The relegation battle thread 2024

[Taunton Dart]

So did all of us back in the day. Beckenham Place Park was a ground that never called a game off even if it was one deep in mud

[Hitchin Dart79]

Be a few more games being postponed on that pitch before the end of the season state it’s currently in!

[Tall Dart]

It's all bad news for Taunton, not good at all

Results went out way tonight fortunately. Hopefully the team will be fired up for Saturday, and can lay to rest the Douse era.

[Spike]

"We were optimistic yesterday afternoon, but lost six footballs and a ball boy during today's pitch inspection so had to call it off".

[Tall Dart]

Tough games for all us scrapping it out near to bottom. Any points from our game would be a very welcome surprise. You never know your luck.

Can't make the game but looking forward to hearing how we get on.

UTDs

[Tall Dart]

The battle has seemingly started without us. Looking for Maidstone to beat Taunton tomorrow and Turo to beat Hemel to help our survival Thursday

[Hitchin Dart79]

Should change the name from “battle” to “abject surrender”

[Tall Dart]

We shall never surrender! Ha, I wish. We can only hope this sparks some urgency into our players. We are going down ffs!

Will be there next season either way, but as others have said, there are not many players in the current squad that will be hungry to stay and get us back up, nor will we miss seeing the back of them. Which probably says enough about why we find ourselves in this mess.

I think I have finally accepted our fate after Monday, if by some miracle we stay up, next season we will need the slate wiped clean. Let's hope we go down with some sort of dignity, what's left of it anyway.

UTDs

[Dart of Herts]

A few people have suggested in various threads the hope of a reprieve if we finish in the top relegation spot. I'm not so sure I hold the same hope.

Of course staying up in our own right would be best, but I do think that if we finish in the bottom four - which is looking increasingly likely - we'd be better off rebuilding in the Isthmian.

When we were relegated in 2014, we set up to compete in the Conference South. Some good players left and we recruited players that were good quality but not level 5 standard. I know many people made this observation at the time. We finished the 14-15 season with a lower points tally and one place lower than in 13-14.

Meanwhile, Bromley (who we beat at Hayes Lane that season in the FAC) won the South with 77 points - the lowest ever title winning tally.

If we were to finish 21st then gain a reprieve, I don't think we'd find ourselves in another relegation battle, but nor would we be challenging for promotion, as we will have lost the opportunity to retain some of our top players.

Does this mean I think we should reject a reprieve if it came? Of course not. But I don't think we should be holding out for one.

[Tall Dart]

A few people have suggested in various threads the hope of a reprieve if we finish in the top relegation spot. I'm not so sure I hold the same hope.

Of course staying up in our own right would be best, but I do think that if we finish in the bottom four - which is looking increasingly likely - we'd be better off rebuilding in the Isthmian.

When we were relegated in 2014, we set up to compete in the Conference South. Some good players left and we recruited players that were good quality but not level 5 standard. I know many people made this observation at the time. We finished the 14-15 season with a lower points tally and one place lower than in 13-14.

Meanwhile, Bromley (who we beat at Hayes Lane that season in the FAC) won the South with 77 points - the lowest ever title winning tally.

If we were to finish 21st then gain a reprieve, I don't think we'd find ourselves in another relegation battle, but nor would we be challenging for promotion, as we will have lost the opportunity to retain some of our top players.

Does this mean I think we should reject a reprieve if it came? Of course not. But I don't think we should be holding out for one.

Interesting point DOH, a few people have said to me it's what we need. At least we will be able to compete on the B word?? Or do we have sugar daddies below us as well?

[Taunton Dart]

There are sugar daddies at all levels - just like at Farnham in the Combined Counties

[Tall Dart]

I'm not holding out for this before anyone says I'm clutching at straws. But after studying the games around us left to play, our fate may well go to the wire. From a stats perspective It's most likely between us Eastbourne and Taunton to take those last two spots. Despite Taunton having 5 games to play they still need to get the points from the 3 in hand on us otherwise it counts for nothing. Eastbourne are in good form only one game in hand but my head says are favourites to stay up out of us three.

Still I'm sure there will be a few more twists and turns to draw out to a conclusion either way. But Ade must do his best to install an it's not over message to the team. If we can somehow get maximum points, or at worse don't take a spanking Saturday we may still be waiting on others on the final day Taunton Vs Hemel Hempstead for instance. In a way I wish we could be put out of our misery but whist there's still hope for lady luck to shine on us for once this season they have to believe they are still in the fight.

COYDs carry on carrying on

[SKennedyDFC]

As it stands: remaining fixtures for the teams that could go down. Two more from a possible six (mathematically) to join Dover Athletic and Havant & Waterloovile from...

17th: Hemel Hempstead Town (Played 44 - Points 49, GD: -15
H: Slough Town (13/04/24)
A: Taunton Town (20/04/24)

18th: Truro City (Played 42 - Points 48, GD: -11)
A: Maidstone United (13/04/24)
H: Dover Athletic (16/04/24)
H: Weymouth (18/04/24)
A: Dartford (20/04/24)

19th: Torquay United (Played 43 - Points 47 (-11 already deducted), GD: -8)
A: Bath City (13/04/24)
A: Taunton Town (16/04/24)
H: Havant & Waterlooville (20/04/24)

20th: Eastbourne Borough (Played 43 - Points 45, GD: -25)
H: Chippenham Town (13/04/24)
A: Weston-super-Mare (16/04/24)
A: Braintree Town (20/04/24)

21st: Dartford (Played 44 - Points 43, GD: -18)
A: Yeovil Town (13/04/24)
H: Truro City(20/04/24)

22nd: Taunton Town (Played 42 - Points 42, GD: -26)
A: Farnborough (13/04/24)
H: Torquay United (16/04/24)
H: Weston-super-Mare (18/04/24)
H: Hemel Hempstead Town (20/04/24)

[Mark Sweet]

Torquay deducted 1 point

[PeteSamson]

I wonder who the player was and in which match he played and the result of that match.

I'm sure there was a time that the club would have been ordered to replay that match if they had won.

[Lars Resort]

A lot of lower league clubs caught in the same position often have three points deducted.

[Taunton Dart]

I was told at Taunton that a suspended player played in a drawn match against Aveley - but according to the media it was in another draw at Weymouth