With a new season fastly approaching us again I thought it would be a good time to kick start my 2012/2013 season preview. If you remember my one from last year, you will recall it being a post full of cliche-ridden, ill-informed and lack of researched antedotes and this year I am promising nothing different. But even with that bared in mind it should still be fairly entertaining and worth a read, so please bare with me.
Once more I will kick-start my preview with the club I support; Liverpool Plymouth Argyle Dover Athletic. Which makes sense because they are the only team in the league that I have a semblence of an idea of the on-goings at that club. So without furthing blabbing, I will begin.....
Dover Athletic
After last season's disappointing campaign in which an expensively assembled squad rarely seriously even threatened the play-offs and eventually finished 7th, it is vital that we have a good season this year with dwindling home crowds after two really seasons of really poor form at Crabble.
And realisticly a strong placed finish in 2013 is on the horizon after some impressive transfer business made by manager Nicky Forster in the transfer window. Out of last seasons squad of underachieving failures, we have waved farewell to Phil Starkey, George Purcell, James Walker, Jemal Johnson, Glen Southam, Michael Corcoron, Donovan Simmonds, Ed Harris and Michael Noone. Meanwhile popular goalkeeper Mikhail Ruiz also departed the club, a decision that showed the management clearly didn't rate him as highly as the supporters did. Out of those lot Glen Southam and Corcoron were offered new contracts, quite worrying in the latters case after a really poor season, but thankfully he moved to Brackley in the Conference North and Southam is off the wage bill after joining big spending Eastleigh.
Amongst our most impressive summer additions are much needed firepower in Calum Willock; top goalscorer for Ebbsfleet in the past two seasons including 19 BSP net bulgers last season. Experienced midfielder Steven Thomson joined from St Mirren having played SPL football last season while Dean Rance has joined us on a permenant basis following his brief loan spell here last season. Tricky winger Ricky Modeste has joined from BSS rivals Chelmsford while another wideman in Jamie Smith has joined following the youngster's release from Leyton Orient. Young goalkeeper Mitchell Walker has filled the void left by Ruiz's departure after impressing on loan at Eastbourne last season. Centre half Daniel Webb is our other addition, having just been named Salisbury City's fans player of the season . All 7 signings have pedigrees at our level (bar Smith) and seem to be rated highly by fans of their former employers, which can only be a glowing endorsement.
So, what do I see as our biggest strengths? Well, I'm fairly pleased with our defensive options. While I'm not the biggest lover of Shane Huke and was eager to see him depart, he can cover various positions and I'm willing to give him a final chance. Young full-backs Lloyd Harrington and Tom Axford will be given opportunities this season after impressing for England schoolboys and I am particularly impressed with the former, who has shone in every appearence so far and looks so calm and assured. I've been saying all pre-season that its a shame both he and last year's player of the season Tom Wynter are left-footed because ideally I would have them both as our full-backs.
In the centre of defense we have Steven Watt, who has finally returned from a bad knee injury. Sadly he seems injury prone but if we can keep him fit then he will be a real asset for us. He's looked strong in pre-season so far. His partner will be Ian Simpempa, who has been a rock since arriving in the latter part of last season. Daniel Webb should prove to be reliable back-up for the pair while another academy graduate, Sean Raggett, will also be eager to shine.
The addition of Modeste excites me and he has been superb in pre season. He's very quick and tricky, and definitely looks like he'll win us a lot of free-kicks and penalties because defenders don't know how to deal with him. I'm unsure of the other lad Smith so far but unlike last season we have genuine wide options now, rather than crap loanees or playing unhappy strikers out of position. Thomson and Rance have looked very composed on the ball and we look like we have a midfield capable of producing good football and lots of chances. Then there are the undoubted talents of Terry Dixon that can unlock any defense at this level.
The signing of Willock is a huge one for us and he should be one of the better strikers at this level. He's strong, holds the ball up well, can score with his head or foot and knows how to take a penalty. If Bricknell shows his form in the latter part of last season and manages to link up well with him, that could be some partnership on our hands.
HOWEVER, I also have my fair share of concerns for the upcoming season:
- The goalkeeping situation is one I am very unsure of. I love Lee Hook, and feel he's a comfortable back up goalkeeper when he's called upon but I'm not sure about him being first choice. He's never looked totally comfortable from crosses which is why we replaced him with Flitney in the first place. He was horribly out of position at Lewes for their 2nd goal, a timely reminder that he is prone to errors.
As for Mitchell Walker, I am not totally convinced by him yet. He's a lot smaller than I was expecting and doesn't look like a big presence. He made a few errors against Dagenham from their two free-kicks so its not been the best start he will have been hoping for. Still, I am hoping he can be a reliable number one and Eastbourne fans were gutted he didn't make his move permanent there, so hopefully his pre-seasons showings are not a true indictment of his capabilities. - I did say we look strong defensively but I do worry how we'll cope against pacier strikers. Simpemba and Watt are rocks but don't have much pace between them. Hopefully cover from Huke and Wynter will make this an unfounded concern.
- Our centre midfield options are limited. Beyond Thomson and Rance we have Cogan, who I really do not rate. I think Dixon could do a job there but I'm not sure Forster agrees. Huke is versailtile and can play there but with his tendancy to HOOF I would rather not.
And we don't really have any bruisers either. I think every one of our midfielder is under 6 foot, so we could struggle in midfield battles against the more physical sides. - Bricknell and Willock hasn't really looked like a workable partnership so far but hopefully it can be worked on. They're are both bustling strikers with similar styles.
Our options beyond them are a bit thin. Dixon's a great player but he's not a finisher, although he could lay on the goods for Willock to put away. But Dicko is injury prone as well so we won't be able to use him all the time. Other than that we only have Forster himself, who while has looked fit and good on the ball, his finishing has been pretty suspect, he doesn't look sharp in front of goal. So I still feel we need to bring another attacker in. - Fitness concerns over Dixon and Watt, both players probably on decent contracts but are injury prone. Fingers crossed they stay injury free.
- I am prepared to give Forster a fresh slate for this season now this is his own team, his own squad. But I wasn't overly convinced by him last season at all, so he's got a lot to prove instead of everyone making excuses for him.
Overall I feel our squad looks a lot more united and stronger than last season's but I still feel we are lacking a certain something to turn us into serious title contenders. Right now I don't think we have much depth beyond our defensive options, so Forster is going to have to use the loan market quite wisely next season unless we can bring another face or two in before the season starts.
I think we'll fare better than last season and I fucking well hope we do. I'm sick to death of this shithole league - playing the same teams and going to the same grounds over and over again. Promotion should always be the aim for as long as we're in this league and have Jim's financial backing.
But after the last few seasons I would just be relieved to make the top 5 so if that happens then it will meet my minimum happiness target. Anything better than that will be a massive fucking bonus.We need the feel good factor to return to Crabble. 7 wins at home last season was appalling, so that desperately needs to improve if we don't want our crowds to dwindle even further.
I would love us to have an FA Cup or Trophy run but if they were to hinder our league campaign in anyway then I would be happy to sacrafice that.
Having just written all this, it turns out we have made two new signings today (08/08). Ben May has joined from Stevenage, having previously played for Millwall, while young winger Chris Sessegnon has joined having recently feature as a triallist. The former doesn't come with glowing reviews from 'Nidge fans but he should be a decent attacking option now he. Sessegnon hasn't particularly impressed me so far but maybe he has joined on non-contract terms and provides yet another wide option.
Having just written all this, it turns out we have made two new signings today (08/08). Ben May has joined from Stevenage, having previously played for Millwall, while young winger Chris Sessegnon has joined having recently feature as a triallist. The former doesn't come with glowing reviews from 'Nidge fans but he should be a decent attacking option now he. Sessegnon hasn't particularly impressed me so far but maybe he has joined on non-contract terms and provides yet another wide option.
VERDICT - 4TH: I don't think we quite look like a side that will be challenging the title, although I am happy to be proved wrong. However, we should have enough quality to make the top 5 and anything less than should quite rightly be deemed as another failure.
Key Player - Callum Willock: The powerful striker signed from Grimsend & Eurostar FC will have the 20 goal barrier in his sights.
AFC Hornchurch
Last season's winners of the Ryman Premier play-offs are not really the most mouth-watering addition to our league. They hail from a shit area called Upminster which seems to border on that horrible Essex/East London territory, while their ground is a horrible athletics track venue which most fans will need to bring their bonoculars to.
Normally I expect teams that have been promoted from the league below to fare well in their first season in the BSS but I can't see anything but a season of struggle for the Urchins. In truth I don't really know an awful lot about them, but they managed to get promoted last season in spite of having shit ex-Dover players in Carl Rook and Simon Glover. The former is no longer there but I believe Glover remains a member of their squad, although its hard to tell from their rather basic website.
Out of their current squad that you will have heard of would be Sam Cutler, the ex-Dover midfielder having just enjoyed a spell getting relegated with Thurrock. According to the ever reliable source that is wikipedia they boast Tommy Black in their ranks, who you may recognise as the former Crystal Palace and Watford winger. They also have Leon Mckenzie, although I'm not sure if he is the same guy who player Premier League football for Norwich or not.
As one of the smallest clubs in the division I expect them to struggle, although their momentum from promotion last season could help propel them in the early stages.
VERDICT - 19TH: Momentum could carry them but I expect them to be battling against an immediete return to the feeder leagues.
Bath City
The West Country bumpkins make their return to this level having just enjoyed two seasons in the Blue Square Premier. After a very respectable upper-table finish in 2010/11, they finished 2nd bottom last season having only picked up a paltry 7 wins.
A visit to Twerton Park is always welcome though, with the traditional ground being amongst my favourites in this dull league. Even if the locals are a bit strange as you'd expect from that part of Blighty, our visit their in September is one I'm looking forward to. And we owe them a bit of revenge after their collection of relegated losers contrived to knock us out of the FA Cup last season.
For me Bath are one of the biggest unknown quantities in the division in that I have no idea how the fuck they will fare in their first season back. I either suspect they will finish in the top half of the table and perhaps challenge for a play-off spot, or they could fail to adapt and struggle in the lower regions of the table as we have seen with teams like Lewes and Eastbourne in recent years.
From what I gather they have kept on the baulk of last season's relegated squad; judging from their website 9 of their current 15 players have been kept on. Although they struggled last season the familarity and continuity may help, and you have to bare in mind they were playing in a much tougher division.
To help bridge the lack of goalscoring prowess they have brought in familar non-league name Charlie Griffin, who didn't enjoy the best of times with Salisbury last season, but could prove to be a good signing if he re-discovers his goalscoring boots.
VERDICT - 12TH: I'm playing it safe and predicting a finish somewhere half-way, although I would not be surprised if they finished closer to either end of the table.
Basingstoke Town
Nobody was expecting the club from Hampshire to seal a play-off spot but that is exactly what they managed to do. A dramatic second half collapse by Chelmsford and constant poor form from us, combined with a superb late winning streak by the stokies meant that two of the early season favourites had to miss out.
Whether they can repeat such a successful seasons remains to be seen, with many suggestions banding around that last seasons heroics were a fluke. I personally wasn't overly impressed with them in our two games with them, but they seem to be a well-organised and well drilled team that grind out results. And seeing as they have managed to keep the baulk of last season's side, I fancy them to have another good crack this year.
In Ashley Bayes I think they boast one of the best goalkeepers at this level - the veteran always seems to have a very good game against us. Delano Sam-Yorke & Tim Sills is one of the better strike partnerships in the BSS and they have a relatively strong, settled squad that knows each other well. Jason Bristow (no relation of Katie, apparently) has worked wonders since taking over the stubborn Frank Gray in February.
VERDICT - 7TH: I fancy them to do well again but I think they'll miss out on the play-offs this time. Other than the departures of stand-out teams in Woking & Dartford, I suspect this will be a tougher league in the upper regions.
Billericay Town
Billericay's Ryman Premier title win last season was unexpected and I certainly did not forsee it after we beat them with ease last pre-season. But as one of the rare decent Essex away days they are a welcome addition to the league.
I view Billericay's chances this season in a similar vein to Hornchurch's; after all, only 3 points separated the sides in last season's hotly contested title race.
From what I gather Billericay are quite a long-ball side that are marshalled as a strong unit by player/manager Craig Edwards, formerly of Chelmsford. This seems to be the general consensus on the forums I read.
They have a few noticeable players in their ranks you may have heard of - ex Brentford winger Glenn Poole who has previously been mentioned as a Dover target. Greg Oates is a defender commonly known from his spell at Margate and they also have former Dartford striker Jay May in their ranks.
VERDICT -16TH: I think with their momentum from last season they should survive but I certainly don't expect them to threaten the upper half of the table. An immediete relegation isn't out of the question either, if they don't hit things running.
Boreham Wood
I'll attempt to write a paragraph about Boreham Wood without ranting about how much I hate them and ramble on about how they are a shit, pointless, irrelevent waste of space that boast ZERO supporters, have a terrible town centre that you could be forgiven for thinking you had arrived in Basra, plus its always a soul destroying match-day experience, yet they always seem to fucking beat us including 3 times last season.
Oh fuck it, who am I kidding. I hate the fact that this nothing club waste up one of our league's spots when we could instead have a great day out at Kingstonian had they not beaten them in the P/0 final over 2 years ago. I've been resentful for that ever since.
Sadly, it doesn't look like we'll be getting rid of them any time soon. They managed a very respectful 8th placed finish last season and look a good bet for another top half finish this term.
Oh fuck it, who am I kidding. I hate the fact that this nothing club waste up one of our league's spots when we could instead have a great day out at Kingstonian had they not beaten them in the P/0 final over 2 years ago. I've been resentful for that ever since.
Sadly, it doesn't look like we'll be getting rid of them any time soon. They managed a very respectful 8th placed finish last season and look a good bet for another top half finish this term.
To use another one of my favourite cliches so far they are another 'well-drilled' side, as seen in their performances against us last season. Nothing too flashy, but generally hard to break down and good on the break. Its unsurprising that their manager Ian Allinson played under a George Graham Arsenal side.
Like they always do, they will abuse the loan market at times with QPR, Watford and Stevenage being amongst the sides that borrow them players to propel into a false position.
One thing I noticed with them last season is that they raised their games for the bigger clubs and struggled against the weaker teams. Dartford failed to beat them, I think champions Woking didn't either. While they were one of few teams to lose to Thurrock. So maybe they need to look at addressing their consistency and not just turning up for those clubs with fanbases, their jealousy clearly shows.
VERDICT - 9TH: Another top-half finish beckons. A possible play-off push is not out of the question but sadly a relegation battle seems to be.
Bromley
Bromley are one of those Kentish clubs that nobody takes a real interest in. They are a club that nobody seems to dislike but not really care about either. They just seem to plod along somewhere in the bottom half every season.
After a close flirtation with relegation last season, I think this could possibly be the year they return to the Isthmian league.
Mark Goldberg returned last season for his 39th spell in charge of them and he's re-signed Warren Mc-has-been for his 22nd spell there. He will be partnered by another journeyman at this level; Ali Chaaban. They do have Ali Fuseini in their squad, a young Ghanian player that was playing regularly for Millwall in League One not too long ago and notably scored a play-off semi final winning goal against dirty Leeds scum.
Although I don't normally pay too much attention to friendlies, they did lose 3-0 to Margate recently and also lost to Hastings which could be quite a worrying indication for them. If their end of season form and suicidal defending at Crabble is anything to go by, this could be a season of serious struggle for them.
VERDICT - 21ST: I've got a feeling
Key Player - Liam Horwood: I notice they have this former Dover target in their ranks. He'll need to be on his best if they want to beat the drop.
Chelmsford City
Chelmsford are one of those clubs that [cliche upcoming] you always expect to be there or there abouts at the end of the season. Since their promotion to the Blue Square South, Chelmsford faltered in the play-offs in their first three seasons but last season managed to miss out all together after a woeful second half to the season.
Like us, they suffered from terrible home form and will be expected to recover for the new season. They have kept the faith in their manager Glenn Pennyfather despite not being held in high regard by some areas of their fan-base.
Good news for them is that Anthony Cook, their talented left-winger will return after sitting out through most of last season with injury. They still maintain a necleus of a strong squad; Stuart Searle is a reliable goalkeeper, Kenny Clark is a no-nonsense defender and a strikeforce of Jamie Slabber and Cliff Akurang isn't a bad one at all. The signing of David Bridges should be a good one, with the midfielder having been a regular part of Stevenage's conference-winning side.
On the downside though, Dave Rainford looked a bit of a spent force last season and his best years look to be behind him. And they will need to improve vastly at the Melbourne athletics stadium. I think they will recover though.
VERDICT - 3RD: I think Chelmsford will be one of many teams vying for a play-off spot. I expect them to obtain one although I wouldn't be surprised if they suffer a poor start and Pennyfather is shown the door.
Key Player - Anthony Cook: The former Football Icon participant should be a big player for them if he stays injury free.
Dorchester Town
Before last season I had Dorchester down to finish in one of the relegation spots. That looked like it could be a real possibility when we thrashed them 4-0 on the opening day without getting out of 2nd gear. But after a poor start and the consequent sacking of manager Ashley Vickers, new manager Alan Knight took over and lead them to a respectable top-half finish.
They have to start the new seasons with another manager though after Knight stood down at the end of the season, citing work commitments for his unexpected departure. I have to confess I don't really know much about his replacement, Phil Simkin. He appears to have coached in the Dorset region so probably knows the area very well.
I have to admit, I don't really know much about Dorchester's side and have only heard of a few of their players. From what I gather, because they're based in the Dorset region most of their talent is based in the west and a lot of their players come from Yeovil, Torquay and Exeter along with local non-league clubs like Weymouth, Bridport and Poole Town.
VERDICT - 13TH: I think seeing as they appear to have kept the vast majority of last seasons squad they should survive comfortably once more, which is usually the aim for the Magpies.
Eastbourne Borough
In their first season back in the Blue Square South last season the Sussex side struggled and almost slipped towards a second successive relegation. Long-serving manager Garry Wilson departed as a result, after nearly 13 years in charge.
And I suspect that new manager Tommy Widdrington, formerly of Salisbury City, could face another season battling the drop.
Familar names in their squad include Darren Baker, who has made a whopping 900+ appearences for the club. Amongst the other veterans include ex-Brighton striker Gary Hart, while former Dagenham skipper Anwar Uddin has joined following his release from Sutton.
But the name all Dover fans will have heard of is James Walker, with the sulky striker boosting their attacking options. I actually quite rate the lad, just think he's a bit of arse.
VERDICT - 2OTH: I've got a sneaky suspicion that they will finish in the relegation zone and probably get a reprieve as a result. This is one of my more riskier predictions but it is a plausible one. They seem to have a lot of past-it veterans like Hart.
Eastleigh
And we arrive to the undoubted favourites for the upcoming season; huge-spending Eastleigh. After the arrival of some dodgy Oxfordshire based Insurance company, who alledgedly are using the club to sell the grounds land off for property according to cynics, they have begun pissing money up the wall left, right and centre.
Which is bad news for the rest of us as the tinpot Hampshire club have started assembling a squad together that will be one to beat. Amongst their most impressive summer additions include Moses Ademola and Dale Binns, the pair of them having just enjoyed playing big roles in Woking's title win. Their other midfield signings include Glen Southam from Dover (which is not so impressive), Jai Reason (very highly rated playmaker from Braintree who turned down a renewed contract in the BSP) and Mark Hughes (who captained Barnet in League Two for most of last season). And they already have Daryl McMahon on their books who is a very good player at this level.
Damien Scannell joined them mid-way through last season which was a major coup and he'll be accompanied by other attacking options in Craig McAlister (played a key role in Crawleys domination of the BSP 2 seasons ago), vastly experienced Lee Peacock and Marvin Williams, who joined from Salisbury.
I'm not overly sure of their defence though. We managed to put 5 past them last season over both games and we should have had more. Tom Jordan (not the annoying, Charlton-supporting twat) is a big lump that seems to win everything in the air and the signing of Osei Sankofa from Boreham Wood is a good one, with the ex-Charlton defender impressing against us.
Their goalkeeper Jack Dovey signed from Southampton, now on a permenant basis after a loan spell, was woeful against us at the Silverlake but the youngster might have just had a one-off mare on that day .
The other thing that could go against them is their manager, Ian Baird. He seems to have applied a 'kid in the sweet shop' policy for signing players and is known as a bit of a hoofball merchant. On the other hand, big spending clubs can succeed even in spite of average managers. You only have to look no further at Man City with Roberto Mancini and Fleetwood Town with Micky Mellon.
VERDICT - 1ST: The only reasons I can possibly think of an Eastleigh failure this season is if they go tits up mid-way through. It will happen at some point in the future but I doubt it will be for another few years or so. With all their financial muscle, they can plug any weakness in their side. I can't see beyond them as favourites at the moment.
Key Player - Dale Binns: Really impressed me for Woking last season. Has the experience and know-how to succeed at this level.
Farnborough
The Hampshire club looked a good bet for relegation early on last season after some dreadful results, including a 8-2 pasting at newly promoted Truro City. But after Gary Haylock was replaced by Spencer Day, formerly known as the fraudster Spencer Trewethy that over-saw the death of Aldershot FC, the sinking ship was steadied and they survived even with a 5 point deduction for breach of financial league rules.
Day seemed to have taken a lot of players with him from former club Chertsey Town and the impression I get is that they have signed quite a lot of young local players. But they have made a few impressive proven signings at this level; Alan Inns obviously doesn't fancy the travelling in the BSP so has departed Woking for them, while Dave Tarpey who bagged a lot of goals for Hampton last season gives them a serious goal threat.
The one thing with Farnborough though is that you never know how far away they are from their next financial implosion so they're a very hard club to predict.
VERDICT - 17TH: I expect them to hover above the drop zone but think they're capable of surviving.
Key Player - Alan Inns: He was supporter's POTS at Woking last season, which is some award given the quality in their side. As one of the senior players in their side he'll need to guide the inexperienced squad.
Havant & Waterlooville
Like their neighbours Eastleigh, Havant have rich new owners this time in the form of Derek Pope, who has jumped from fellow Hampshire club AFC Totton with his cheque book wide open.
The Hawks only stayed up with a 93rd dramatic winner on the final day of the season in what was a dreadful campaign. They would have stayed up via the AGM regardless, but even the best script writers wouldn't have been able to come up with such an amazing survival plot.
This time around they should be far better off. Since their amazing FA Cup exploits in 2007/2008 they have been tipped to finish strongly ever since but always flatter to deceive without fail. So, what's different this time around?
Well it helps that they finally gave Shaun Gale the bullet late on last season in what was a very overdue managerial change, he'd been riding on those FA Cup heroics for far too long. His replacement comes in the form of Stuart Ritchie, who has also jumped ship from Totton having overseen their rise through the feeder leagues.
None of their signings quite suggest they will definitely be threatening the play-offs but they should vastly improve. The intent is there; the chairman stated he would be happy to pay up to a grand a week in wages for a new striker, while Tom Davis publicly claimed that he was offered a contract in dodgy payments through the chairman's company.
In terms of actual signings though, their most impressive one to date is Sahr Kabba from Weston-Super-Mare, a very-highly rated attacked that bagged lots of goals for them last season. They have signed Ed Harris following his release from Dover, which will strengthen their frail defense, he's a player I would have been happy enough to have kept on. Clark Masters has signed from Eastbourne, the goalkeeper was superb against Dover last season at Priory Lane, while another proven BSS player arrives in the form of Sam Page from Sutton.
VERDICT - 8TH: I expect them to do a lot better than last season, although there still is a lot of room for improvement. Luckily for them, they have the finance to improve their squad throughout the season.
Key Player - Christian Nanetti: Gained himself a reputation as a bit of a diving fuckwit towards the end of last season, thus winning lots of vital penalties. He got himself booked for this against us. Which is the sort of player I like.
Hayes & Yeading
As with Bath City, it will be very interesting to see what will the fortunes be for this newly relegated side from the Conference Premier. After two seasons of defying the odds and beating the drop, the tiny club eventually slipped through the trap-door on the third, albeit only marginally.
The club are due to be moving back into their ground at The Warren, Yeading, if work is completed as scheduled by November. Probably unlike though, which will mean another trip to Kingfield (only this time empty) and no new ground for me to visit. Fingers crossed...
Hayes are one of the smallest clubs at this level and a slip straight through to the Ryman League has been talked up by people. However, they should have enough quality to survive quite comfortably.
Amongst their more notable players include Pele, no - not the over-rated Brazillian twat (1000 goals my arse, rant for another day etc) but instead its the former Southampton and West Brom midfielder that has racked up millions of £££ in transfer fees. The 34 year old should shine at this level.
Dover fans should be familar with former Gillingham midfielder Mark Bentley, while Tom Cadmore has been capped several times by England C squad. Luke Williams seems to be very highly rated as well.
However, the signing of Manny Williams is a strange one, given he seems to have been very poor in the last few seasons and I believe they're still on the hunt for a new goalkeeper.
VERDICT - 10TH: As with Bath, I'm being cautious in my prediction. I think they're more likely to fight for a play-off spot than battle for survival, but both scenarios are a possibility.
Key Player - Pele: Obvious choice I know, but he has such a wealth of experience for this level and should still have a few years left in him.
Maidenhead United
The club from Berkshire will count themselves lucky that inevitable financial implosions from other clubs meant they held onto BSS status despite finishing 3rd from bottom, as with every other club that has finished in that spot since the Conference South's inception in 2004/2005.
Although some of their fans will be very disappointed that this will made Johnson Hippolyte's position less untenable, with many of them pleeing for the club to move on in a new direction now.
With the exception of Thurrock last season, it is common practise for most clubs to have decent seasons after surviving via a reprieve and I think Maidenhead could be set to do well. Their summer business looks decent with Michael Pook becoming a permenant signing, the midfielder having had a wealth of experience with Swindon Town in the football league. Derek Duncan has also arrived, joining from the champions Woking. Striker Alex Wall is still there having been heavily linked with a move to Notts County last season.
I'm happy to keep them here; they're a small club but have decent supporters and its always a good day out on the piss down there.
VERDICT - 14TH: They will be expected to struggle by most people but I think they will surprise a lot of people following their lucky escape. This could be achieved with or without Hippolyte.
Key Player - Michael Pook: Still only 26 and with over 100 football league appearences under his belt, you'd expect him to shine.
Salisbury City
Salisbury endured a mixed season back in the BSS following promotion from the Zamaretto Premier. While they had indifferent league form and somehow stumbled to a tenth placed finish, they did reach the FA Cup Third Round and enjoyed a visit to Brammall Lane.
Like most clubs based in the west, I'm not really too familiar with many of their players and its difficult to make a prediction.
I do know that they have signed Chris McPhee from Torquay United, which is a very good signing at this level. I was there when he scored the winning goal at Wembley in Ebbsfleet's FA Trophy triumph.
My impressions of Salisbury last season were that they looked like a strong defensive unit but had little to offer in attack. Their back-line may be hindered by Danny Webb's departure to Dover and striker Marvin Williams has followed the dollar at Eastleigh. Young striker Theo Lewis will have to step up to the plate after he was snapped up following his release from Cheltenham.
But their biggest hopes will be reserved for Jamie White, who netted an astonishing 51 goals for Winchester City last season in the Wessex Premier League.
VERDICT - 11TH: Salisbury are another club that are hard to predict. I'm going to play the safe option though and say they'll have another season of mid-table boredom.
Key Player - Chris Mcphee: He made 26 appearances for a Torquay side that narrowly missed out on promotion in League 2 last season. Its surprising that he's dropped down to this level but he has also been given a coaching role.
Staines Town
Staines are another club I hold in the same regard as I do for Boreham Wood. In other terms I'm not their biggest fan with my animosity growing even deeper after the tinpot trumpet-blowing twats dicked us 4-0 at Crabble last season.
They spent the majority of last season looking like a certainly for the drop. But following some impressive form in the latter stages of the season, including THAT fateful Saturday afternoon at Crabble, they managed to secure safety with a few games to spare. Joy o Joy.
This will be their first season in donkeys years without Steve Cordery at the helm; the long serving boss stood down to be replaced by Wimbledon legend Marcus Gayle. While he's inexperienced in management, it could turn out to be a masterstroke.
Its clear that he has been using his contacts at Kingsmeadow in most of his acquisitions. Former Don Elliot Godfrey is one of the more notable ones and he has been installed as captain. From what I gather he's picked up a few young released players from the Milton Keynes club, if I remember correctly. I would be able to confirm this but they're one of many clubs that have dreadful club websites that are too basic and near impossible to navigate.
But one of their most important bits of business this summer has been securing young winger David Wheeler to a new contract, a very-highly rated player expected to go onto bigger and better things.
VERDICT - 15TH: I would love Staines to be embroiled in a relegation battle but in all honesty I expect them to survive and carry on their momentum from the end of last season.
Key Player - David Wheeler: Another predictable and boring choice but he is widely regarded as their best player.
Sutton United
Sutton enjoyed an excellent first season back in the BSS following their promotion from the Ryman League. After a 5-0 thumping by champions elect by Woking on the opening day, they recovered and stayed within the play-off spots throughout most of the season. They were just edged out by Welling in the play-offs and also reached the FA Cup 2nd round where Notts County knocked them out at Gangrene Lane live on TV.
The possibility of them suffering from the so called 'second season syndrome' seems rather unlikely and I certainly expect them to be in the mix for promotion again.
Their only notable departures are the exit of Sam Page and Tony Taggart, who both followed the dollar to Havant, while Leroy Grittiths has also been released. But their summer business has been fairly impressive so far with AFC Wimbledon pair Jamie Stuart and Gareth Gwillam both making the short move across Greater London. Although both struggled in the football league last season, both are hugely experienced at non-league level and should make their defense even more of a tighter unit.
One thing I noticed last season with Sutton is they one most of their games 1-0 or by the odd goal, so added fire-power is quite a necessity to turn them into challengers. And that has arrived in the form of Kezie Ibe, a proven striker at this level with Farnborough and Chelmsford amongst others. Former Fulham and Gillingham striker Stefan Payne also arrived in the latter stages of last season and should thrive this year now he is more settled in and adapted back into the non-league scene.
Sutton have a very settled side with good and experienced players like Kevin Scriven, one of the most reliable goalkeepers at this level and Paul Telfer - the ex Southampton man impressing in both games against Dover last season. The addition of Sam Rents from Gateshead should also bolster a midfield with experience and quality in abundance.
The best news for Sutton fans this summer though is young winger Harry Beautyman staying on for another season, the highly-rated creative spark being tipped to move onto much bigger and better things.
VERDICT 2ND: I think the Yellow & Amber will be one of the few teams contending for the title with Eastleigh. I will be pretty shocked if they don't if Graham Doswell doesn't at least lead them to a 2nd successive play-off spot.
Key Player - Harry Beautyman: Key to their success last season - its surprising that he hasn't been snapped up by a bigger club.
Tonbridge Angels
Last season's Blue Square South newcomers surprised a few people with their 9th placed finish, which was largely aided by the goalscoring exploits from ex Dover striker Frannie Collin.
This time round though their will be less uncertainty over the Angels and many will be expecting the West Kent club to push on this season, particularly after Collin allegedly turned down a few offers from bigger clubs to continue playing his football at Longmead.
And he'll find good company alongside him next season after they completed the signature of former Dover striker George Purcell. While he suffered problems last season with form, being played out of position and an alleged attitude problem, there is no doubting his talent and capabilities at this level. If the two manage to click and combine well then they will certainly have a strike-force that will make a few defenders skid their pants. So far the signs have been encouraging in pre-season, apparently.
Their other big signing this summer is another former white; Tom Davis. While I've never rated the perma-tanned overrated cunt, he must have something about him to have been promoted with 4 different clubs at this level, the latest being an impressive loan spell with Woking towards the end of last season. Their fans seemed pretty disappointed not to have signed him on a permanent basis.
One problem last season for them though was a leaky defence. They signed another Dover player, Olly Schulz towards the end of last season an as solid as he is, he will get exposed by pace if he doesn't have a quick centre half alongside him.
VERDICT - 5TH: I'm going to stick out my greasy neck and say that the Collin/Purcell partnership will see them into a play-off spot. It should certainly be in their sights anyway, as much as I'd like to see their team cobbled of Dover rejects crash & burn. Not because I dislike our former players, but because their fans are whining cry babies in need of a slap.
Key Player - Frannie Collin: They were not dubbed 'Frannie Collin FC' for no reason last year. Didn't he score about 30 league goals?
Truro City
Sadly it looks like the first Cornish team to ever play this high up in the football pyramid look like they won't be on the horizon for much longer.
It will be highly surprising to anyone if they manage to see the season out. While it seems that they had a stay of execution last week when the players finally got paid after delivering an ultimatum to chairman Kevin Heaney that they would walk out otherwise, they still have a fuck load of debt that is about as likely to get paid off as I have a chance of fingering Jessica Ennis in a non-rape related incident.
I don't know much about finances, I don't know much about finances in football so I won't pretend I do but it seems highly unlikely that they will make Christmas at the moment. I just hope their fate is resolved either way before we play their in October. Massive shame because they have some top supporters and its the only genuinely exciting away trip in this division.
Therefore its pointless to talk about their football fortunes. I suspect they'll be fielding a team full of kids with a few pro's and will take a tonking most weeks. Most of their better players seem to be trialling elsewhere or have already found other clubs.
VERDICT - 22ND: I will be amazed if they A) complete the season and be even more amazed if B) they complete A and manage to stay up as well.
Key Player - Stewart Yetton: The striker still seems to be there and is a cult hero down there, having been with the club since 2005. According to wikipedia he has scored 205 goals in 199 games there but that's likely to be wikibullshitedia.
Welling United
The Wings again managed to defy the odds last season under the guidance of Jamie Day and reached the play-off final after finishing third place after accumulating 80 points.
With Woking and Dartford now out of the way you would expect the South London club to build on and become serious title challengers next season.
I did expect this to be the case in the aftermath of their 1-0 defeat by Dartford, however, I am not so convinced now. I think the departures of Jack Parkinson and Loick Pires to Woking could hit them hard and their replacements are far from convincing. Frasier Franks from AFC Wimbledon fills in for Parkinson, who is a big loss for them. Frasier could prove to be a good signing but he is young and inexperienced. Kieran Hughes-Mason arrives following his release from Grimsby, but he doesn't come with glowing endorsement of fans from his previous clubs, who cite him as being too lightweight and lacking in end product.
Another one of their signings that puzzles me is Jon Main. I know he smashed in about 30+ goals for AFC Wimbledon in 2008/09 but he looks like a spent force these days. His injuries restricted him to only a few starts for Tonbridge this season and it looks unlikely that he'll regain full fitness. It could turn out to be a master-stroke by Day but I remain very sceptical.
That said, Welling fans probably have more cause for optimism than I give them credit for. After all, they did manage to cope admirably with the loss of Andy Pugh last season. They still maintain the spine of a side with very good players and are bossed by one of the best young managers in the country. [Big statement, I know].
VERDICT - 7TH: I'm probably going to regret this but I have a hunch they will just slip off outside the play-off places. Their best players over the past 10 months have departed and while Jamie Day continues to work wonders, it will only be a matter of time before he moves onto pastures new as well? Time will tell.
Key Player - Jack Oberstellar: Very solid defender who has impressed me and another one of their players that has been linked with bigger clubs.
Weston-Super-Mare
There was a point last season where the Somerset club looked an outside bet to sneak the 5th play-off spot, in what was looking like a remarkable season for one of the smallest clubs (and budget) in the Blue Square South. However, they fell away towards the end but still finished in a very respectable 13th placed finish.
The likelihood of repeating those feats looks like it is going to be a much more difficult task following the departure of Sahr Kabba; the striker who's goals propelled them to that position.
Like the other Western based clubs, I'm not too familiar with many of their players. I do know though that their manager Craig Laird has done a very good job with them over the past two seasons and they should feel comfortable with him at the helm.
My impressions of them at Crabble were that they love playing anti-football and time wasting to help grind out a result. They eventually succumbed to a 90th minute Barry Cogan winner but the tactics almost worked. However, they seemed to play a bit more football at their place, although it might have helped there was nothing riding on the game so both sides were able to express themselves more.
Anyway, the general consensus is that his team is those favourite two cliched terms again; WELL-DRILLED and ORGANISED!
Verdict - 18th: I expect Laird to lead them to safety again this year but I think they will struggle without Kabba this season.
Key Player - Matt Villis: Randomly selected the defender from wikipedia without even checking if he's still at the club and whether he's any good. The only player I had heard of was Kabba....
Which leaves me with my final predicted table......
1) Eastleigh
2) Sutton
3) Chelmsford
4) Dover
5) Tonbridge
6) Welling
7) Basingstoke
8) Havant
9) Boreham Wood
10) Hayes & Yeading
11) Salisbury
12) Bath City
13) Dorchester
14) Maidenhead
15) Staines
16) Billericay
17) Farnborough
18) Weston
19) Hornchurch
20) Eastbourne
21) Bromley
22) Truro
And there you have it. My season preview is now complete. Its been a wonderful ride - full of rubbish cliches and desperately searched information to try and pretend I have a clue about Dog and Duck XI, but also a semblance of my real thoughts, knowledge and opinions was there in places.
Feel free to leave a comment at the bottom of the page; whether is be an agreement/disagreement over my predictions or pointing out a factual inaccuracy or even abusing me to anything you have taken offence over.
Its probably worth noting that my predictions last year were not wildly inaccurate - I guessed Woking correctly as champions and Thurrock + Hampton for the drop, while I forecasted Dartford to have a very good season. But I do think this season's is harder to predict than most other years - there's a good number of clubs that will harbour realistic ambitions of reaching the play offs.
I will now leave you with my predictions for all the other English leagues (of relative importance) which are mainly for my own benefit but you can feel free to read if you either give a shit or value my opinions.
Premier League:
1) Manchester City
2) Manchester United
3) Chelsea
4) Arsenal
5) Tottenham Hotspurs
6) Liverpool
7) Newcastle United
8) Sunderland
9) Everton
10) West Ham United
11) Aston Villa
12) Fulham
13) Stoke City
14) West Bromich Albion
15) Queens Park Rangers
16) Southampton
17) Reading
18) Swansea City
19) Wigan Athletic
20) Norwich City
Championship:
1) Blackburn Rovers
2) Leicester City
3) Bolton Wanderers
4) Birmingham City
5) Brighton & Hove Albion
6) Nottingham Forest
7) Cardiff City
8) Wolverhampton Wanderers
9) Middlesborough
10) Crystal Palace
11) Burnley
12) Ipswich Town
13) Leeds United
14) Blackpool
15) Sheffield Wednesday
16) Hull City
17) Derby County
18) Huddersfield Town
19) Barnsley
20) Charlton Athletic
21) Watford
22) Millwall
23) Bristol City
24) Peterborough United
League One:
1) Sheffield United
2) MK Dons
3) Preston North End
4) Brentford
5) Coventry City
6) Swindon Town
7) AFC Bournemouth
8) Notts County
9) Colchester United
10) Carlisle United
11) Doncaster Rovers
12) Crawley Town
13) Portsmouth
14) Hartlepool United
15) Oldham Athletic
16) Tranmere Rovers
17) Crewe Alexander
18) Stevenage
19) Wallsall
20) Yeovil Town
21) Scunthorpe United
22) Shrewsbury Town
23) Leyton Orient
24) Bury
League Two:
1) Rotherham United
2) Fleetwood Town
3) Southend United
4) Bristol Rovers
5) Wycombe Wanderers
6) Bradford City
7) Oxford United
8) Plymouth Argyle
9) Gillingham
10) Torquay United
11) Chesterfield
12) York City
13) Cheltenham Town
14) Exeter City
15) Aldershot Town
16) Port Vale
17) Rochdale
18) Northampton Town
19) Burton Albion
20) Morecambe
21) Dagenham & Redbridge
22) AFC Wimbledon
23) Barnet
24) Spaccringon Stanley
Blue Square Premier:
1) Luton Town
2) Mansfield Town
3) Wrexham
4) Cambridge United
5) Grimsby Town
6) Hereford United
7) Forest Green Rovers
8) Kidderminster Harriers
9) Lincoln City
10) Macclesfield Town
11) Gateshead
12) Southport
13) Woking
14) Newport County
15) Stockport County
16) Dartford
17) Barrow
18) Hyde
19) Tamworth
20) AFC Telford
21) Ebbsfleet United
22) Braintree Town
23) Alfreton Town
24) Nuneaton Town
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