Non-League Football 26/27

[Leicesterpool]

Noticed rise in attendance across non league yesterday, Nuneaton Boro managed to get a few more on the gate with 705 against Loughborough Students who with all due respect are not one of the big names in the league. Majority the players mainly students, though they played very well and actually controlled the game for the first 30 minutes. Sending off for them was the turning point, after that the game was turned on it's head with constant wave off attacks from the Boro. Won 3-1. 4 wins out of 4, after sluggish start to this season. Not bad.

 

Pleased for Anstey Nomads and Harborough Town progressing to the next round. Hoping them to get an home winnable tie and get themselves to the first round also for Stafford Rangers who have been through some tough times and deserve a bit of limelight. Wouldn't mind Leicester v Stafford Rangers in the cup. Ironic a few seats from Filbert Street ended up at their ground.

Edited Sunday at 14:05 by Leicesterpool

[purpleronnie]

2 hours ago, Leicesterpool said:

Noticed rise in attendance across non league yesterday, Nuneaton Boro managed to get a few more on the gate with 705 against Loughborough Students who with all due respect are not one of the big names in the league. Majority the players mainly students, though they played very well and actually controlled the game for the first 30 minutes. Sending off for them was the turning point, after that the game was turned on it's head with constant wave off attacks from the Boro. Won 3-1. 4 wins out of 4, after sluggish start to this season. Not bad.

 

Pleased for Anstey Nomads and Harborough Town progressing to the next round. Hoping them to get an home winnable tie and get themselves to the first round also for Stafford Rangers who have been through some tough times and deserve a bit of limelight. Wouldn't mind Leicester v Stafford Rangers in the cup. Ironic a few seats from Filbert Street ended up at their ground.

Noticed Eastwood pulled in over a 1000 for their top of table clash with Belper...step 5.

[Corky]

Currently listening to the 4th Qualifying Round draw. Quite sobering how close we are to this.

[LVFox]

Nomads away at Macclesfield or Scarborough
Harborough at home to Spennymoor

[Leicesterpool]

Harborough will fancy themselves against Spennymoor.

[RonnieTodger]

One game away from being in the same round as Leicester City, my god

[Sol thewall Bamba]

10 minutes ago, RonnieTodger said:

One game away from being in the same round as Leicester City, my god

There is a genuine possibility we could be drawn against a step 5 side.

[purpleronnie]

1 hour ago, Leicesterpool said:

Harborough will fancy themselves against Spennymoor.

Yep, they haven't won away this season, decent draw for them.

 

Anstey with a much harder task.

 

Just to put this into some context.

 

When we we're winning the Premier league Harborough Town were finishing 11th in the GCE Hire Fleet United Counties Football League premier division (step 5).  Along sides like Leicester Nirvana and Kirby Muxloe.

 

 

Edited Monday at 15:08 by purpleronnie

[Leicesterpool]

Interesting thought for harborough fans just two promotions from the efl. Get a good cup run and invest it wisely who knows. Burton did after they played Man United in 2006. Look at Burton now.

Edited Monday at 15:31 by Leicesterpool

[Corky]

3 hours ago, RonnieTodger said:

One game away from being in the same round as Leicester City, my god

I have a fairly broad knowledge of non-league yet I had never heard of Tadley Calleva and we could be in the same draw.

[CosbehFox]

On 04/10/2026 at 17:10, purpleronnie said:

Noticed Eastwood pulled in over a 1000 for their top of table clash with Belper...step 5.

1500 plus at West Didsbury & Chorlton where I went. Step 5 too. 4-3 home win. It’s very hipster there but that’s the second time I’ve been and it’s a good afternoon out 

[Voll Blau]

14 hours ago, purpleronnie said:

Yep, they haven't won away this season, decent draw for them.

 

Anstey with a much harder task.

 

Just to put this into some context.

 

When we we're winning the Premier league Harborough Town were finishing 11th in the GCE Hire Fleet United Counties Football League premier division (step 5).  Along sides like Leicester Nirvana and Kirby Muxloe.

 

 

We've been a Prem side while they were playing on Symington's Rec (park pitch, for those who don't know Harborough) in the late 90s/early 2000s. Think that was in one of the Northants leagues, not even top county standard.

[Leicesterpool]

Only in non league, huge brawl between fans and Cammell Laird players. Looking at the footage some of the players actually climb over the fence to fans to carry on the fight. Seeing alot of crowd trouble in non league football, there was footage also of crowd trouble between bury and workington most recently.

 

https://www.wirralglobe.co.uk/news/26616097.police-investigate-brawl-cammell-laird-match/

Edited Wednesday at 16:23 by Leicesterpool

[Tuna]

On 04/10/2026 at 17:10, purpleronnie said:

Noticed Eastwood pulled in over a 1000 for their top of table clash with Belper...step 5.

Not even the senior Belper team - Belper United. I believe United were former tenants at Eastwood's ground at one point. Eastwood's average attendances seem quite poor for a former Conference North side, this match aside.

[Zorrovolpe]

On 04/10/2026 at 15:04, Leicesterpool said:

Noticed rise in attendance across non league yesterday, Nuneaton Boro managed to get a few more on the gate with 705 against Loughborough Students who with all due respect are not one of the big names in the league. Majority the players mainly students, though they played very well and actually controlled the game for the first 30 minutes. Sending off for them was the turning point, after that the game was turned on it's head with constant wave off attacks from the Boro. Won 3-1. 4 wins out of 4, after sluggish start to this season. Not bad.

 

Pleased for Anstey Nomads and Harborough Town progressing to the next round. Hoping them to get an home winnable tie and get themselves to the first round also for Stafford Rangers who have been through some tough times and deserve a bit of limelight. Wouldn't mind Leicester v Stafford Rangers in the cup. Ironic a few seats from Filbert Street ended up at their ground.

It's a peculiar situation for Jamie Clapham at Loughborough, losing 50-75% of his squad every summer as the lads graduate and leave; it's then a case of trying to get the new cohort up to speed without the team being cut too far adrift in the table.

He'll occasionally take L1/L2 youth players on short-term loans if there's an injury crisis, but generally sticks with the youngsters he's got. They seem to be feistier and more direct this year (less tippy-tappy stuff that hasn't served them well in the past) and they aren't being dominated by the opposition's 30-something cloggers.