Having messed up in the last two playoffs, Tooting & Mitcham return to the Isthmian Premier after a 19-year absence by beating Cray Wanderers 1-0. That willl also mean their first derby with Sutton United since 1985-86.

Excellent day out at Leamington (actually in some rural idyll halfway across the next county. We could see that Northampton lift tower in the distance).

Five live have just mentioned the game and all.

Ground record crowd of 1,634.

The Hampton & Richmond match had the feeling of a summer fete rather than a playoff match. BBQs, stalls selling pens and badges and lots of kids running around the place.

There was a 1400 crowd there today and it was pretty packed, I have no idea how they would be able to host Conference matches.

mnb098mnb wrote:

QUOTE:
The Hampton & Richmond match had the feeling of a summer fete rather than a playoff match. BBQs, stalls selling pens and badges and lots of kids running around the place

That sounds like the 2005 Supporters' League cup final at the venue, refereed by yours truly. Hibernian beat Norwich 1-0 as most of the 50 strong crowd shouted ant-i-Chelsea abuse at Hibs' ringers.

Shame about club, they've a decent team and some of them aren't getting any younger.

What a weekend, Boris wins the London mayoral election and AFCW win promotion to the BSS..I think i'll just grab my coat as it couldn't het much worse!!

Let's see if everyones favourite supporters team can behave themselves at Bromley next season, and try to avoid the hostilities of last seasons play off defeat?

In your face, Jonas!

hahahahaha. congrats PG, and other wombles

Aaaanyway.

Preposterous as it may seem there are people out there (the sort of people who respect people more than others if they have MBAs, but people nevertheless - with votes and everything) who try to maintain that a certain team based in Buckinghamshire actually are the present manifestation of Wimbledon Football Club.

One question - when the McDons secured promotion this season was there a single ex-Wimbledon player or even club official to be found celebrating? Much less in the way that genuine Wimbledon legend Dickie Guy could be observed making a complete uninhibited exhibition of himself at the post-match celebrations down at Kingsmeadow today?

Today has banished the post-election gloom however briefly at Grundy Towers. In my entire life I have never gone so completely demented as I did when prodigal son Mark de Bolla slammed in the 85th minute free kick that put us into the Conference South (just think, jonas, if Bromley hadn't failed to make the playoffs and consequently return him to us he wouldn't have been able to make one and score the other of our goals today. Does it ache? Does it hurt? Does it burn? Poor you.)

Had we not won there would have been injustice aplenty to rail against (their captain, number 5, scoring shortly after escaping a certain red card for bringing down down main when through on goal; the penalty not given in the second half despite the linesman - who was much nearer events - frantically flagging for a spotkick) but ultimately it's probably Staines who played the better. We were wretched through almost all the second half. Right up to the moment we brought de Bolla on, in fact. Hey, Jonas: ;-)

After that it was a delirious pitch invasion then back to Kingsmeadow for canapes and sophisticated conversation. It's so great for YMG in particular. He's at school in Wimbledon surrounded by Chelsea, Man U & Liverpool types. But who was actually at a final contested by his team? Who got to meet the players afterwards and get them to sign his shirt? Who got to have a kickabout with his team's captain? Who got to run out on to his team's pitch for a post-promotion kickabout? Who actually supports and belongs, rather than simply consuming and bragging.

God, how I love my club. My club.

And next year we play in the Conference South.

I

Can

Not

Fucking

Wait.

(especially for the Bromley games - fancy a pint, Jonas?)

Fucking nice one, PG.

More to the point, I can't wait for when you play Worcester and Redditch away. Fancy a pint at those?

Goalden Glassboys stun broken brakes



Apologies to Messrs Cavalry and Jon for the mugshots, although I have taken care to edit out all sacrificial goat-bothering and other quaint Warks customs.

Bien sur, Phoebs, bien sur.

Oh, this really is the gift that keeps on giving. First off there's the high of having won. But it's an even bigger high because it was a big big big match, so extra extra extra high.

And then it hits you when you remember no more shitty Ryman premier away days. No more shitty Ryman premier refs. And no more shitty Ryman league full stop.

All these new places to go to. And great rivalries to renew.

It's going to be so much fun.

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Oooh, and I just saw the goals on Sky Sports News. Every single one of them a billion million trillion times better than Cambiasso's in the World Cup.

No fucking way I'm going to sleep tonight.

Congratulations to all, especially the Wimbledon lot. Leaving aside the local shenanigans, at least I will be able to see you twice, the first time since that cup that you won where Lawrie Sanchez presented it or when I boycotted Cardiff/Franchise to take Marley to a sodden Kingsmeadow and almost put him off football for life.

The Dolphin across the river from Twerton Park(through the bus garage) is the place to drink in Bath.

Obviously, City fans are already hyping up your game vs TeamBath as "Good vs Evil"