Non-League Football 25/26

[Seventyseven]

Enjoyed the coverage of that on YouTube. It’s only pre season but Harborough were looking decent. 

[STEVIE B]

6 hours ago, Seventyseven said:

Enjoyed the coverage of that on YouTube. It’s only pre season but Harborough were looking decent. 

The side that HT beat yesterday, Alcorcón, knocked Real Madrid out of The Copa Del Rey in 2009, It was a decent Madrid side too. Benzema, Marcelo, Guti & RVN played. 

[FoxesFan#1]

On 20/07/2025 at 14:05, STEVIE B said:

The side that HT beat yesterday, Alcorcón, knocked Real Madrid out of The Copa Del Rey in 2009, It was a decent Madrid side too. Benzema, Marcelo, Guti & RVN played. 

That's a super result and I'll be looking out for Harborough especially as you have Newton and Carline playing.  Tbh I'd have been happy seeing them both still at BTFC, both likeable players with good hearts.

 

I was at Brackley v LCFC U21 on Tuesday - very much mismatched teams in terms of potential quality, height, playing styles and with 2-1 to the home side there weren't too many chances for either side.

 

Only 343 in the crowd but I just heard from a local that Northampton had WHAM U21 and charged £18 with only 1000 there.

 

Roll on the league matches, we have Eastleigh first and some real big clubs like Rochdale and Scunthorpe in the first month at home too.

 

It will be a titanic struggle to stay up being the smallest club in the top 5 divisions by a mile, but I have to admit I really enjoy NL North so any return back would not be a disaster for my viewing experience!

[Leicesterpool]

Off to Newport Pagnell on Saturday to start the Boro league campaign, early i know only July. Coach booked by club, then it announced the coach has been cancelled due to the driver taking ill. Not an easy place to get. Straight to Milton Keynes and then work it out from there 

Edited 24 July 2025 by Leicesterpool

[CosbehFox]

1 hour ago, Leicesterpool said:

Off to Newport Pagnell on Saturday to start the Boro league campaign, early i know only July. Coach booked by club, then it announced the coach has been cancelled due to the driver taking ill. Not an easy place to get. Straight to Milton Keynes and then work it out from there 

15 minutes on a bus or a quick taxi. It’s only about 4 miles between the two places 

 

Basic ground. Clubhouse outside it does the beer but no bar within the actual ground 

[Finnaldo]

1 hour ago, CosbehFox said:

15 minutes on a bus or a quick taxi. It’s only about 4 miles between the two places 

 

Basic ground. Clubhouse outside it does the beer but no bar within the actual ground 

When I went last year with Hinckley they had started foundations for a new block for an academy I think, and I’m sure the lad there said they wanted to add a bar in there but that was late in the season so I’m unsure how far along with it they are…

 

AFC have got Daventry away on Saturday, 7pm kick off as part of the groundhopper weekend  interesting really as the other two fixtures are at Gresley then at Grace Dieu, so you’d think Hinckley would be easier to get to and probably a bigger crowd… but I suppose they want to spread it out to Northants! 

[CosbehFox]

7 minutes ago, Finnaldo said:

When I went last year with Hinckley they had started foundations for a new block for an academy I think, and I’m sure the lad there said they wanted to add a bar in there but that was late in the season so I’m unsure how far along with it they are…

 

AFC have got Daventry away on Saturday, 7pm kick off as part of the groundhopper weekend  interesting really as the other two fixtures are at Gresley then at Grace Dieu, so you’d think Hinckley would be easier to get to and probably a bigger crowd… but I suppose they want to spread it out to Northants! 

Them foundations were in back September last year and they looked wrong to me as the levels were off! 
 

Theyve picked some stinkers for the UCL. Gresley has some charm but Grace Dieu is barely a ground. The groundhoppers are based in Coventry, so makes sense them swinging back to Northamptonshire but will be a long drive out to Skeggy on Sunday morning 

[Leicesterpool]

Skeggy might actually get a decent crowd on the Sunday with it also being holiday season. I remember when Boro played away at Skeggy in during the main summer season and there was a few more extra on the gate, there were quite a few from Yorkshire attended who supported neither just attended as they heard there was a game on and thought they'd give a ground a look at.

[Stuntman_Mike]

[Guest Bilo]

On 25/07/2025 at 17:37, Leicesterpool said:

Skeggy might actually get a decent crowd on the Sunday with it also being holiday season. I remember when Boro played away at Skeggy in during the main summer season and there was a few more extra on the gate, there were quite a few from Yorkshire attended who supported neither just attended as they heard there was a game on and thought they'd give a ground a look at.

It's a class ground for the level. A great little bar there. 

[Tuna]

4 points from the opening two at Step 5 for Grantham. Went to the opener v Belper United, who were abysmal, and got a 4-1 win - first win since October 2024 !!!

 

2-2 draw at Kimberley (playing at Basford this season).

Newark in the FA Cup tomorrow who have 9 goals from their opening two games, interested to see how good they are.

[Leicesterpool]

2 hours ago, Bilo said:

It's a class ground for the level. A great little bar there. 

Proper upgrade from the old ground, for about 30 years they were pretty much restricted from climbing the leagues due to the ground. Finally got decent facilities to really push up the leagues. I can see being a force in years to come.

[CosbehFox]

Off Portishead Town for FA Cup as in Clevedon for the weekend. 
 

In the week, I did North Greenford United. Step 5 in London. Some stand out players but surprisingly the standard wasn’t much better than Step 5 up here. Probably because of the higher concentration of clubs at Step 3/4 within London 

[CosbehFox]

FA CUP Results Leicestershire 

 

Extra Preliminary Round 

 

 

 

Hinckley AFC 4-2 Highgate

Stafford Rangers 0-1 Lutterworth Town 

Worcester Raiders 1-0 Ashby Ivanhoe

Aylestone Park 1-4 Northampton Sileby Rangers

Daventry Town 3-2 Leicester Nirvana

GNG Oadby Town 1-4 Newark & Sherwood United

Bottesford Town 3-0 Melton Town

Loughborough Students 1-1 Barton Town

AFC Wolverhampton city 2-3 Shepshed Dynamo 

 

Preliminary Round Draw 

 

Lutterworth Town v Chasetown 

Hinckley AFC v Long Eaton United

Loughborough Student/Barton Town v Carlton town 

Sherwood Colliery v Anstey Nomads 

Shepshed Dynamo v Clay Cross Town 

 

 

Brilliant win for Lutterworth Town against a big club fallen on hard times. Shepshed Dynamo came back from 2-0 doe after 50 mins to score a last minute winner. Some decent ties thete for the next round, played when City are away at Preston. 

[Tuna]

Well that was short and sweet, straight out of the cup. Not like we needed the prize money. Scorers of all 6 of our goals this season didn't play (one was an own goal), so there we go. Draw would have been a fair result.

[Leicesterpool]

Boro cup run over very short and sweet, lost 1-2 to Coleshill. Game of two halves, decent first half from us but not so good second half. 410 in attendance, about 300 of them probably from nuneaton.

[CosbehFox]

On 02/08/2025 at 08:50, CosbehFox said:

Off Portishead Town for FA Cup as in Clevedon for the weekend. 

Well this was a cracking game. Portishead 4 Windsor & Eton 3. The away side had one cleared off the line in the very last minute of the game. 
 

Set up was a bit pants though. 4G cage set off from the clubhouse; they still had a small bar, the changing rooms and some poxy stands but three sided. You’d assume very small maximum capacity. Windsor did bring a fair few yesterday so it felt probably 80% full 

[joeybside]

IT’’S BACK!!!!!!

[CosbehFox]

Good day for the county at Step 3. Harborough, Quorn and Barwell all won. 
 

Step 4 - everyone unbeaten including a win for Nomads. 
 

Went Harborough who were pretty stinky until their first goal and then they completely overwhelmed Needham Market. The talent coming for the bench is and will be too much for many teams. Much improved down the ground as well with more seating and terracing Although £15 felt steep but maybe that’s the league wide price now 

[Gary Eatfood]

 

[CosbehFox]

Very good appointment that. A huge step up in experience and knowledge 

[Finnaldo]

A very mixed start for Hinckley in the most non-league of ways, first game being a 6-0 away loss at Daventry on 26 July. 11 players out, the ones there not really turning up and Daventry wanting to make an impact first game, a very poor result to start the season.
 

Made significant improvements on the following Wednesday at Cov United away, 1-0 up in the first 10 minutes, managed the game well until our main CB came off with a groin pull, and 87th minute a Cov free kick found a free man for the equaliser, Hinckley quickly came close to regaining a league before a (pretty pointless) 40 yard shot hit our own man, bounced back to the half way line to their main striker, who’s eventual shot deflected off the defender; past the keeper and in to make it 2-1  quality, budget disparity and a hint of misfortune proving the decider but to go to a team operating well above yourself budget-wise its a gut-punch but a brave performance after such a hammering first day. 
 

Next up was the FA Cup Extra-Preliminary game against once-contenders-now-strugglers Highgate United of the MFL Prem, competitors of Hinckley in the early MFL Div 1 days and subsequently perennial step 5 promotion contenders, the money was withdrawn and they stayed up last year on the basis on reprieves. This was a pretty straightforward first win of the season for Hinckley, perhaps making it harder for themselves than it should have been with a makeshift defence, and ran out 4-2 winners with advancement to the Preliminary Round. 
 

This weekend (my first miss dye to such inconveniences as my partner’s birthday) Hinckley kept up the momentum and secured their first win away at Newport Pagnell. The 2021/22 FA Vase Winners & 2022/23 FA Vase Runners Up seemed out of character so far this season, since giving Nuneaton a tough game at home in a 1-0 loss they’ve since failed to find a victory in any competition, with another home loss, 3-1 against Chenecks, and a 5-1 thumping from Biggleswade, they were handled pretty tamely, a first minute opening goal that was reportedly ‘strangely’ disallowed made up for by an excellent Bryan Kohyrelon goal, and on the stroke of half time a penalty decision resulted in a red card for Pagnell and Hinckley doubling their lead through Chandler Pegg’s conversion. A managed second half, including a second booking and therefore second sending off for Pagnell, saw the game settled at 2-0, getting Hinckley off the mark in the United Counties League Premier South and marking a rapid recovery from the ills of that first day drubbing. 
 

Next up is a challenging home game against Aylestone Park, inevitably favourites for the league and sitting on seven from an available nine points, it’ll no doubt be a tough game for Hinckley but over the last two seasons they’ve proved a handful at times for the more moneyed teams and will be looking to better their tight 1-0 loss in this fixture last year. Following that, Saturday sees Hinckley take on NPL Midland’s Long Eaton United in a home tie of the FA Cup Preliminary Round, no doubt a big test on Hinckley’s cup ambitions this season! 

[FoxesFan#1]

Great reading all of your experiences around the grounds as it's most appreciated - still my favourite thread in the whole of FoxesTalk

 

I was at Brackley v Eastleigh yesterday for a 1-0 home win in front of 1201.

 

This league is going to be so hard and the win is great but with Yeovil, Rochdale, Scunny + Carlisle in next few weeks it won't be easy at all.

 

Some of the moves last season's players were trying to make weren't paying off this time as the away team were very strong, fast and committed even though they lost.

 

The gamesmanship is back and it's something I was hoping not to see in the NL, there's certainly more disruption in play with lots more fouling.  Something the NL North had a lot less off.

 

A lot of floaters in attendance yesterday maybe waiting for their PL team to get started

 

Two old boys next to us were clearly supporting the club pre-2020 when the average crowd was 200-300.

 

I'm more in the 500 club as I joined at that point of crowd expansion so it will be interesting to see attendances throughout the year.

 

I expect there will be some close on 2000 for the Southend's etc but mid week games below 1000 for lesser fancied clubs is likely.

 

All in all a great afternoon out as always

 

 

[blueharmie]

2 hours ago, FoxesFan#1 said:

Great reading all of your experiences around the grounds as it's most appreciated - still my favourite thread in the whole of FoxesTalk

 

I was at Brackley v Eastleigh yesterday for a 1-0 home win in front of 1201.

 

This league is going to be so hard and the win is great but with Yeovil, Rochdale, Scunny + Carlisle in next few weeks it won't be easy at all.

 

Some of the moves last season's players were trying to make weren't paying off this time as the away team were very strong, fast and committed even though they lost.

 

The gamesmanship is back and it's something I was hoping not to see in the NL, there's certainly more disruption in play with lots more fouling.  Something the NL North had a lot less off.

 

A lot of floaters in attendance yesterday maybe waiting for their PL team to get started

 

Two old boys next to us were clearly supporting the club pre-2020 when the average crowd was 200-300.

 

I'm more in the 500 club as I joined at that point of crowd expansion so it will be interesting to see attendances throughout the year.

 

I expect there will be some close on 2000 for the Southend's etc but mid week games below 1000 for lesser fancied clubs is likely.

 

All in all a great afternoon out as always

 

 

Nice write up, good start to the season.

 

Will you miss newton and carline?

[FoxesFan#1]

54 minutes ago, blueharmie said:

Nice write up, good start to the season.

 

Will you miss newton and carline?

No probs, nice to share our non-league experiences for sure

 

Yeah I think those players that have performed admirably these past few years will be missed especially the two at Harborough.

 

But this league is an incredible step up and for them to consolidate a place in it they’ve had to bring in some seasoned professionals to help them compete.

 

The most obvious difference is physique with players being much taller and stronger.  Eastleigh looked very fit and perhaps were unlucky to lose.

 

All in all it’s an absolute pleasure following the club.  Reminds me of Leicester in the 90s.  
 

Seeing players communicate with supporters, and even during warm up watching Riccardo Calder break from it to sign programmes and shirts for kids is great to see.  

Edited 10 August 2025 by FoxesFan#1