2008/09 Southern Premier League Fans' Review

2008/09 Southern Premier League Fans' Review

This article is taken from Issue 1 of Bright Golden Haze - the fanzine. I would be pathetically grateful if you purchased one from my "shop" which, if it existed in reality, would be a car boot.

"Chronicles of stress foretold..."

What do fans of other SLP clubs expect from the 2008/09 season?

I'm predicting a title challenge and a first qualifying round exit in the FA Trophy for the Yeltz this season. But how optimistic are fans of other clubs? I decided to try and find out...

THE QUESTIONS:

1) What position will you finish in this year?
2) Name one of your players who will make a big impression this season.

3) You can have one player from any other SLP club. Who would you choose?

4) If not you, who will be challenging for the title?
5) Is there any team you really want to see suffer this season?
6) 1 =not confident, 10 = supreme confidence. How confident are you in your manager’s abilities?

Banbury United by Harvey @ the Banbury forum

1) Mid-table

2) Tom Breward

3) Tom Winters (from the enemy)

4) Anyone of the handful that are being bankrolled

5) Do you need to ask? Brackley!

6) 9/10

Bashley by Steve Davies

1) Vertical but with a slight list to the left reaching the dizzy heights of 8th, making the end of season open topped pony and trap ride through the Forest a day to remember. Any higher than that and the squad will be made freeman of the village of Sway where they’ll be legally obliged to graze their girl-friends on the village green.

2) David Elm (keeper) - chunky bugger who has been leaving indentations at grounds in the South for years. Jez Tarr could make a name for himself as an attacking midfielder, usually comes off the bench and causes chaos in the oppos defence and our midfield as he’s never quite sure what he is doing, leaving everybody else totally clueless.

3) Did Ronaldo complete his transfer to Clevedon?

4) I firmly believe the winners and runners up will be there or thereabouts. Cambridge, Farnborough and Halesowen will slug it out for the title.

5) Corby. Shit fans, shit ground and we never get sod all from them. If they only pick up six points this season they’ll get them from us.

6) Tough one this. Monday I’d say 7-8, Tuesday normally 6, Wednesday and Thursday a definite 9, Friday 10 until 2.50pm on Saturday when all bets are put on hold. Overall I’d plump for a mark of seven and nine tenths.

Bedford Town by James Smiles

1) 14th. We need a better season than last year without a doubt. A good 70% of last season’s squad has gone, so predicting where we’ll finish this year is a little difficult as we have players we have not seen play for Bedford yet. None of us think we are going to be walking into the play-offs however we shouldn’t be getting relegated.

2) Andrew Phillips came on well last year. As a small pacey striker he has the ability to scare the hell out of defences and hopefully that will be the case.

3) Ian Brown (keeper at Hemel Hempstead). We had Brownie for 5 years before he went to Hemel. There’s no doubt about it, he is a good keeper but poor relations with him makes it unlikely we could ever get him back.

4) Halesowen, Cambridge, Corby, Bashley and Brackley will make the play-offs. Pick one of them for the title.

5) Suffer? Not really, we’re not a club like that. We would like to finish above Hitchin though.

6) Stuart Bimson is a great coach. UEFA A Licence and was kept on to keep stability within the club despite our relegation. (NB: Bimson left Bedford shortly afterwards although I’m sure it was nothing to do with James).

Brackley Town by Dave Boynton

1) I’d like to say top two but realistically top six.

2) Dean Cracknell.

3) Tommy Kinch (Banbury).

4) Gloucester City.

5) I wouldn’t like to say suffer, the obvious one is Banbury but I’d like to see them competing at the top end of the table in many ways. Bedford Town were very patronising when they came to our ground last year and got relegated, only reprieved due to other’s misfortune, I guess you could say I wouldn’t mind if they struggled!

6) A big 9. A job for life if he wants it!

Cambridge City by Dan Barnes

1) First (no pressure then!!)

2) Scott Neilson. Signed towards the end of last season and made an immediate impact.

3) Matt Nolan (Corby). Had a good spell at City whilst on loan from Peterborough a few seasons back.

4) Farnborough.

5) No.

6) Nine.

See Cepen Park’s comprehensive season preview for Chippenham Town on page 17. He also told me that he expects their young striker David Pratt to make an impact this season...

Clevedon Town by Steve Small

1) 13th. We have a new squad and a new manager this season so it’s very hard to say how we’ll do.

2) Lewis Powell.

3) Jack Pitcher (Gloucester City).

4) Halesowen Town. Not because this is a Halesowen fanzine; I always thought you have the ground, fan base and team to get promoted but somehow you always miss out. Hopefully you’ll get there this season.

5) I’d have said Weston Super Mare but as usual they escaped relegation so no-one from a football point of view (although I can’t stand Corby’s ground and wouldn’t be too upset to see them relegated!)

6) 7. Wayne Powell is the new boss. He was the assistant last season, and he’s lost almost all of the experienced players from last season, including most of the defence. With a much reduced budget (like many clubs I suspect) he’s got a squad of mainly young players but with some useful experience as well but we’ll have to wait a few months to see whether they all gel.

Possibly too busy swaying gently in the Rockingham gales, drinking Tennants Super and shouting incoherently at passers-by to do what he promised and actually answer these questions so I hope Corby Town have a miserable season.

badge evesham

Evesham United.

As Evesham fans are few and far between and those that do exist probably recoil in horror at the devil’s work that is the internet, I will step into the breach and boldly predict that they will be relegated.

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