Had Torquay earmarked for a weekend away,so that's gone. If Dartford couldn't be Xmas then why not August and Easter Bank Holidays when the weather is good. We would have got a great crowd for that at PVR on a Bank Holiday.
The Bristol Rovers fixtures are a joke - should never face the same team two weekends running and the only consolation is that we are away first as I would have had to miss the game the other way around.
Not too many clashes with Charlton but two of them are with their homes games against Millwall and Fulham and the Lincoln game clashes with their home game with Wolves.
In response to Stafford, this gives us every incentive to get to the 2nd round of the cup as the chances are that we would not get much of a healthy crowd on a Saturday so close to Christmas.
I can understand Dartford and Braintree home/away midweek with the travelling considerations, even if it upsets some - it is worse for me living near Guildford. What I can't work out are Telford, Kidderminster or Torquay away and Lincoln home - but I guess this comes with being in a national league.
Let's also be realistic, would we have preferred Torquay away mid winter to mid week in summer?
As Tannoyman says the only good thing about this awful fixture list is that there are only five scheduled clashes with Charlton though three of those are with big games there.
Must be scope for a few coaches to run Dean as there are a number not too far away which will be a nightmare by public transport.
Eastleigh on Bank Holiday Monday, Kidderminster and Braintree on Tuesday nights, Forest Green on a Sunday and Dover on Boxing Day (when there are no Southeastern trains) all look candidates.
Sat 04-Oct-14 CHESTER away
Tue 07-Oct-14 KIDDERMINSTER HARRIERS away
Sat 11-Oct-14 NUNEATON TOWN home
Sat 1ct-14 SOUTHPORT away
Sat 25-Oct-14 FA CUP 4th QUALIFYING ROUND TBC
Possibility of only *one* home game, Nuneaton usually be one of the lowest gates, from Sept 30th until 1st Nov, not exactly gonna help cashflow at the club.
It's like the Conference wants clubs to go out of business....
It's like the Conference wants clubs to go out of business....
They don't have to bugger up the fixture list to do that. The 'minimum ticket price of £15' policy which allows league clubs to charge less than us, has ensured that most conference clubs can't get consistent 1000+ attendances.
Strudwick couldn't run a bath, let alone a football league.
8 Midweek fixtures and how it is fair for all teams. I picked 4 teams Welling,Woking,Dartford and Barnet. Welling has 5 away and 3 at home, the other 3 teams 4 away 4 home. Estimated miles covered for these way games Welling 1290, Woking 1030, Dartford 626 and Barnett 906.
8 Midweek fixtures and how it is fair for all teams. I picked 4 teams Welling,Woking,Dartford and Barnet. Welling has 5 away and 3 at home, the other 3 teams 4 away 4 home. Estimated miles covered for these way games Welling 1290, Woking 1030, Dartford 626 and Barnett 906.
Why do we think it is always against us?
Considering we were absolutely dreadful at PVR in midweek matches last season, along with dreadful attendances- and not bad away from home, I don't think we should complain too much!
__________________
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh When the Wingssssss
I, like others, am disappointed with the way that some fixtures turned out but last season Welling had six scheduled midweek games of which four were at home and two were away (Braintree and Barnet) so it looks like we had it coming sooner or later!
The away game at Torquay in August is unfortunate but l rather be going there at that time than on a cold night in December which Halifax have to do!!!
Spare a thought for Aldershot who also have five midweek away games which are at Dartford, Dover, Kidderminster, Chester and Southport, only one of these you can call reasonably local! Also, their Christmas fixture is against Barnet although both Working and Eastleigh are more nearer. Last season Aldershot was paired up with Forest Green for this fixture!
Speaking of Forest Green, there is a full programme on the Sunday when Welling play them away. The game should have been on the Saturday but as there are games on the previous Thursday another game in 48 hours might be too tiring for some souls?
I noticed that both Dover and Eastleigh have five out of their eight midweek games at home! I cant imagine that the powers upstairs took pity on them because both teams have just come up from the Conference South or their geographic position?
I agree with some who say that it would be better for the Dartford fixture to be played in the holiday period but remember that Dartford are only in this league by default and if Salisbury werent demoted, we would be getting at least 600 less though the gate for an evening game against the latter.
-- Edited by Broken Wing on Saturday 5th of July 2014 07:48:40 PM
I suspect Forest Green on a Sunday is so that it doesn't clash with the majority of 3rd round FA Cup games.
Why would Conference clubs want to play on the Sunday when there is a possibility of live FA Cup football on TV all afternoon?
These are the games scheduled for Sunday 4th January:-
Aldershot v AFC Telford, Chester v Braintree, Dartford v Kiddy, Dover v Grimsby, Eastleigh v Alty, FGR v Wings, Gateshead v Wrexham, Lincoln v Barnet, Macc v Woking, Nuneaton v Bristol Rovers, Southport v FC Halifax, Torquay v Alferton.
As you can see, this is a typical 'Saturday' fixture list.
On the previous Sunday, the fixtures are more localised except for Wings v Torquay and Alferton v Gateshead.
I see that we at home to Southport again for the last game of the season. This is one fixture l will agree with if games are moved back to a 5.30pm kick-off like last season.
I agree with some who say that it would be better for the Dartford fixture to be played in the holiday period but remember that Dartford are only in this league by default and if Salisbury werent demoted, we would be getting at least 600 less though the gate for an evening game against the latter.
-- Edited by Broken Wing on Saturday 5th of July 2014 07:48:40 PM
Perhaps the computer had been programmed before Dartford were reprieved? Christmas has always been about local derby games!
I agree with some who say that it would be better for the Dartford fixture to be played in the holiday period but remember that Dartford are only in this league by default and if Salisbury werent demoted, we would be getting at least 600 less though the gate for an evening game against the latter.
-- Edited by Broken Wing on Saturday 5th of July 2014 07:48:40 PM
Perhaps the computer had been programmed before Dartford were reprieved? Christmas has always been about local derby games!
I can't see why we can't appeal the Dartford fixtures as they are in neither party's interests. Plus when the fixture list was originally compiled these fixtures would have been allocated to Salisbury. All the Conference have done is swapped the Salisbury with Dartford without consideration for impact on gates for either side.
Speaking of Forest Green, there is a full programme on the Sunday when Welling play them away. The game should have been on the Saturday but as there are games on the previous Thursday another game in 48 hours might be too tiring for some souls?
I suspect Forest Green on a Sunday is so that it doesn't clash with the majority of 3rd round FA Cup games.
Why would Conference clubs want to play on the Sunday when there is a possibility of live FA Cup football on TV all afternoon?
They wouldn't. However, haven't BT Sport also got the FA Cup? I suspect they want one conference fixture that weeked which will probably go on in competition with the terrestially televised FA Cup game. The rest of us have to lump it.
I can't see why we can't appeal the Dartford fixtures as they are in neither party's interests. Plus when the fixture list was originally compiled these fixtures would have been allocated to Salisbury. All the Conference have done is swapped the Salisbury with Dartford without consideration for impact on gates for either side.
I really dont think that they care about attendances for the 'little' teams.....I also dont think any appeal would get anywhere....we have to play who is put in front of us on any given day...Dover over Xmas is better than it could have been (Braintree)...Dartford will always give us a decent crowd....Also games were called off last year so...it is in the lap of the gods in some cases