Keep the banter going

[Joes]

Hi all, it's great that you all have a platform to keep the non league chat going through these times, I know you all care about and all share an interest in the spartan league, so I thought I'd offer you all the chance of asking any questions you like about any subject you like concerning the spartan, and all that goes with it. Keep it clean, and I'll do my best to keep it clean back to you lads and lasses. Hope your all well, and looking forward to getting back at it soon. Joe 

[Rhodes]

Joes - Many thanks, can you possibly confirm whether the League Annual General Meeting (AGM) is still scheduled for Saturday 27 June at the Rufus Centre, Steppingley Road in Flitwick at 10.30am, I have asked Karen on a number of occasions and whether she can kindly notify us if there has been any change to the date but there has been no response. 

[NeutralFan]

Cliff... if Karen has ignored you then fair enough! You deserve it...

[Munchkin]

1 hour ago, Rhodes said:

Joes - Many thanks, can you possibly confirm whether the League Annual General Meeting (AGM) is still scheduled for Saturday 27 June at the Rufus Centre, Steppingley Road in Flitwick at 10.30am, I have asked Karen on a number of occasions and whether she can kindly notify us if there has been any change to the date but there has been no response. 

It’s being done via video conference

[Joes]

Questions relating to football, players, the league,  agms and league meetings arent really managers concerns going into the summer. Joe s

[Savagebee]

10 hours ago, Joes said:

Hi all, it's great that you all have a platform to keep the non league chat going through these times, I know you all care about and all share an interest in the spartan league, so I thought I'd offer you all the chance of asking any questions you like about any subject you like concerning the spartan, and all that goes with it. Keep it clean, and I'll do my best to keep it clean back to you lads and lasses. Hope your all well, and looking forward to getting back at it soon. Joe 

Does the Spartan Midlands League have any idea about if next season will start on time? And if there will be any definate changes to the way match days are run by clubs because of this Covid problem?

[Rhodes]

7 hours ago, NeutralFan said:

Cliff... if Karen has ignored you then fair enough! You deserve it...

That's  a bit uncalled for isn't it, anyway I hope you are keeping well and enjoy playing for White Roding Sports in the Essex Vets League Over 45's Division One North

[Rhodes]

2 hours ago, Joes said:

Questions relating to football, players, the league,  agms and league meetings arent really managers concerns going into the summer. Joe s

So you are a Manager then, if you are using your real name then it is not difficult to work out which one

[Winslow Boy]

2 hours ago, Joes said:

Questions relating to football, players, the league,  agms and league meetings arent really managers concerns going into the summer. Joe s

Title and promotion for you at Leighton or winning the vase? What would you choose? 

[Joes]

Title and promotion would always be above the vase for me, however, I guess winning the vase would be a once in a lifetime thing, so very close. But bread and butter 1st always. 

 

We have had no communication in regards to next season start dates etc, however, with groups of 6 coming into play next week, things should and could improve over the weeks. 

Thought it would be good for you guys to have a current manager to chuck questions at, as I know you lads love this forum and you all deserve to have a line to us managers, especially through these times. 

 

[Savagebee]

1 hour ago, Joes said:

We have had no communication in regards to next season start dates etc, however, with groups of 6 coming into play next week, things should and could improve over the weeks. 

Many Thanks Joe and keep posting ?

Is the Goal Machine that is Danny Webb still going to be a Leighton Town FC player next season? ? If next season happens of course ?

[Joes]

That's the question everyone has been asking... We have had very positive discussions with all the squad during this shut down, and most if not all the lads are very keen to stay together and build on the platform we put together last season. The club is in a good place, we did will in the cups last year, so we are in a positive place as a club. Like most clubs,, we will probs have a few in and a few out, but we hope to keep the majority of what we have built over the last 18 months. 

[Savagebee]

4 hours ago, Joes said:

That's the question everyone has been asking... We have had very positive discussions with all the squad during this shut down, and most if not all the lads are very keen to stay together and build on the platform we put together last season. The club is in a good place, we did will in the cups last year, so we are in a positive place as a club. Like most clubs,, we will probs have a few in and a few out, but we hope to keep the majority of what we have built over the last 18 months. 

After a slow start to the season you guys scored goals for fun with also Ash Campbell scoring plenty of goals and you had a few other players getting in to double figures goal wise as well. Goals all over the pitch it seems ?

[Rhodes]

On ‎30‎/‎05‎/‎2020 at 17:03, Joes said:

Thought it would be good for you guys to have a current manager to chuck questions at, as I know you lads love this forum and you all deserve to have a line to us managers, especially through these times

This isn't a criticism as the Club did so well in getting to the FA Vase Quarter Final but I was just wondering why you didn't try to shut up shop, or batten down the hatches, when Ashton Campbell headed home to make it 3-2 at Corinthian and then you took Archie McClelland off shortly before Corinthian equalised. Leighton Town were very much in the ascendancy at that point of the game but Kieran Turner coming on for McClelland seemed to upset the momentum and Corinthian immediately took the upper hand when they made two inspired substitutions themselves, the equalising goal came from a fairly innocuous free kick where the centre back was left totally unmarked to head past an exposed Jamie Head. Although it was, to quote Brian Moore, 'up for grabs now', it was very disappointing when Corinthian scored again in stoppage time when a defender did a Steven Gerrard and slipped over to allow their nippy winger to shoot low past Head. I don't know whether extra time was agreed between you and Corinthian or would you have gone straight to Bell Close for a replay, like I said don't take this the wrong way as I'm Leighton Town's biggest fan:

Edited May 31, 2020 by Rhodes

[Joes]

At the time, we were 3-2 up, we were well in top, and creating lots of chances, I made the call to kill the game off, as we we were so on top, there full back was tiring, and we wanted kieran to work on the inside of him, as there were spaces, whereas Ashton likes to go outside and round, where they would always have a covering player. And as always archie had given us everything he had for 70 mins, so we had to freshen it up. We actually had 3 excellent opportunities at 3-2, hit the post, keeper pulled off a great save etc etc. So like always, it could and should have seen us go on to win, however,  it didn't, and you go away and learn from these things. Was the change defining, maybe not, did we blow a massive opportunity as a group, without doubt. Always gonna be tough throwing in a keeper who was new to the group the club and the team for a 1 of game of such importance. 

Defo one that still keeps me up at night. 

[Rhodes]

That's a really honest reply, thanks so much, would you do anything differently then if you could turn the clock back to about 4.25pm on Saturday 7 March, after Ashton Campbell nodded home Danny Webb's pinpoint cross to make it 3-2. It was so interesting to hear your reasoning behind taking off Archie McClelland and bringing on Kieran Turner to 'try to kill the game off', I thought that Archie might have been injured for you to change it at that critical point of the game when leading 3-2, Corinthian were always going to regroup and come at you in the last fifteen minutes as, unlike Bradford Town in the Fifth Round, they just wouldn't lay down and bringing on their two substitutes and then equalising on 76 minutes totally changed the game in their favour or so it seemed. Also you changed the team considerably for the Premier Division game with Potton United at Bell Close the following Tuesday and brought in Billy Baird, Alex Condon, Sonny Newbury-Barr, Louie Collier, Ben Pattie and Kieran Turner, what was the reason for that as the 3-0 defeat was disappointing after the great run of seventeen league games undefeated.

[Joes]

Most of the lads who were on the bench for the vase game were started on the Tuesday, this was to freshen the team up and to manage our congested fixture list at that time, which was planned to be 3 or 4 games a week for the run in. However the main reason, was that all them lads are not only good players, but are also top lads, who  make the group what they are, so I try to utilise all the lads, as the strength of the group is the group. We don't have  star players or 1 or 2 with big egos etc, we have a group of hard working, honest and dedicated lads, and for me the group always comes 1st, even if we do have to take the odd slap round the face. 

[Karen Browne]

17 hours ago, Rhodes said:

. I don't know whether extra time was agreed between you and Corinthian or would you have gone straight to Bell Close for a replay, 

 

Extra Time is mandatory in the FA Vase

 

 

[Rhodes]

Joes, I'm sure others have some questions for you too but what did you put Leighton Town's horrendous league form down to at the start of the season where you couldn't seem to hit a cow's backside with a banjo between August and mid October could you with the first win against Leverstock Green on 15 October giving you just four points so far, after that you could do no wrong so I'm sure everyone found that really strange. In the cups you seemed to do okay though, Lowestoft Town was a tough draw against step three opposition in the FA Cup however you could have been 2-0 up after ten minutes, were you annoyed with Dave Murphy for getting himself sent off after just half an hour as that was the turning point in the tie.

[Joes]

Rhodes, it was a mixture of the following

Many new players to integrate 

New system and way of playing

Formation and understanding of it

And we struggled in the keeper position not only in the 1st 5 weeks, but the whole season really, think we used over 7 different keepers, due to injury, form, availability, eligibility , and this is such a key area, as at our level,, the keeper can have such an effect on the back line, both in the positive and in the negative. 

The lowestoft trip was a proud day for us all, as we matched a step 3 side all the way until the sending off, and we came away from that game with alot of positives even in defeat for the months ahead. 

 

Murphy had to endure a very long and lonely coach journey home that day, knowing that his decision making effected the outcome, so no one felt it more than him. 

However, murph is a figure of high standards and commitment at the club, so some players you don't need to say much to, as these type of player feels it inside the same level that you do yourself.