 4 to 3 this week with the withdrawal of Gosport
Borough. The remaining candidates, Winchester City, Thatcham Town and
Andover hold 1st, 2nd and 4th places repsectively.
It remains
that the information above is only as accurate as information in the
public domain allows. If you have confirmed news of any club that has
either passed or failed a ground grading visit this season please share
the information with the users of TK's site, so that we may have as
much accurate information as possible.
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