Isn't the Conference great for football? Roger Titford, for one, is not so sure about the gradual rise of the Football League's younger brother

Football League membership has, I’ve always thought, been a very precious thing, a distinction that was historically conferred on a club by the existing members. That once huge distinction between League and non-League is suddenly getting very blurred. I feel there’s a fifth column, literally, in our divisional tables now; someone else pretending to be part of the League family, creeping in bit by bit. Unfashionable though it may be to say so, I’m not sure I like what’s happening any more.

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Bedfordshire is in shock at some dramatic upheavels, writes Neil Rose

It was all going so well. After a decade of decline, Luton Town were on the up. A high-profile manager had won promotion from the Third Division and followed it with a good season in the Second. A Luton legend was his right-hand man. The wealthy owner clearly loved the club. Then, in a dizzying week, Joe Kinnear, Mick Harford and Mike Watson-Challis all went.

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In South Yorkshire fans are copying AFC Wimbledon after becoming frustrated with directors, writes Joe Quimby

Disillusioned fans of Second Division Barnsley have formed a new club, taking its inspiration from AFC Wim­bledon. AFC Barnsley announced their intention to forge ahead on their own terms, following the move made by disenfranchised supporters of the London club, because of reservations over the intentions of the Reds’ new owners.

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It might not be everyone's cup of tea but the Confederations Cup certainly has its worth

Much heat and little light have been expended in recent weeks over the length of the football season, with especial reference to England’s European Championship qualifier against Slovakia on June 11.

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Isidro Langara explores the reasons behind the deaprture of Jesus Gil from Atletico Madrid

Goodbye to the great entertainer. Atlético Mad­rid’s controversial president Jesús Gil y Gil has announced his resignation, claiming it’s the “best thing” for the club over which he loom­­ed large, figuratively and literally, for 16 years.

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