Monday Morning Quarterback 2019-20 Season – Issue 23

Monday Morning Quarterback 2019-2020 Issue 23 Upon Further Review

Well Storm Dennis hit the non-league schedule and even much more the whole football day across all levels of football this Saturday as game after game were being called off for various reasons.

What is becoming apparent to our league, is that there now has to be a major catch-up of games as we enter the final ten weeks of the season.

Last week there were four catch-up games scheduled, but again just two took place, and we as hosts at another clubs venue are suffering the most.

Both us and Winchester City, are now regularly losing games at home and reschedule after reschedule of games are being announced, only to fail to take place again.

The league understandably request that clubs try to rearrange their games as soon as possible, to try and clear the backlog of fixtures.

Currently, both Sholing and Willand Rovers have played just 22 games, that is another 16 games each, whilst both Moneyfields and ourselves still have 15 games to play.

Add the fact that various county and other cup competition’s take priority over league games then this puts more pressure on club in this league.

With three games planned for this week, we already know one of those is in serious doubt of taking place, that being our home game against Moneyfields on Tuesday night. As I write this part of my weekly column, the wind and rain rages outside, which puts increasing pressure on the groundsman not only at the Simplyhealth ground, but at grounds across our league.

We currently have 8 home games to play, whilst Winchester City have 6 home games to play. That is 14 games in just 10 weeks, and the question will be, “Can the pitch can take that amount of football”? Add that along with the current weather conditions, the answer is doubtful.

We also have the rearranged Melksham and Cinderford Town matches to play midweek. Yes Melksham Town looks to be Monday week, but still no date for the Cinderford Town game. Whatever, the dates, our fans will struggle to get to the middle of nowhere and then get home. The teams in our league with no train stations and sometimes no sign of life even, struggle bad enough to attract away fans to Saturday games, so mid-week games are supported even less. This simply puts an even harsher financial burden on clubs of both teams. Away clubs travel costs in trying to get to get their players to games, whilst home clubs who lose vital revenue through the much lower gate revenue.

So what could help? How about our league sponsors Bet Victor, who claim to be one of the biggest gambling sites in the country, who could create a financial aid fund to help clubs. Yes they sponsor the league, but how about supporting the actual teams in the league? I bet that would help their credibility a lot more!

Ok our next four games are still the same, although in a slightly different order than last week’s list, as the postponed Melksham Town has been quickly rearranged for Monday 20th. So our next four games look like Moneyfields (H) and Paulton Rovers (H), Melksham Town (A) and Thatcham Town (A). What would you hope, or be happy to get from these four games, pointwise?

With no mid-week or Saturday games played for the top five teams in the league, the top of the table remains the same, and so very little else to add.

The Top Five in Our League

The Division One South league goal-scoring chart.

The league goal-scoring chart remains untouched, although Moneyfields Stephen Hutchings joins those on 13 goals.

• No Longer in the league

At the bottom of the table, there were two mid-week games affecting the bottom of the league, and neither of them helped our position, as wins for Moneyfields (1-0), win at home to Mangotsfield, and then Wednesday, AFC Totton’s 1-2 at Highworth Town, both cemented their safety from that one relegation spot.

The Bottom Five in our League Now Looks Like This

* Point deducted for illegal player.

Basingstoke Town Goal Scorers Chart (No game, means no change to this table.)

* Players no longer with the club

Ok, currently there are three games scheduled in the league this week. As stated before, this is a chance for the teams with the most games to play, to tick one of the list.

One of these being our home game (if on) against Moneyfields, who sit just one place above us in the league. The other two games are Sholing’s lovely visit to Cinderford Town, and Willand Rovers who travel to Paulton Rovers.

Moving onto Saturday’s fixture list and currently the only team we need to keep an eye on is Barnstaple Town’s home game against second-placed Thatcham Town.