Football

[JD2168]

Carlo Ancelotti has agreed to become the new Brazil coach from 26th May.

 

[Harvester]

Sheffield United have strolled into the Championship playoff final with a 3-0 home win (6-0 on aggregate) against Bristol City.

 

[Kite159]

But the rules governing the administration of European Champions League competition are naught to do with the positions in domestic leagues but concern the winners of the Europa League.....or am I wrong?

How poor the European opposition in the Europa League must have been this season when those two English clubs reached the final.

A few years ago, you could never imagine Manchester United beating Athletic Club (Bilbao) 7-1 on aggregate in a European competition semi-final.

Isn't this the first year in a while that the Europa League (and Uefa Cup in it's previous life) hasn't had champion league dropouts inserted after the group stage?

 

[Peeled Apples]

Isn't this the first year in a while that the Europa League (and Uefa Cup in it's previous life) hasn't had champion league dropouts inserted after the group stage?

It is

 

[Old Yard Dog]

Not quite what you were asking but interestingly ...

TNS reached the group stage of the Conference League after winning then losing in the Champions League qualifiers, losing again in the Europa League, then winning a Conference League qualifier (all two-legged knock out ties). See post #34,428 on this thread for a report of their game with Djurgården that I wrote last December.

They ended up playing 14 European games, losing eight, drawing three and winning three. Ludicrous!

(TNS's average home attendance in the League of Wales was 360, just 4 more than Bradford managed in the invisible and desperate 8th tier of the English game)

 

[1D54]

Larne also took a similar route to TNS on their European travels with a different sequence of results. The English based club netted 6€ in prize money which is an absolute fortune considering the league they play in but both clubs started these campaigns as champions of the country's they represented so no problems on that front. In fact I'd go as far as to say they should both have been placed in the CL group stage proper from the word go. Now that really does sound ludicrous but back in the day and all that....

 

[Mcr Warrior]

The English based club netted 6€ in prize money which is an absolute fortune

Bit more than that for the TNS club, who play at Park Hall in Oswestry, close to the Welsh border. Quite possibly the total prize money was approaching four and a half million Euros in 2024/25.

 

[1D54]

Not really would have been worth it for the figure i mentioned but the €6M came from within the club when i visited a few weeks ago.

 

[Old Yard Dog]

Bit more than that for the TNS club, who play at Park Hall in Oswestry, close to the Welsh border. Quite possibly the total prize money was approaching four and a half million Euros in 2024/25.

Speaking of clubs near borders ...

I wonder whether Berwick Rangers have ever considered joining the English pyramid now that they have lost their place in the Scottish League?

Interestingly - I believe Gateshead considered applying for the Scottish League after they were voted out of D4 to make room for Peterborough in 1960. But the Heed were rebuffed.

It's hard to believe nowadays but Peterborough United were once one of the most glamorous clubs in English football. In fact the only 20,000+ gate I ever experienced at Park Avenue was 20,461 vs the Posh in 1961.

Peterborough had a striker called Terry Bly who scored 52 goals in D4 in 1960/61. This has not been bettered in any division to this day. Kevin Hector came closest with 44 for Bradford in 1965/66 - which again has not been bettered in any division since. Our demise started the day we let Kevin go to D2 Derby for a mere £32,000.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Believe that Newcastle United wanted to put their reserve team into the Scottish League in order to fulfil Bo'ness FC's unplayed fixtures in the early 1930s (season 1932-33) when Bo'ness went out of business mid-season due to financial difficulties.

 

[Haywain]

I wonder whether Berwick Rangers have ever considered joining the English pyramid now that they have lost their place in the Scottish League?

I can't see that there would be any benefit for them. They might realistically aspire to be in the Northern Premier League at step 3 but with vastly more travelling than they have now, and even less chance of drawing a proper 'big' club in the cup.

 

[Old Yard Dog]

But vastly less travelling in NPL-1E where there will probably be nine teams from the north-east in 25/26.

But having said that, clubs in NPL-1E have to win through 6, or at best 5 rounds, just to get to the first round proper of the FA Cup.

The original Gretna played in England in the Northern League and then the NPL for many a year before they progressed to the Scottish League. They got to the Scottish Cup Final in 2006 losing on penalties to Hearts, and were kind enough to sell me a couple of tickets, and reached the dizzy heights of the SPL in 2007. Sadly they went bust after one season, after having to groundshare at Motherwell. They then reformed down in the East of Scotland League First Division. They are currently struggling in the Lowland League as are Berwick, both finishing just 2 pts ahead of the relegation spots.

 

[Haywain]

But vastly less travelling in NPL-1E where there will probably be nine teams from the north-east in 25/26.

I doubt it's any less than they have now in the Lowland League.

 

[Old Yard Dog]

I mistakenly bought a NOW TV day pass at the weekend believing that I could go out for the day and then catch up on the full 90 mins of a game Sky had covered when I got home. I was wrong. It turns out that while the NOW TV website claims to offer games "On demand", it does not offer genuine catch up. All you seem to get is highlights a day or two later which you can find for free on YouTube. But they did at least give me a refund.

Does anybody know whether this is the same with DAZN? Can you watch a whole game as live some hours after it has taken place?

 

[Peeled Apples]

I mistakenly bought a NOW TV day pass at the weekend believing that I could go out for the day and then catch up on the full 90 mins of a game Sky had covered when I got home. I was wrong. It turns out that while the NOW TV website claims to offer games "On demand", it does not offer genuine catch up. All you seem to get is highlights a day or two later which you can find for free on YouTube. But they did at least give me a refund.

Does anybody know whether this is the same with DAZN? Can you watch a whole game as live some hours after it has taken place?

I’ve just payed for a month to watch the play offs, the whole of every game for all the season is available.

 

[SuspectUsual]

Championship playoff semi-final second leg

Sunderland 1-1 Coventry

(AET, score at 90 minutes 0-1, Sunderland win 3-2 on aggregate)

Sunderland played the same way as the first leg, defending deep and playing on the break, barely seeing the ball and ending up conceding with 15 minutes to go.

In extra time Rigg and Mundle came on for Sunlun and the balance of play started to shift

The ref signalled 2 minutes of injury time at the end of extra time, and (literally) after 1 minute and 59 seconds of it Dan Ballard headed in a corner to send Sunderland to Wembley

Delirium in the stands at the SoL

 

[Jimini]

Championship playoff semi-final second leg

Sunderland 1-1 Coventry

(AET, score at 90 minutes 0-1, Sunderland win 2-1 on aggregate)

Sunderland played the same way as the first leg, defending deep and playing on the break, barely seeing the ball and ending up conceding with 15 minutes to go.

In extra time Rigg and Mundle came on for Sunlun and the balance of play started to shift

The ref signalled 2 minutes of injury time at the end of extra time, and (literally) after 1 minute and 59 seconds of it Dan Ballard headed in a corner to send Sunderland to Wembley

Delirium in the stands at the SoL

It was a delight to watch that final goal go in

 

[SuspectUsual]

It was a delight to watch that final goal go in

My partner has a season ticket at Sunderland and says she’s never known anything like it.

The timing of the goal and the fact it was Coventry made it perfect

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Vanarama National League
FC Halifax Town 0 - 3 Altrincham FC
A rather dominant performance by Altrincham at The Shay, though the referee was particularly inconsistent with the decisions made in the game.

Tonight, FC Halifax Town who finished 6th are away at Oldham Athletic who finished 5th, in the National League preliminary play-off round.

 

[Cletus]

Merthyr Town and Bedford Town have been confirmed as being in the National League North next season.

 

[Haywain]

Tonight, FC Halifax Town who finished 6th are away at Oldham Athletic who finished 5th, in the National League preliminary play-off round.

Halifax beaten fairly comfortably.

 

[DarloRich]

Merthyr Town and Bedford Town have been confirmed as being in the National League North next season.

As I predicated at #35,345

https://www.thenonleaguefootballpap...ns-revealed-2025-26-league-line-ups-unveiled/

Bad news for Farsley after a season of troubles:

Farsley Celtic, relegated from the National League North last season, will kick-off the new season at Step 5 in the Northern Counties East League Premier having failed to be awarded a Step 1-4 Club Licence and “requesting to be considered for placement at Step 5 or Step 6.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Halifax beaten fairly comfortably.

Oldham Athletic won 4-0 and were 3-0 up early in the first half.

This result sees them next away to York City in the National League semi-final play off next Tuesday.

 

[SuspectUsual]

Oldham Athletic won 4-0 and were 3-0 up early in the first half.

This result sees them next away to York City in the National League semi-final play off next Tuesday.

Our worst performance of the last three or four seasons. Men vs boys etc etc. Manager picked the wrong team and made a double substitution after only 16 minutes, unfortunately we were 3-0 down by then

Ah well, always next season

 

[dangie]

Won’t be long before the footie season starts again.
Oh hang on. Half way through May and this one is nowhere finished yet…..

 

[Old Yard Dog]

For some of us, now relegated down to an over-glorified parks league, the extra preliminary round of the FA Cup is not far away.

Rumour has it that Farsley will be replacing Albion Sports as Bradford's tenants next season. The jobsworths at NLN blocked this last season but I expect the NECL to be more accommodating. Farsley have helped us out in the past so we would be returning the favour.

Brighouse Town have been reprieved for a second successive season - which will be a relief as they only finished in the bottom four thanks to a 3-point deduction and Bradford's 90th minute GOTS in the recent derby. An excuse to revisit the wonderful Halifax Steam microbrewery just across the fields from their ground.

 

[DarloRich]

Won’t be long before the footie season starts again.
Oh hang on. Half way through May and this one is nowhere finished yet…..

mine has - now in football free time to recharge ahead of next season! That and hand over money to keep my club going. It what you have to do as an owner.

 

[Jamesrob637]

Would've been the result of a century had Stockport County gone up again
Oh well, there's always next season and to even get to the playoffs only a year after promotion is a feat in itself.

 

[JamesT]

Crystal Palace have beaten Manchester City 1-0 to win the FA Cup. Very much rode their luck, but proving the rule that no statistic beats putting the ball in the back of the net.

 

[Wilts Wanderer]

Crystal Palace have beaten Manchester City 1-0 to win the FA Cup. Very much rode their luck, but proving the rule that no statistic beats putting the ball in the back of the net.

A notable lack of class from Pep Guardiola at the end there, directing some unpleasantness towards Palace’s goalkeeper Henderson (who, to be fair, was lucky to still be on the pitch at half-time after some really duff work from VAR.) Overhyped prima-donna manager, who seems not to realise his winning days are over.