National League....................this was seriously good !
Mar 15, 2020
This was seriously good .With virtually no games being played on Saturday, we still managed to cover four in the clubgowi newsletter and fulfill our usual criteria of not only providing food for thought for the fixtures that day, but information that will pay dividends down the line.............
Stockport won 2-1, 2-0 in the second half.
Barnet was postponed.
Notts County led 1-0 at HT, 4-0 at full time.
Fylde won 1-0 ,
Saturday March 13th
Next newsletter will be sent @ 10:00 UK time on Sunday.
Not sure that there will be anything tomorrow, but there are National League( tier 5) games today (at least as I start typing) and I can write a few lines about some of those, just in case anyone is looking to play something , if nothing else, the notes will have some value for at least one of the teams in the future and longer term subscribers will doubtless remember that we were big on Fleetwood Town and a player called Jamie Vardy at level 6 not so many years back..........
Maidenhead United- Stockport County
Maidenhead are my local club, I can walk to the York Road ground, which is acknowledged by The Football Association and FIFA to be the oldest continuously used senior association football ground in the world by the same club, having been home to United since 1871, in about 25 minutes. There you go, we already have something of note for today.
I go to watch United occasionally, not as much as previously, but maybe once or twice per season, I know a couple of season ticket holders so get a full update now and then and I am going to the game this afternoon .
United are in trouble, two points from safety and a win would be vital for them and doubly so if the league were to do something odd, like cancel the remaining games at some stage and go with the table as it stands, but that can only be conjecture at this point, what we know for sure is that the Magpies do not draw many games, just 5/37 all season, they have lost a league joint high 20 times, including 11 at home, the same as basement club Chorley who have 15 points less.
Stockport are newly promoted from the National League North, but were formerly a Football League club (106 years) but have been living very hard times since 2011, I must have seen them play Brentford a dozen times prior to that and County always had a good following and they have stuck with the club and/or returned recently. Over 5,000 watched their home game last week, 25% higher than the second biggest National League crowd and it was more than at four League 1 grounds (two levels higher). They have a stated ambition to reach the Championship within 7 years, it is similar to the Fleetwood plans and they are upgrading all facilities and their ground along with the team and ambition is high, but not totally unrealistic and with the demise of Bury, the area of Greater Manchester could support another league club.They announced a Director of Football last month in Simon Wilson, his CV is reproduced at the foot of this email, not sure how many clubs at this level have a DOF, not many I guess and his background is impressive and has to be a significant plus.
In January, the club changed hands with Mark Stott, who is referenced at the end of those notes on the DOF, taking over and clearing all existing debts at County, he is a lifelong fan and founder and CEO of Cheshire-based Vita Group. At the time he stated: “I am excited by the opportunity that lies ahead to support Stockport County FC to fulfill its great potential both on and off the pitch, by creating a more sustainable model for the future of this historic football club that includes deepening its longstanding ties with the local community.“Throughout all of the ups and downs it has faced over the years, the Club and its supporters have always shown immense character and resilience, which is one of the many things that makes Stockport County FC a unique community club.
Wilson and head coach Jim Gannon made their first signing this week (the window is still open at this level for another two weeks) with striker Richie Bennett joining from League 2 promotion chasing Port Vale, he had a year remaining on his contract there, he was joint top scorer and it is a bold move for both player and club, he is available to make his debut today. County are 8th , outside the playoff spots only on goal difference and just 5 points behind the team in third, so very much in contention.
Despite not drawing many , United have been level at the break in a league high 21 games (56.76%), so another half time stalemate would not surprise and would probably suit County as they are very strong in the second half when they have collected 58 points, good for third best. Saddens me to say, but County look good for the points and might offer even better value "in running".
AFC Fylde- Aldershot Town
AFC Fylde have been a club on the rise for the last decade. Flying up the divisions including a run where they were unbeaten in over 21 months (!) and getting promoted six or seven times (sorry, I lost count, it was not easy to track), playing in a neat modern stadium with the financial clut to go along with all that. Fylde were 90 minutes away from the Football League in May, but defeat at Wembley to Salford City gave them at least one more season in non-league. They started this campaign as title favourites, but have really struggled and sit 23rd 7 points from safety, but they do have a game in hand and might at long last have turned a corner, they drew with highflying Solihull last weekend and in midweek, won away to Dagenham, their first victory since November. Players and coaching staff celebrated the late winner wildly and afterwards head coach Jim Broadbent who oversaw relegation campaign after relegation campaign at Morecambe and knows how to get a club out of trouble, saw the three points on Tuesday as HUGE and felt it lifted the whole club. He said that Fylde had deserved more from many games and with the core of the squad remaining and those players used to success, that self belief was still there. Aldershot will have made the long journey north late I suspect, waiting for an update on the weekend games going ahead and they have hit a little bump, losing their last two, including at home to that self same Dagenham last Saturday. The Shots have scored just 15 away goals all season (second lowest) and are one of few clubs that Fylde can realistically hope to drag into the relegation mix. Home win.
Notts County- Eastleigh
Notts County, founded in 1862, are the oldest professional association football club in the world . They played in League 1 as recently as 2015, were almost promoted back to that level in 2018, but were relegated out of the Football League for the first time last season. Like many teams before them they struggled with the drop and it took 11 starts before they won their third game, they were 12th with 33pts through 24 outings, but have averaged 2.08 points pg since and are up to third. They are on a roll and have won their last three scoring 7 goals, including 2-0 away to leaders Barrow, the gap is down to 10 points, County could make it 7 today and with the leaders showing their first signs of a dip in form and with their top scorer suspended, the title race (only one automatic promotion spot is up for grabs) is not yet over. Eastleigh look booked for lower mid table and have failed to score in 5 of their last 8, with the squad looking a little jaded after some lengthy cup runs and this being their fourth straight road game, all long trips and by kickoff today they will have covered 2,500 km by road and circa 30 hours on a bus through that sequence. The visitors are also the worst first half road team in the National, with just 13 points before the break, County are 4th best second half team in the division, so should be able to do damage either early or late (or both) and look the likely and a fairly comfortable winner.
Yeovil Town- Barnet FC
Fortunes change quickly in sport, Yeovil played Brentford at Wembley in the League 1 playoff final in 2013 and won ! Now the Bees are knocking on the door of the Premier League and Town are playing non-league football. Barnet are also a former league club, they are looking to be promoted to the Football League for a fourth time.
Yeovil were vying for top spot through almost 30 games , but have collected just 9 points from their last 8 starts, however, they have won their last two and might have re-turned a corner. They are 4th on 60 points, 10 off the top of the table, but only six ahead of 10th placed Barnet who have two games in hand. The (fake) Bees have collected 15 points from their last eight, five of which were played on the road and they have picked up the 4th most away points this season. They are coming off a 3-1 win at fellow playoff hopefuls Woking in midweek and you can see highlights of that game on this link which goes to the Barnet website.It was a good competitive game, remember this is tier 5, but Barnet were the more inventive and very quick on the break, so easy to so why they have done well on the road. Their fitness levels look really good and it is no surprise that they have lost just 7 second halves, picking up 9 points more than Yeovil after the break. Barnet and the draw and with three goals after the 77th minute in their last three starts, "in running " markets might be worth a look.
Not a league we drop into very often anymore and it was out of necessity, so nothing in red type, but I think there is some interesting content, especially on County and we will surely return to that and them at some stage.
Good Luck.
Stockport County are pleased to confirm the appointment of Simon Wilson as Director of Football.
A Football and Science graduate of Liverpool John Moores University. Wilson started his career as a consultant with ProZone, the company that helps clubs analyse player performance.
He joined Southampton Football Club as a Performance Analyst in 2002, becoming only the second full-time analyst employed by a UK team.
Wilson went on to become Head of Performance Analysis at St Mary’s.
He left Southampton in the summer of 2006 to take on the role of Head of Performance Analysis at Manchester City. After three-and-a-half years in that role, he was appointed Strategy and Performance Manager which saw him take responsibility for the development of all first team and academy departments alongside the club’s Director of Football.
He went on to become Director of Football Services for the City Football Group which owns Manchester City, New York City, and Melbourne City. Following Manchester City, Wilson was appointed Chief Football Officer at Sunderland A.F.C.
In 2018 he started a football consultancy working with top flight clubs and organisations including The Premier League, UEFA, AFC Ajax, FC Copenhagen, Sparta Prague, Levski Sofia and Leicester City.
Wilson will work closely with Jim Gannon and his team to enhance the football infrastructure within the club. This will include identifying and developing talent and overseeing investment in sports science, recovery and training facilities.
Wilson said “I’m delighted to be joining Stockport County at the start of such an exciting chapter in the club’s history. The passion of both the staff and supporters is infectious, and I can’t wait to support Jim and his team to help this club reach its full potential.”
Mark Stott, the club’s new owner said: “Simon’s wealth of experience speaks for itself and we are delighted he shares our passion, vision and ambition for the club. It’s vital we strengthen our footballing infrastructure and talent base to achieve our vision of reaching the Championship within the next seven years.”
We don't just sell football betting tips, as you can see there is an extensive analysis behind our asian handicap selections. Subscribing to our sports betting advice service need not break the bank. Learn more by visiting our subscriptions page.
Country:
Sport: