Pre-season friendlies

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JE93
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Pre-season friendlies

Post by JE93 » Mon Aug 24, 2020 7:29 pm

Anyone got any idea who we might be facing up against in pre-season friendlies? Considering the FL, NPL and Northern League season will be kicking off in September not much time left to play sides at those levels before their seasons start.

Just really leaves us National League sides and the regions U23's teams, seeing as most teams seem to try and avoid playing teams in their own league pre-season. Can imagine Boro U23's will be on the list, maybe Halifax as a semi local NL side? After that, maybe a behind closed doors game against Pools? But there aren't many pickings. We'll need to be ready for that first game on the 3rd October, with it being in the FA Cup (and the prize money that brings) and potentially playing an opponent who might be 4 or 5 games into their season.

Darlopartisan
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Re: Pre-season friendlies

Post by Darlopartisan » Mon Aug 24, 2020 7:41 pm

Harrogate , would be a good home game for our lads as they are pulling up their plastic pitch

Darlopartisan
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Re: Pre-season friendlies

Post by Darlopartisan » Mon Aug 24, 2020 7:41 pm

Harrogate , would be a good home game for our lads as they are pulling up their plastic pitch

Oops double post :oops:

spen666
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Re: Pre-season friendlies

Post by spen666 » Mon Aug 24, 2020 7:44 pm

Darlopartisan wrote:
Mon Aug 24, 2020 7:41 pm
Harrogate , would be a good home game for our lads as they are pulling up their plastic pitch
Their season starts much earlier, so v little time to play them

lo36789
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Re: Pre-season friendlies

Post by lo36789 » Mon Aug 24, 2020 9:05 pm

JE93 wrote:
Mon Aug 24, 2020 7:29 pm
Anyone got any idea who we might be facing up against in pre-season friendlies? Considering the FL, NPL and Northern League season will be kicking off in September not much time left to play sides at those levels before their seasons start.

Just really leaves us National League sides and the regions U23's teams, seeing as most teams seem to try and avoid playing teams in their own league pre-season. Can imagine Boro U23's will be on the list, maybe Halifax as a semi local NL side? After that, maybe a behind closed doors game against Pools? But there aren't many pickings. We'll need to be ready for that first game on the 3rd October, with it being in the FA Cup (and the prize money that brings) and potentially playing an opponent who might be 4 or 5 games into their season.
U23s start their season w/e 12 September

Old Git
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Re: Pre-season friendlies

Post by Old Git » Tue Aug 25, 2020 9:13 am

AA addresses this in his latest interview on club website. Big problem is that other leagues are mostly starting before us and we have only just started pre season training so it will be difficult to find the right opposition to play. Maybe matches against local Under 23 sides is a possibility. I am sure he will have us ready come the first game as it is an FA cup tie that will likely be against a lower league team who will already have a few games under their belt.

H1987
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Re: Pre-season friendlies

Post by H1987 » Tue Aug 25, 2020 9:18 am

Odd one isn't it? You'd assume it'll be all non-league sides as league sides have already gotten underway by then. Hartlepool could even be a candidate. I'd assume it'll be a behind closed doors situation anyway.

Halifax seems an obvious choice also but they have an awful lot of other National North sides near to them. The rest of the National League is so Southern these days you're looking at Stockport being the next nearest (after Pools and Halifax). There's Alty also who are a couple of miles further but then after that.... it's probably Chesterfield.

South Shields could be a possibility. I've no idea when the leagues lower than us are starting though.

spen666
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Re: Pre-season friendlies

Post by spen666 » Tue Aug 25, 2020 9:53 am

H1987 wrote:
Tue Aug 25, 2020 9:18 am
Odd one isn't it? You'd assume it'll be all non-league sides as league sides have already gotten underway by then. Hartlepool could even be a candidate. I'd assume it'll be a behind closed doors situation anyway.

Halifax seems an obvious choice also but they have an awful lot of other National North sides near to them. The rest of the National League is so Southern these days you're looking at Stockport being the next nearest (after Pools and Halifax). There's Alty also who are a couple of miles further but then after that.... it's probably Chesterfield.

South Shields could be a possibility. I've no idea when the leagues lower than us are starting though.
Its going to be difficult to find sides outside of National League & National League north/ south for friendlies in September as most will have started their league seasons.

Even playing against U23 sides is not ideal because such teams tend to be less physically strong than the sort of sides clubs will face in the NLN.

A nightmare for clubs with the late start to pre season training and disjointed season start dates. With the crowd restrictions at present, its not even as if playing Darlington at home would be a money spinner for smaller clubs this season that it would be in other years.

I don't envy any clubs at this level trying to arrange pre season games.

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Re: Pre-season friendlies

Post by lo36789 » Tue Aug 25, 2020 10:11 am

spen666 wrote:
Tue Aug 25, 2020 9:53 am
I don't envy any clubs at this level trying to arrange pre season games.
There are differences geographically as well but these are the current proposed start dates.

PL2 - 12th September
Step 1 / 2 - 3rd October
Step 3 / 4 - 19th September
Step 5 - North West Counties is 3rd October / Northern League are going ahead with 5th September

Step 5 cannot do their fixtures until Steps 3 / 4 do, and they can't do theirs until Steps 1 & 2.

The Northern League have a job on starting in 10 days when they can't even schedule their fixtures yet.

JE93
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Re: Pre-season friendlies

Post by JE93 » Tue Aug 25, 2020 10:29 am

lo36789 wrote:
Tue Aug 25, 2020 10:11 am
spen666 wrote:
Tue Aug 25, 2020 9:53 am
I don't envy any clubs at this level trying to arrange pre season games.
There are differences geographically as well but these are the current proposed start dates.

PL2 - 12th September
Step 1 / 2 - 3rd October
Step 3 / 4 - 19th September
Step 5 - North West Counties is 3rd October / Northern League are going ahead with 5th September

Step 5 cannot do their fixtures until Steps 3 / 4 do, and they can't do theirs until Steps 1 & 2.

The Northern League have a job on starting in 10 days when they can't even schedule their fixtures yet.
Think the northern league released their fixture list last week: http://www.northernfootballleague.org/w ... 0-21-1.pdf

lo36789
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Re: Pre-season friendlies

Post by lo36789 » Tue Aug 25, 2020 11:38 am

Strange unless they don't have any clashes maybe. NWC have said they absolutely can't schedule until Northern Prem come out.

Perhaps there aren't any ground share issues between NL and NPL whereas there are in NWC (AFC Liverpool / Marine, Bootle / City of Liverpool, AFC Bury / Radcliffe, Northwich Vics / Witton Albion)

Odd that their main website sites they will release fixtures as soon as they can yet they have per team fixtures.

al_quaker
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Re: Pre-season friendlies

Post by al_quaker » Tue Aug 25, 2020 11:49 am

I seem to remember once when we are at HP, possibly our first season in Div 1N, the Northern League released their fixtures before the NPL, and then of course when our fixtures came out, some Bishop matches had to be rearranged as we had priority.

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Quaker85
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Pre-season friendlies

Post by Quaker85 » Tue Aug 25, 2020 2:59 pm

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Quaker85
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Re: Pre-season friendlies

Post by Quaker85 » Tue Aug 25, 2020 3:39 pm

West Auckland need a game on Thursday after a late cancellation.


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eek
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Re: Pre-season friendlies

Post by eek » Tue Aug 25, 2020 3:40 pm

Quaker85 wrote:
Tue Aug 25, 2020 3:39 pm
West Auckland need a game on Thursday after a late cancellation.


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Given the price change when we last played them - I suspect we won't be rushing to help even if we were able to.

EDJOHNS
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Re: Pre-season friendlies

Post by EDJOHNS » Tue Aug 25, 2020 5:49 pm

al_quaker wrote:
Tue Aug 25, 2020 11:49 am
I seem to remember once when we are at HP, possibly our first season in Div 1N, the Northern League released their fixtures before the NPL, and then of course when our fixtures came out, some Bishop matches had to be rearranged as we had priority.
The norm is that the top level puts out its fixtures first then the second and downwards through the levels over a period of weeks.(Obviously shortened this year because of Covid).
The NL have virtually always ignored this since the days they refused to be in the pyramid.

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Re: Pre-season friendlies

Post by jjljks » Sat Aug 29, 2020 8:04 pm

Thanks Fleetwood for the reality check. We need more games to give us time as a unit playing against some decent sides to hone ourselves. Players need to build up on-the-field trust and understanding of each other and how they fit into AA's scheme.

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Re: Pre-season friendlies

Post by Darlofan97 » Sat Aug 29, 2020 8:54 pm

jjljks wrote:
Sat Aug 29, 2020 8:04 pm
Thanks Fleetwood for the reality check. We need more games to give us time as a unit playing against some decent sides to hone ourselves. Players need to build up on-the-field trust and understanding of each other and how they fit into AA's scheme.
Reality check?

AndyPark
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Re: Pre-season friendlies

Post by AndyPark » Sat Aug 29, 2020 9:05 pm

jjljks wrote:
Sat Aug 29, 2020 8:04 pm
Thanks Fleetwood for the reality check. We need more games to give us time as a unit playing against some decent sides to hone ourselves. Players need to build up on-the-field trust and understanding of each other and how they fit into AA's scheme.
Reality check? Eh, how..

We've trained twice and this was our 1st Pre-Season game, and against a team expected to go for promotion 3 leagues above us..

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D_F_C
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Re: Pre-season friendlies

Post by D_F_C » Sat Aug 29, 2020 9:10 pm

AndyPark wrote:
jjljks wrote:
Sat Aug 29, 2020 8:04 pm
Thanks Fleetwood for the reality check. We need more games to give us time as a unit playing against some decent sides to hone ourselves. Players need to build up on-the-field trust and understanding of each other and how they fit into AA's scheme.
Reality check? Eh, how..

We've trained twice and this was our 1st Pre-Season game, and against a team expected to go for promotion 3 leagues above us..
And who are much further on in pre-season.

Think ‘reality check’ is not the appropriate term if I understand the meaning correctly


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e4sby
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Re: Pre-season friendlies

Post by e4sby » Sun Aug 30, 2020 8:07 am

That was also likely to have been Fleetwood’s final game of pre season. Their season starts next weekend in Carabao


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poppyfield
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Re: Pre-season friendlies

Post by poppyfield » Tue Sep 01, 2020 12:55 pm

Thought we might have a few lined up by now. Looks like Spenny are doing a seaside tour with Marske Whitby and Bridlington.
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HarrytheQuaker
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Re: Pre-season friendlies

Post by HarrytheQuaker » Tue Sep 01, 2020 7:21 pm

Harvey has bagged himself a goal 2-1 to the cod army

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HarrytheQuaker
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Re: Pre-season friendlies

Post by HarrytheQuaker » Tue Sep 01, 2020 7:29 pm

Make that 2 , 3-1 now

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D_F_C
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Re: Pre-season friendlies

Post by D_F_C » Wed Sep 02, 2020 4:32 pm

poppyfield wrote:Thought we might have a few lined up by now. Looks like Spenny are doing a seaside tour with Marske Whitby and Bridlington.
Yes I thought we might have announced some. Wondering whether they will allow fans, or whether we can stream for £ (which I’d be happy to do), or like Blyth and stream for free


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cbh89f
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Re: Pre-season friendlies

Post by cbh89f » Wed Sep 02, 2020 7:15 pm

I was going to go to Stourbridge v Hereford last night . Online tickets only but they had sold out . 300 maximum crowd allowed . Not sure if Hereford had an allocation but there’s never been segregation before.

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