Conference Play Offs

spoke to him yesterday,he is out with a cartlidge problem for the rest of the season.He is meeting up with a mate of mine and son before mondays kick off,both oxford fans,still mr amenable is tarzan

I believe he was injured![/quote]

I expect he was, he usually is these days so it's a good job he's off OUR payroll!

Remembering that Conference North and South only date from 2004, the play-offs were played at a neutral venue until 2008. That year Barrow beat Stalybridge at Burton in front of 2,530; Eastbourne defeated Hampton & Richmond before 1,077 at Stevenage.

Last year the games were played on the ground of one of the clubs: Gateshead v Telford (att 4,121); Hampton & Richmond v Hayes & Yeading (att 3,111).

I guess it's an economic argument: smaller crowds and higher costs at neutral venues. I'm planning to go to Bath next Sunday and the figures above point to a far higher crowd than, say, at neutral Salisbury (or, as appears to have been the case, somewhere decided well in advance). Presumably the clubs voted for the change at the last AGM.

Yes, the higher-placed club gets the home game. In the Southern League (S&W), for example, 3rd beat 4th at home in one of the one-off semis; 5th won at 2nd in the other. This meant the final was 3rd v 5th (5th won!). If the result of the second semi had been different, the final would have been 2nd v 3rd. The difference at Conf N/S level is that the semi-finals are over two legs.

And, on the subject of Conference North and South, you may have noticed that Gloucester City have been playing in Conference North this season. To an extent that's unavoidable because the line (as we've discussed in the past) has to be drawn somewhere and - with the south of the country having more people, clubs and leagues - that line is usually going to fall two-thirds of the way down the country.

The double curiosity with Gloucester is that they were placed in the Northern section because Worcester had secured an agreement not to be switched from South to North for three seasons (which, ironically, is now history because they've been relegated). Furthermore, because of flood damage, Gloucester have been playing even further south at Cirencester.

Now, today, the NLP has published a map of where Gloucester have played this season, bearing in mind they are not at the national level of the pyramid. Look carefully and you'll see the FA Cup took them to Lowestoft; the FA Trophy to Truro:

I went to the first leg of the Dover-Woking semi at Kingfield, and similarly to many of the disparaging comments made about the Cards last season, I can assure you nothing has improved.

Food ran out before kick-off, and then ran out again after it had been replenished (and before anyone says, I didn't partake at all), the kick-off was delayed for 'crowd congestion' in the main home stand and the little Woking chavs decided at the end that they would attack the Dover coaches and cause damage as well as force the police into action on a night when the fans should have been celebrating a well-deserved victory.

They eventually had three massive strikers on the pitch and did well to come back from losing a goal in the opening couple of minutes. Looks like the second leg was a real rearguard, but given the quality of their back-four (they are still full-time as well) that comes as no real surprise. I just hope Bath do a job on them in the final and get that place in the Conference National they have deserved for a while.

Plus it will mean Woking's horrid little oik fans end up at a level below where their club should be, and they'll be going part time if they miss out again...Dover really would have been screwed had they gone up, at least so I am told by a board member down there.

Cheers Joe, forgotten about these games.

If I was a betting man (which I'm not, the last time I was in a betting shop was to put 5 bob on Red Alligator in some horse race) I think Oxford will win. If they don't I'd put in a bid in for Constable.

Personally I'd want to see The Conference themselves come down hard on Luton Town and expel them from the whole set up ~ there is just no room in any sport for people who cannot and do not accept the result of a competition. Expel them and hope that the council send in the bulldozers and demolish one of their bloody stands as punishment. If they repeat the offence again, demolish another one; and so on.

There's a nasty National Front element in that town and amongst the following of the football club and that sort of intolerant behaviour is indicative of it........................it's a horrible town anyway and anyone who visits there comes away with a "don't want to come back to this dump" attitude.

Luton Town ~ out of the Football League for one more year at least and bloody good riddance! ;D