UPTHEPORT wrote:

Blackandamber wrote:

Beechwood Boy wrote:Just been looking at County's record in the 2003/04 season, where we had to qualify for the formation of the new conference south, and a few questions come to mind.
- why weren't Merthyr given a place in the conference south league?
- why did County play a friendly match v a Man Utd XI in March, 2004?

Only the teams in the top half of the Southern League Premier Division qualified for the Conference South. I think the other 12 teams came from the top half of the Isthmium League.

Man Utd had promised to send a team to play the County. I can't remember why

We had a young lad from Newport sign for there youth team we where a feeder team for them at the time

Any idea who that was and how he did?

Only the teams in the top half of the Southern League Premier Division qualified for the Conference South. I think the other 12 teams came from the top half of the Isthmium League.

Yeah, I thought so but according to Wikipedia, Dorchester finished in 17th and were placed in the Conference South and Merthyr finished in 14th but weren't......??

I think it went lower down than the top half of each Premier division. Three Premier divisions (Southern, Northern and Isthmian) were used to create the new tier of Conference North and South. So the top two thirds of those three were included.

excessbee wrote:I think it went lower down than the top half of each Premier division. Three Premier divisions (Southern, Northern and Isthmian) were used to create the new tier of Conference North and South. So the top two thirds of those three were included.

As I recall, it was top 12 from the Dr.Martens Premier & top 12 from the Isthmian League Premier....
There was some jiggly around at some point with some of the more 'northern' teams from the South, like Worcester City.
One thing I do know though, is qualifying for that inaugural season was vital for County's longer term development. Many of those teams who finished outside the top 12 have still yet to progress much further. At the time, it was effectively a sideways move for us, from level 6 to another, newly formed level 6, from which we pushed on, perhaps in a particularly poor division. Personally I never felt the Isthmian League was sufficient standard.

Can't see how that can be so, as that would mean that the Northern Premier would have just automatically morphed into the Conference North. The grey area was that there was no Midland league in the new setup.

Beechwood Boy wrote:Only the teams in the top half of the Southern League Premier Division qualified for the Conference South. I think the other 12 teams came from the top half of the Isthmium League.

Yeah, I thought so but according to Wikipedia, Dorchester finished in 17th and were placed in the Conference South and Merthyr finished in 14th but weren't......??

Teams finishing 2nd to 13th in the southern league went into the conference South. Teams finishing 14th to 18th went into a play off, which is why Dorchester were in the conference south and Merthyr were not.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004-05 ... Conference

This season saw the Conference expanded to three divisions with the addition of the Conference North and Conference South added to the existing (and renamed) Conference National. The North and South Divisions were filled by teams finishing 1st–13th in the Northern Premier League Premier Division and 2nd–13th in the Isthmian League Premier Division and Southern League Premier Division the previous season (the champions were all promoted to the Conference National), together with winners of play-offs between the 14–18th placed clubs in the Southern League Premier, 14th–20th in the Isthmian and Northern Premier League Premier, as well as the top clubs from the divisions immediately below.

Ugo. wrote:

Beechwood Boy wrote:Only the teams in the top half of the Southern League Premier Division qualified for the Conference South. I think the other 12 teams came from the top half of the Isthmium League.

Yeah, I thought so but according to Wikipedia, Dorchester finished in 17th and were placed in the Conference South and Merthyr finished in 14th but weren't......??

Teams finishing 2nd to 13th in the southern league went into the conference South. Teams finishing 14th to 18th went into a play off, which is why Dorchester were in the conference south and Merthyr were not.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004-05 ... Conference

This season saw the Conference expanded to three divisions with the addition of the Conference North and Conference South added to the existing (and renamed) Conference National. The North and South Divisions were filled by teams finishing 1st–13th in the Northern Premier League Premier Division and 2nd–13th in the Isthmian League Premier Division and Southern League Premier Division the previous season (the champions were all promoted to the Conference National), together with winners of play-offs between the 14–18th placed clubs in the Southern League Premier, 14th–20th in the Isthmian and Northern Premier League Premier, as well as the top clubs from the divisions immediately below.

Thanks Ugo

I remember that relegation season. Andy Evans (who was ever so slightly) ‘raw’, scored a hat trick against Dorchester & bizarrely was called up to the Wales U-21s on the strength of it. Barely did anything else all season & disappeared without trace. I do remember Paul Burton from that side tho. Probably the following season away at Weston, to my shame, as he was preparing to come on, I said ‘don’t bother Paul, you’re f...ing crap’. Naturally he scored & gave me the finger. We still lost 4-1 though. In my defence, alcohol was involved!

I'm almost certain this is the same Andy Evans, although NAFC isn't listed among his clubs by Wikipedia. If so, he went on to play for Barnsley. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Evans_(footballer)

I remember in the game at Cambridge City when Jon Roberts broke a leg their keeper raced out and Evans lobbed him from about 35 yards. Evans turned away and was charging back up the pitch to celebrate when the ball hit the bar!

Burton had scored a ridiculous number of goals for Westfields in Hereford in partnership with Sam Bowen who also played for us later. Burton was very lightweight and Bowen huge.

People used to joke that we'd signed the wrong one, like AC Milan supposedly wanting John Barnes but getting Luther Blissett, but Burton's stats were pretty good - 16 goals overall from 33 + 23.

Going back to the title thread - us old gits know this, but maybe not supporters who have come on board more recently. The 1996-97 season is our only relegation since the new club was formed almost 30 years ago, which I would say is pretty darn good.

How many clubs can match this?

George Street-Bridge wrote:Going back to the title thread - us old gits know this, but maybe not supporters who have come on board more recently. The 1996-97 season is our only relegation since the new club was formed almost 30 years ago, which I would say is pretty darn good.

How many clubs can match this?

Back in the late 60's early 70's there was only one club who had never been promoted. However by a quirk of this neither had they been relegated.

A little clue. One of our regular opponents who are now doing what I would consider pretty darn good.

Stan A. Einstein wrote:

George Street-Bridge wrote:Going back to the title thread - us old gits know this, but maybe not supporters who have come on board more recently. The 1996-97 season is our only relegation since the new club was formed almost 30 years ago, which I would say is pretty darn good.

How many clubs can match this?

Back in the late 60's early 70's there was only one club who had never been promoted. However by a quirk of this neither had they been relegated.

A little clue. One of our regular opponents who are now doing what I would consider pretty darn good.

Rochdale. Think they have only had one relegation in all their history.

pembsexile wrote:

Stan A. Einstein wrote:

George Street-Bridge wrote:Going back to the title thread - us old gits know this, but maybe not supporters who have come on board more recently. The 1996-97 season is our only relegation since the new club was formed almost 30 years ago, which I would say is pretty darn good.

How many clubs can match this?

Back in the late 60's early 70's there was only one club who had never been promoted. However by a quirk of this neither had they been relegated.

A little clue. One of our regular opponents who are now doing what I would consider pretty darn good.

Rochdale. Think they have only had one relegation in all their history.

Morning Mike. Not Rochdale. Think of a Division 3 South team who made the cut when Division 4 was created and remained in Division 3 until about 1970. Easy if you Google it but more fun if you don't.

Bournemouth?

Guessing now. Ipswich, or maybe Middlesborough.