The Conference South play-off final has been moved from Stevenage to Gravesend - moving it from one of the best grounds in the Conference to one of the worst. It always seemed a strange choice of venue for the CS play-off final, considering that it's pretty out of the way for most CS clubs.
06/05/08 Play-Off Final At Stevenage Borough FC Updated : Boro’s play-off final has been switched - again - back to the original venue of Stevenage Borough FC - Kick-off Is At 19:30
Stevenage turned out to be enough of a pain in the arse to get to from Brighton two years ago. I wouldn't much fancy making that trip from Eastbourne. Especially if it's for an evening kick-off.
I smell the evil hand of Setanta behind this decision making.
Meanwhile, in the Conf National, it would appear that of the two teams of Oxford rejects, Cambridge are better than Torquay. Let's hope Steve Basham has the final word.
Losing to Eastbourne tonight is probably a blessing in disguise for Hampton & Richmond. I really don't think they have the organisation or general wherewithall to thrive in the Conference National right now. I don't know what Eastbourne's situation is, but I wish them well. As it is I'm looking forward to visiting the Beveree again even though there is the overwhelming probability of losing to the buggers yet again despite playing them off the park. Always happens. At least their supporters are deliciously easy to wind up.
I think that Eastbourne are reasonably well off and, as a reasonably sized and affluent town which is relatively remote (it's about 45 minutes by train from Brighton), I suspect that it's better placed to cope in the Conference than Lewes. I doubt if their ground needs much work doing to it, either.
Barrow join Eastbourne in the Conference. I don't remember the exact details, but I'm pretty sure they only dropped out of the league due to an administrative relegation (one of Forest Green's escapes), so I feel some sympathy and am glad to see them back.
Course, I don't actually want to see them next season, I would rather have an academic interest in this league. But I would make Exeter the faves for next Sunday.
That Barrow and Eastbourne have won their respective play-offs gives a good indication of the true randomness of these events. Barrow would have started as the Conference North set as favourites, having ended the season with a 17 game unbeaten run, 13 of them wins. Fairly obvious. Eastborune, on the other hand would prboably have been the outsiders for the Conference South, having blown automatic promotion by only winning one of their last 8 matches, collecting only 6 points in the process. Yet they also triumphed.
So being bang in form or horribly out of it is not neccesarily relevant. Which means the current Championship scoreline of Crystal Palace 0-1 Bristol City isn't as suprising as it first seems.
Come on the Robins! Jordan and Warnock in the Premiership? [shudder]