League 2 Relegation Fight

Discussion in 'Other Divisions' started by SetPeace, Apr 29, 2006.

  1. SetPeace

    SetPeace Member+

    Jun 22, 2004
    SC Illinois
    Club:
    Torquay United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    What a turnaround from one month ago! Torquay won at Carlise 2-1 and forced Oxford into the relegation zone as the U's could only draw 1-1 at Wrexham. Rushden & Diamonds were relegated following their 2-0 loss at Boston.

    With one game left to play, 7 teams are trying to avoid the last relegation slot to the Conference next year.

    May 6th games

    Bury 52 points, play at Notts County
    Macclesfield 51 points, play at Bristol Rovers
    Torquay 51 points, host Boston
    Barnet 51 points, play at Rushden
    Notts County 51 points, host Bury
    Stockport County 51 points, host Carlisle
    Oxford 49 points, host Leyton Orient

    A draw will keep Bury up. A draw will not help Oxford as they must win. If they do, and Bury lose, the Shakers could go down on goal difference. For the other teams on 51 points, draws may not be good enough for them if Oxford win. Stockport are in a precarious situation. They have the worst goal difference of the 51-point teams, and they'll be playing a team that's already promoted, but could be in position of needing a win if winning League 2 outright means that much to them. Should be a very exciting day for 6 teams and very depressing for one! Good luck everybody!
     
  2. Bluto11

    Bluto11 The sky is falling!

    May 16, 2003
    Chicago, IL
    come on the Hatters. bottom of the league at the new year. they can stay up!
     
  3. M

    M Member+

    Feb 18, 2000
    Via Ventisette
    Unbelieveable stuff. A team with 50 or more points could well get relegated to the Conference.
     
  4. SheffWedFan

    SheffWedFan Member

    Dec 23, 2005
    Thousand Oaks, CA
    Club:
    Sheffield Wednesday FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    It'd be a sad day if Notts County went down. One of the proudest teams in the league, former FA cup winners, certainly the oldest still in the top flight, and with a strong heritage.

    It's interesting - if County DO drop out, the mantle of "oldest professional English league team" would (I think) transfer to Stoke, who were formed in 1863, the year after County.
     
  5. manowarfan1

    manowarfan1 New Member

    Jul 30, 2004
    Colorado, USA
    Well if any County has to go down - let's hope it's Notts :) I think Oxford could do everyone (except fortheir supporters) a big favor and lose - that would make life as a Stockport supporter a little less stressful.

    Come on Oxford, have some pity - I support Stockport, Newcastle and the Colorado Rapids - at least let me have this one wish :)
     
  6. Hazzathewazza

    Hazzathewazza New Member

    May 30, 2005
    Oxford V Leyton Orient is a 12,500 Sell Out !

    If Oxford or Notts County went down, would they be the biggest clubs to play in the conference ever?
     
  7. SheffWedFan

    SheffWedFan Member

    Dec 23, 2005
    Thousand Oaks, CA
    Club:
    Sheffield Wednesday FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    Depends how you define "biggest".

    The following current Football League clubs have played in the Conference at some point since the league first appeared (as the Alliance Premier League) in 1979-80: Boston United, Yeovil Town, Barnet, Wycombe Wanderers, Cheltenham Town, Lincoln City, Macclesfield Town, Darlington, Colchester United, Doncaster Rovers, Chester City, Shrewsbury Town, and Carlisle United.

    Also, these current Conference clubs have all at some point played in the Football League: Accrington Stanley, Hereford United, Halifax Town, York City, Exeter City, Aldershot, Cambridge United, Kidderminster Harriers, Scarborough, and Southport.

    as have these clubs further down the Pyramid (fairly recently, not back in the 1910s): Workington, Barrow, Newport County, Gateshead, Bradford Park Avenue, Wimbledon, and Maidstone United.

    If you look at crowd statistics for this year, the best supported of these clubs is Carlisle, with an average gate of 7,218, followed by Yeovil with 6,408, and Doncaster with 6,139.

    Notts County average 5,269; Oxford 5,134. The best current Conference side is Exeter, with 3,576.

    I don't know the answer to your question is, but it's interesting reading. I'm beginning to be of the opinion that the Conference is almost becoming the unofficial "fifth top division" in English football; the standard of play is getting better, as is the fan support (an average of 1,800 at each match across the league). There is more press coverage of what happens in the league, and with the amount of former League sides now playing in the division, it's no longer a shock when a Conf side beats a D2 or even a D1 side in a cup competition.

    Personally, I'm all for it. More strength in depth throughout the league system can only be good for the English game.
     
  8. Hazzathewazza

    Hazzathewazza New Member

    May 30, 2005
    To think that only twenty years ago Oxford were playing in the top flight and won the league cup. They have had players such as Houghton, Aldridge, Magilton, Saunders, Windass, Matt Elliott etc
    Would that make them the first team to have played in the top division and the conference?
     
  9. RichardL

    RichardL BigSoccer Supporter

    May 2, 2001
    Berkshire
    Club:
    Reading FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    being very pedantic, but neither Aldershot town or accrington stanley have ever played in the league.

    Both are completely new clubs in every sense, which were formed after the the old clubs went bust.

    Aldershot Town had the very nice advantage in that Aldershot FC didn't own their ground (the council did, as it's actually a public park) so reforming was relatively easy.

    Accrington Stanley reformed six years after the original Accrington Stanley folded.

    Nor were the original Accrington Stanley founder members of the football league. Accrington FC (who were founder members) were a completely different club.
     
  10. RichardL

    RichardL BigSoccer Supporter

    May 2, 2001
    Berkshire
    Club:
    Reading FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    No. Carlisle played one season in the top flight in the mid 1970s.
     
  11. SheffWedFan

    SheffWedFan Member

    Dec 23, 2005
    Thousand Oaks, CA
    Club:
    Sheffield Wednesday FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    You are quite correct - I should have made that clearer. The NAME has been in the league, but the actual current club has not. The same can be said of the current Wimbledon team (which re-formed as a non-league side when the first incarnation of the team moved to Milton Keynes), as well as the new Newport County and Maidstone United, who re-formed as a new clubs after the original went bust while still playing in the football league.
     
  12. SheffWedFan

    SheffWedFan Member

    Dec 23, 2005
    Thousand Oaks, CA
    Club:
    Sheffield Wednesday FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    The original Bradford Park Avenue spent 3 seasons in the top flight prior to dropping out of the league.

    Bury also have the chance to beat Oxford to the dubious honor of being only the second team to have played in the top flight and the Conference - they have actually spent 22 seasons at English football's pinnacle during their 100-years history.
     
  13. Hazzathewazza

    Hazzathewazza New Member

    May 30, 2005
    Now that most teams in the conference are professional, why dont they just make it league 3 ?
     
  14. SheffWedFan

    SheffWedFan Member

    Dec 23, 2005
    Thousand Oaks, CA
    Club:
    Sheffield Wednesday FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    It's probably a financial thing. Of course, Coca-Cola currently sponsor the Football League, and to take over Nationwide's contract with the conference they'd have to invest in all the 24 clubs which comprise the division, work out TV rights for each club, that sort of thing.

    There'd have to be another round added to the League Cup, which might upset some teams already complaining about fixture congestion.

    Plus, not EVERY team in the conference are fully pro. The former league teams are, certainly, as well as the bigger traditional non-league sides like Stevenage, but depending on who wins the Conf North/South playoffs you could have teams like Droylsden, St. Albans or Histon playing in the Conference next year - definitely NOT 100% professional teams. With this comes a little more financial instability, and the potential problems of teams going bust and resigning from the League due to increased travel costs, the need for ground improvements to meet football league standards, and so on (remember what happened to Margate a couple of years ago for a recent example).

    As nice as it would be, there would have to be some SERIOUS investment in some of the smaller Conference teams to make them financially stable to enable it to join the football league formally. I can see it happening at some point in the future though - maybe 10 years?
     
  15. Peakite

    Peakite Member

    Mar 27, 2000
    Berkshire
    Club:
    Halifax Town
    A strange description of Stevenage. They were founded in 1976 and it was only in the early nineties when they really started to make their mark moving upwards quite quickly.
     
  16. RichardL

    RichardL BigSoccer Supporter

    May 2, 2001
    Berkshire
    Club:
    Reading FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    One reason would be that there isn't much point doing so.

    Traditionally 4 divisions of football was pretty much the limit that professional football could sustain. A few of the pro clubs in the conference are probably running at a fair loss each season, and it wouldn't really be healthy for the game at that level for clubs to feel compelled to go full time when they can't really afford to. Indeed, when Neil Warnock led scarborough into the football league in 1987, Scarborough planned to pioneer part-time football in the football league, and many felt Division 4 (as it was) going part-time would be a good idea. Mind you, this was back in the days when Div 4 averaged a fraction over 2,500 and those fans would be paying £2 to get in. Back then players could make more money playing part time than the often could playing full time.
     
  17. Offertonhatter

    Offertonhatter New Member

    May 6, 2006
    Stockport
    Nail biting has already Started, I will be there today, cheering the lads on, ANYTHING will happen today, hopefully it will be good for us.
     
  18. DoctorK

    DoctorK New Member

    Jan 8, 2002
    NorthBank, Riverbend
    Now the Ox can't seem to Milk a cow. :(

    Hope they give their supporters something to believe in today against Leyton
     
  19. manowarfan1

    manowarfan1 New Member

    Jul 30, 2004
    Colorado, USA
    And Stockport Coutny survives by the skin of their teeth - YES! New seson will bring some good things I feel, jimmy Gannon managing for a full year, enthusiasm from the fans, a few new players, new kits - and begin the long climb back up the table towards the higher divisions :)
     

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