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What a mess .....

Tez

Tez

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Jun 24, 2013
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http://www.histonfc.co.uk/news.php?id=1461

Another Conf North club in turmoil, where will it end?!!

I won't lie, no love lost over Histon. When I've watched away games at Histon & Impington I've always found the fans lairy (and some of them not short of the odd extra digit or two either;)) and unfriendly. Never forget the last time Vics visited in 2008 and they took great delight in chanting about us going down and going bust; okay factually correct as it goes, but what a thoroughly unpleasant bunch all the same. Looks like another club having to regroup, with Histon most likely heading in the direction of the Ridgeons Eastern Counties League.
 
Alan Marshall said:
Quite a few chickens coming home to roost around the country. As you say, some clubs perhaps more deserving of sympathy than others.

Could this be another one brewing ...
http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/bedfordtownfootballclub/news/message-from-the-chairman-1175435.html
Click to expand...

Any brews at Bedford never come free, ask the St Neots Chairman, who was somewhat miffed at being charged to get in when they played there last month, having (presumably) offered the customary hospitality expected earlier in the campaign.

How are the chickens in the Poole coop Alan. Pitch and ground issues needing to be addressed by March end if they aren't about to take a step backwards. Strange to read that Dolphin fans still more focused on title or play-off prospects; obviously the local council doesn't help the situation of course.
 
Poole have been there before with the ground grading issues, having languished down in the lower leagues for many years while looking for a place to settle in. I will confess that there are times when I lose track of where they are supposed to be developing next. This is in my view part of the problem - they are not single-mindedly following a purpose (lon or short term), but constantly wavering between different possibilities.

The current ground (Tatnam) is little more than a roped off area of a school playing field, and is certainly the least well-appointed ground I've been to at their current level (and indeed at a level below). They got the council's approval to carry out the necessary Southern League upgrading work, despite a considerable number of the residents objecting, but there has been little done. It has not been helped by the recent weather rendering the place unplayable (problems with drains it seems), and they've played games at Wimborne and Hamworthy recently. There are a few rumours that the school would like their field back, but the football club took out a 20 (?) year lease on the site back in 2005-ish.

There are long-term plans for a new ground/stadium on the northernmost edge of Poole in Bearwood. And by plans I do mean plans. The plans are all drawn up and ready, and all the necessary consents etc are in place. But the money is not there. So this remains a long-term aim, as far as I can see. This location came to prominence after the club failed to get consent to redevelop another recreation ground site in Parkstone, due to massive local objections - though they used to play there back in the 1920s I think.

And then recently (just before Christmas) along came Eddie Mitchell, ex Bournemouth Chairman (and now a persona non grata at that club for various murky reasons it seems), offering to invest a load in Poole Town and get things moving on the ground front. Initially this offer was to invest in a major development of Tatnam and was splashed all over the local press. More recently (about a week ago) news broke that he was in negotiation with the people at Poole Stadium about redeveloping that. PS is the club's original home, until booted out about 20 years ago so that the stadium owners could focus on the more lucrative Poole Pirates speedway plus the greyhound racing, but it is now in need of developing and modernising, so Mitchell seems to be dangling the prospect of a cash investment in PS in front of the owners' noses if they will permit the redevelopment to include the return of the football club to the stadium. This is slap bang in the centre of town. But I can't see how football, speedway and greyhounds can happily live side by side.

What I don't know at the moment is (a) how they are going to get the work needed at Tatnam done in time for end of March (but maybe they'll get an extension because of the weather??) or (b) where the Board are going with their mid to long term aims - to me it is not clear if they are fully behind any of the three options of developing Tatnam, building a new ground or returning to Poole Stadium.

I think I'll stick to going to watch Wimborne Town (when I get chance). At least their home is pretty secure and only 10 minutes away.
 
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