The Vanarama Non-League Football Thread

[Bobfoc]

The FA Trophy has now paid host to two of the best Notts County goals I've ever seen.

 

[Lineker]

Voided National League divisions may resume in new and improvised format

[Lineker]

 

[Bobfoc]

Nice to hear Del Boy on commentary.

[Bobfoc]

Neal Ardley has been sacked by Notts County. My feelings are mixed because he always seemed like a nice person who was well respected by everyone at the club. However, with the squad he's had, I think he's underachieved. The club already has his replacement lined up, so I hope it's someone better. Otherwise, there's no point.

[Bobfoc]

The replacement is Ian Burchnall, a 38-year-old whose previous roles have been in Scandinavia. He seems to have a decent reputation and was popular at his previous clubs. I hope he can settle into the National League landscape quickly.

[Adam]

He was Graham Potter's successor at Ostersunds, no? If Burchnall's half as good as him you might be on to a winner.

[Bobfoc]

He was. I'm hoping he'll be of a similar ilk. His first interview seemed reasonably promising because he spoke about developing an approach based on statistical data. The club owners run Football Radar, a company that collects such information on players, and whose findings inform club signings, so it looks on paper to be a sensible match.

I do feel for Ardley on a human level, though. I've only ever heard positive things about him as a person from journalists who've spoken to him, and he clearly put his all into managing the club. Leigh Curtis of the Nottingham Post said that, after he had heart surgery, Ardley offered him lifts home after matches if he ever felt incapable of driving. Honestly, I don't see him as a future great in the management field, but he ought to get a job elsewhere sooner rather than later. To deal with all the off-field nonsense under the Alan Hardy regime and still maintain a good team spirit shows that he's the kind of stabilising influence that a few lower league/ non-league clubs could benefit from right now.

[Lineker]

 

[Adam]

Dover got a similar fine in the National League.

Are there any football governing bodies that aren't utterly useless?

[Lineker]

 

[Gazz]

Like, they can't have not had some sort of inkling of how these decisions would play out when non-league football is on it's arse?

They can't be that out of touch.

[Lineker]

Yeovil Town captain Lee Collins has died, aged 32.

[Lineker]

 

[Bobfoc]

They've been the form team for the last few weeks. Torquay have to feel that they've thrown away a major opportunity, though. They weren't fancied at the start of the season, but they were a long way ahead not so long ago. I reckon Stockport should be favourite for the playoffs, as much as I'd like to see a certain other team go up.

Meanwhile, Hornchurch of the Ithsmian Premier League won the FA Trophy. The gap between the divisions at this level obviously isn't as large as it is higher up the pyramid, but it's still an impressive achievement. The original Hornchurch FC folded in 2005 and they've since got themselves up to the third non-league tier, and this is the highest-profile competition they've ever won.

[Bobfoc]

Exciting game at Notts today. I'm not confident about going to big public events yet, so I watched on BT Sport. The next match is away at Torquay, which is probably preferable to playing Stockport, but it will still be a tough one.

[Bobfoc]

Balls

[Lineker]

 

[Colly]

(Pools) keeper has had a stinker there. Cracking header though.

[Bobfoc]

Goalkeepers scoring injury time goals is in vogue lately.