2013 round-up (part one)

January

v Aldershot (01.01.13)

Players in

·         Adam Thompson (Watford)

The 20-year-old arrived on a month’s loan, having made only two appearances for Watford and previously had a spell on loan at Wycombe. The young defender made one appearance for the Bees before returning to Vicarage Road, having dislocated his shoulder in training.

·         Ibra Sekajja (Crystal Palace)

Another signing on a month’s loan in January, Sekajja previously played under Mr Davids at Selhurst Park. The 20-year-old scored the goal that secured the Eagles Championship survival back in 2011, but he didn’t manage to net in any of his four appearances in black and amber.

·         Harry Crawford (Dartford)

Arriving on a three-year deal, Crawford came from Dartford, the club he joined at the beginning of the season. Averaging at a goal every other game while with the Darts, he was apparently on our radar for a while and scored his first for the Bees within a month.

Players out

·         Liam O’Brien (Hastings)

The 21-year-old keeper left on loan for a month, in favour of first team football. Making his debut that weekend in their televised FA Cup game against Middlesbrough, he saved a penalty before conceding four...

·         George Barker (Brighton & Hove Albion)

The striker returned to his parent club having made just one solitary appearance for the Bees – the 1-1 draw against AFC Wimbledon

·         Jon Fortune

He may have been made captain at the beginning of the season by Mark Robson, but Fortune soon fell out of favour with the management. He only made a handful of appearances and joined Chatham Town the following month.

·         Melvin Holwijn

The Dutch winger made only one appearance and left the Bees as his contract expired. Rejoining the club he left: Blau Wit, does anyone remember him?

·         Collins John

Epitomising ‘flop’ – the former Fulham and Holland striker left after a string of poor performances and injuries. A nightmare from start to finish. Upon leaving, the sack of spuds claimed a two-year deal with a Polish side, when he was in fact, only training to regain fitness – say no more!

News

·         Andy Iro extended his loan spell by an extra month. The Stevenage defender made a handful of appearances as well as bagging a 97^th minute equaliser against Exeter City.

·         The typically bad weather of January saw the home game against Fleetwood Town postponed. Despite efforts to ensure the game could go ahead, the frozen pitch meant game off!

Results

01.01.13 – Barnet 0-1 Aldershot Town (League Two)

05.01.13 – Barnet 2-0 Bradford City (League Two)

12.01.13 – Rotherham United 0-2 Barnet (League Two)

26.01.13 – Burton Albion 1-0 Barnet (League Two)

Played 4 – won 2 – lost 2 – goals for 4 – goals against 2 – points 6

February

Players in

·         Craig Beattie

The 29-year-old left St. Johnstone in January and joined the Bees following International clearance. Arriving on a free, the former ‘million pound’ man joined in order to “bolster attacking options”.

·         Dani Lopez (Stevenage)

The Spanish striker joined on loan from our local rivals, Stevenage. No stranger to League Two, as he previously had a spell with Aldershot. Unable to make the first team at Broadhall Way, Lopez arrived on an inital month’s loan and soon became a hit with fans.

·         Bondz N’Gala (Stevenage)

Part of a trio of signings, N’Gala joined his Stevenage teammate on a month’s loan in February. The defender hadn’t played for Boro for over a month and was hoping to get the minutes in as he returned to match fitness.

·         Chiro N’Toko

Another signing from Holland, N’Toko hadn’t played for a while due to a knee injury – his last club was Den Haag. The deal saw the defender on the club’s books until the end of the season and he made his debut a day after signing.

Players out

v Southend (26.02.13)

·         Harry Crawford (Dartford)

Returning to his former club – where he also made his name – on a month’s loan. After the signings of Beattie and Lopez, he found himself down the pecking order.

·         Taiwo Atieno

The 27-year-old only made four appearances and has been without a club since his departure from Underhill. Coincidence?

·         Andy Iro (Stevenage)

The centre half returned to the League One club after his spell with the Bees was up – and we signed a couple of his teammates. Making 10 appearances in two months, he certainly did the job.

·         Jamal Lowe (Boreham Wood)

Looking for first team football in order to continue his progression, and after a spell with Hayes & Yeading earlier in the season, Lowe joined the local non-league side for a month.

Injuries

·         Ricky Holmes – a foot injury saw him sidelined for the rest of the campaign, meaning he never got to make it to the milestone of 100 league appearances for Barnet.

·         Liam O’Brien – the goalkeeper returned prematurely from Hastings, after suffering a groin injury which saw him out of the season.

News

·         The Football League granted the club permission to relocate to The Hive ahead of the 2013/14 season.

Results

01.02.13 – Bristol Rovers 2-1 Barnet (League Two)

09.02.13 – Barnet 0-0 Port Vale (League Two)

16.02.13 – York City 1-2 Barnet (League Two)

23.02.13 – Barnet 0-0 Rochdale (League Two)

26.02.13 – Barnet 2-0 Southend United (League Two)

Played 5 – won 2 – lost 1 – drawn 2 – goals for 5 – goals against 3 – points 8

March

Snowing before the Cheltenham game

Players in

·         Jamal Lowe

The youngster returned to Underhill after his month’s spell with Boreham Wood was up – he only made one appearance

·         Ross Jenkins (Watford)

Previously playing in League Two for Plymouth, where his spell was cut short by injury, the 22-year-old made the switch from Hornets to Bees for a month.

·         Tom Flanagan (MK Dons)

The defender joined for the rest of the season. Earlier in the season Flanagan played for eventual champions Gillingham, those performances also saw him rewarded with a call-up to the Northern Ireland Under 18s.

·         Kyle de Silva (Crystal Palace)

Product of the Eagles youth academy, the teenager was brought in on loan until end of the campaign. He made his debut that weekend from the bench but in the following game against Dagenham & Redbridge lasted 10 minutes before seeing red for a kick.

Players out

Last game under the floodlights at Underhill

·         Dani Lopez & Bondz N’Gala (Stevenage)

The duo returned to their parent club following Boro’s long list of injuries and suspensions. Lopez netted a hattrick against Morecambe, while N’Gala made six appearances in the Bees’ back line.

·         Tanashe Abrahams (Mamelodi Sundowns)

The academy was shipped out on loan to the South African Premier League side.

·         Olly Lee (Birmingham)

Lee Clark described him as “Barnet’s stand-out player” when the Bees faced Birmingham in the League Cup earlier in the campaign, and the midfielder joined the Blues after two months on trial. A regular under Robson, the 21-year-old former West Ham youth player soon became out of favour.

News

·         The club and Edgar Davids made national (Mail / Telegraph) news when, after the defeat to Accrington Stanley, the supporters’ coach broke down on the M6. The players’ coach dropped staff and the lads at the nearest service station before going back to pick up the stranded fans.

Results

02.03.13 – Plymouth Argyle 2-1 Barnet (League Two)

09.03.13 – Barnet 4-1 Morecambe (League Two)

12.03.13 – Oxford United 1-0 Barnet (League Two)

16.03.13 – Accrington Stanley 3-2 Barnet (League Two)

19.03.13 – Barnet 2-0 Fleetwood Town (League Two)

23.03.13 – Barnet 0-0 Cheltenham Town (League Two)

29.03.13 – Barnet 0-0 Dagenham & Redbridge (League Two)

Played 7 – won 2 – lost 3 – drawn 2 – goals for 9 – goals against 7 – points 8

My trip to Parc des Princes

I’ve really struggled with this post as I don’t really have much to say. But when I went to Paris last month for a few days, I took a trip to Parc des Princes, home to Paris Saint-Germain and watched them play Nice in Ligue1.

It had been a while since I’d been to a game with a crowd bigger than 3,000 and it was the first I’d been to in France (although I’ve been to a couple in Spain).

The Metro was certainly an experience – and not a good one. I imagine it was a lot worse than travelling across London on the tube – swarms of people who were generally rude, but nothing in comparison to what followed. The number of police around the stadium and neighbouring streets was astounding – roads blocked off by row of police armed with shields and other weapons. I’m only used to a handful of inept stewards, so it was certainly an experience. This was a lot worse when we left the ground after the game, too.

For the second time ever, I was searched before entering the stadium. After queuing for ages (I was the only female for miles around!) I was ushered straight through. In fact, there were probably no more than five women in the area we sat, I really thought there’d be more.

The one thing that fascinated me the most was the chanting from the PSG fans and how many of those chants I was familiar with – ones that had been translated, or tunes that had been adapted. I must admit I did feel a bit special when someone started the ‘give me a...’ chant and I could join in because I know the French alphabet. For those asking: pé – a – erre – i – esse. When the teams came out, thje fans responded to the man on the tannoy by shouting out the players’ surnames, something that is also done at home; funny how the simple things amused me most.

The crowd were much more intimidating than I was expecting, booing every time a Nice player had the ball, or when their players’ names were called out and on the big screens dotted around. The away section at Parc des Princes is pretty amazing though – the fans are sheltered by Perspex to stop any potential missiles. The only thing I saw thrown was paper, as each seat had a card to hold up before the game – not that anyone did and the majority were turned into paper aeroplanes or confetti. It was also funny seeing how angry the people around us got, while I stood in silence, laughing at them. Although I didn’t understand word-for-word, their abusive tirades, it doesn’t take a genius to work out the chanting of ‘jaune’ and ‘rouge’ when a few rash challenges flew in.

PSG won 3-1, with a hat-trick from Ibrahimovich. Now I’m firmly in the ‘dislike’ camp when it comes to the Swedish striker and despite his goals, he wasn’t that much of a threat. I don’t follow French football at all, so had no idea about the Nice side, but they were dreadful – it was like Barnet trying to play Barcelona! The football played wasn’t all that great, either. There were far too many players bunched up in the middle of the pitch and nobody seemed keen to get wide, and when plan a didn’t work, plan b was to hoof it. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but I wasn’t wowed at all – and it was freezing! Definitely not blazer and pumps weather!

Give me Non-League any day!

Saturday 9^th November 2013

PSG                3 – 1              Nice

Ibrahimovic                           Pejcinovic

39’, 57’ (pen), 75’                 70’

Two minutes with... Concord Rangers

Last weekend saw the fourth qualifying round of the FA Cup, with the winners going into the hat for the first round proper. Concord Rangers, of the Conference South were the visitors to The Hive and Beachboys fan, Alan (@Bulljet) gives his thoughts in this instalment.

Saturday 26^th September 2013

Barnet (8^th in Conference) v Concord Rangers (14^th in Conference South)

Previous weekend:

Hereford 0-1 Barnet

Weston-Super-Mare 5-0 Concord Rangers

Pre-match

How did you get to the game?

I was on the team coach, leaving Concord Island just after 11am.

What did you make of The Hive?

The facilities looked fantastic, however the away bar seemed very new with nothing really in there, almost as if it wasn’t finished. The stands were quality, bit disappointed we weren’t allowed to stand behind the goal though. The Hive was impressive for a non-league ground (although I know until last summer you were not a non-league side!) and the pitch looked like a carpet out there!

Match

What did you make of the game?

I was disappointed with the result, but it was a good game and made for a quality day out.

Who (from either side) impressed you?

Your lad Lopez, thought he played exceptionally well. The whole Barnet side moved the ball around very well – crisp and sharp play. Was impressed with the determination of our lads too, was a big occasion for them and they did themselves proud.

Who (from either side) could have done better?

The referee! Think he missed some key decisions, like our centre back being elbowed in the face quite clearly!

Post-match

Was the score line a fair reflection on the game?

The better side won that’s for sure. At half time I think the score didn’t really give us the credit we deserved, certainly hadn’t been the sort of half to see us 2-0 down in my eyes. But as I mentioned, Barnet were the better side, quite clearly a full time, professional side and were in the end worthy of the winning margin.

Who do you play next and how do you think you’ll do?

Next up for us is Ebbsfleet, big spenders over the summer and have proven to be a decent side in the Skrill South this season. However we’ve already shown ourselves to be able to hang with the big guys this season (see our 1-0 over Dover) and a decent result is not out of the question.

Ratings

Price of match day ticket

10/10 – I think it was a great price for 4th Qualifying Round FA Cup tickets (£10.50), I know league prices in the Skrill Premier are a lot more, so credit to the clubs for organising the rate.

Purchases made at the ground

6/10 – I think the drinks were overpriced in the away bar, especially given the shed-like feel of it. The food in the home bar was equally expensive however it was worth it, a decent cheeseburger!

View

7/10 – the seated views were very good, no doubt about that. But I wanted to be able to stand behind the goal, it’s one of the things I’ve come to love about non-league football.

Quality of football

9/10 – both teams showed desire, attempted to play the ball along the ground and attack, couldn’t fault it.

Overall experience

7/10 – average overall in my eyes. I think the attitude of the stewards in general was poor when asked about standing behind the goal, and standing in general. I know Barnet were a league club last season, but need to realise that they are not right now, and things are different for small clubs like ours that play in front of a couple of hundred people each week. But the football was very good, the experience of being in the 4th Qualifying Round made up for the bar prices and stewards!

Total = 39/50

 Post Match

Round One

Preston North End v Barnet

Following game

Barnet v Kidderminster Harriers

Ebbsfleet v Concord Rangers

Thanks Alan!

If you’ve been to The Hive this season, give me a shout and you can be your club’s voice. Additionally, if you know you’re heading down for your game, let me know - @Luuuce_x

Two minutes with... Lincoln City

First in this season’s Two minutes with... is Lincoln City’s visit to The Hive. I think this campaign may be prove difficult, as one man and his dog aren’t always available on Twitter. In this instalment, Imps fan Karl (@Lincoln_Karl) gives his thoughts.

Saturday 14^th September 2013

Barnet (3^rd) v Lincoln City (8^th)

Previous weekend:

FC Halifax Town 2-1Barnet

Lincoln City 0-1Salisbury City

Pre-match

How did you get to the game?

I came by minibus with 13 others. It took about 45 minutes longer due to the beer flowing – meaning a number of comfort breaks at service stations!

What did you make of The Hive?

I thought the biggest main stand looks quite decent and stood out, but the rest looked average in comparison considering it's a new ground. I thought the away terrace steps were a bit dangerous as I nearly slipped when we went crazy when we equalised, so future away fans watch out!

If you went to Underhill, how did The Hive compare?

I think The Hive is more attractive than Underhill, although the location isn't ideal as there are no pubs or restaurants right near the ground. I used to find The Old Red Lion ideal, a minute away from the away end at Underhill.

Match

What did you make of the game?

At the start of play I would have been happy with a point, so I was happy we got one. Given how much possession and pressure we put on in the first half I was disappointed when we went a goal down, although to be fair Barnet had the best of the second half.

Who (from either side) impressed you?

Alan Power was outstanding for us, was good to have him back after his three match suspension, and Marsh-Brown for the Bees was decent – scoring a good solo goal.

Who (from either side) could have done better?

Acheampong for Barnet could have done better in defence, looked a bit shaky, especially first half.

Post-match

Was the score line a fair reflection on the game?

We had the better of the first half, and Barnet had the better of the second. A draw was probably a fair result.

Who do you play next and how do you think you’ll do?

We have Hyde at home this Saturday and I am sure they will make it difficult for us. We have won four games out of five at home so we should add another win at fortress Sincil Bank! I predict a 2-0 win for us.

Ratings

Price of match day ticket

£16 to watch a game down south in a new ground was a good price – 8/10

Purchases made at the ground

I had a few beers in the away bar before kick-off which tasted a bit weak. The bar staff seemed miserable and didn't seem to know how much to charge, despite a price list displayed on the wall – 6/10

View

Decent view from where the 576 Lincoln fans were in full voice all game and stayed behind singing and bouncing 20 minutes after full time – 9/10

Quality of football

It wasn't the greatest game ever but I have seen worse – 7/10

Overall experience

Because of our equaliser at the death which we deserved – 8/10

Total = 38/50

 Post Match

Table

Barnet 4^th / Lincoln 9^th

Following game

Aldershot Town 3-3  Barnet

Lincoln City 1-0 Southport

 
Thanks Karl!

If you’ve been to The Hive this season, give me a shout and you can be your club’s voice. Additionally, if you know you’re heading down for your game, let me know. If you’re not a Conference fan, but are ground-hopping, you can also give your opinion – I can be found on Twitter @Luuuce_x

2013/14 Season Preview - Part Four

2012/13: 2^nd in Conference South – “play-off success”                        

Salisbury City

After several summers of turmoil at the club, it’s nice to see the majority of last season’s play-off winning side sign on for the new campaign! The ones that have gone are expected, and only Dan Fitchett is yet to sign (has just had a trial with Southend). However, it hasn’t all been plain sailing, with our gaffer, Darrell Clarke going off to take the number two position at Bristol Rovers after 6 years with the club. Whilst there were plenty of well known applicants for the job, number two, Mikey Harris got the job, despite being only 28 and never playing above the Southern Premier…he knows what he’s doing though, and with Warren Feeney coming in to partner him, I’m sure those two are more than capable!

Squad wise, hopefully Jamie White can get fit after he has his hernia op, as he will be a big man for us up top with his goals, but apart from that we look pretty solid particularly in midfield with the likes of Chris McPhee and Ricky Wellard. And hopefully with a few additions at the back (Exodus Geohaghon and Steve Tully are both currently on trial), we should have a decent little squad, and I do mean little!

As for our ground, it won’t be one of the best in the league, but it’s our home! We’ve got a covered terracing at one end, which’ll be the ‘home end’ if any games are segregated, with two small stands of seats either side of the scoreboard on the half way line, opposite the main stand. Holds a capacity of 3,500-5,000 depending on who you speak to, and we’ve now got a very bright scoreboard opposite the ‘home stand’ (inherited from Pompey apparently). The floodlights are also up to scratch, as before the Conference kicked us out three years ago they made us buy some new ones (!) Oh, and just a tip – for car parking you might be better off over the road in the industrial estate, particularly if it’s wet (it’ll save you £2 too!)

Fixtures

Looking forward to the whole season really, it’s good to be back! Obviously you’ve got the Lutons and Barnets of the league, which will always be a big game for someone like us, but the biggest game has to be the visit of Forest Green on 9^th November…probably the biggest rivalry we’ve got in the league.

Predictions

To get promoted: Kidderminster (Champions) and Forest Green Rovers (Play-offs)

To get relegated: Hyde, Alfreton, Dartford and Nuneaton

Salisbury’s finish: 17^th (although anything outside the bottom four will do!)

Liam
@LiamSCFC

2012/13: 20^th in Conference – “We stayed up!”

Southport

We’ve definitely lost a lot of key players. As manager Liam Watson left for Telford, he took almost all of the squad with him. However, the biggest loss was winger Shaun Whalley who left for Luton. I expect Shaun to have a great season there! However, we’ve brought in Stockport’s Danny Hattersley after he was on a loan spell here. The signing of Danny was a big relief, as we only had one striker in the squad! We also brought in ex Fleetwood Town central midfielder, Jamie Milligan. I believe Jamie will prove to be a crucial signing, who will be the centre of any success.

We appointed Alan Wright after Liam Watson left and he’s made five promising signings so far, including Barrow AFC winger Paul Rutherford. I wouldn’t be surprised to see more players come through the door throughout the season due to Alan’s wide contact range, which is never a bad thing to have. Alan has made it clear that his aim is to be around the play-offs.

The Merseyrail Community Stadium is a typical non-league ground. You have the Jack Carr Stand behind the goal, which is known as the chanting stand. To the right of the Jack Carr Stand, there is the Popular Side, which runs along the full side of the pitch – it is a terrace with no roof. Opposite is the Main Stand: fairly big, with half normally being unsegregated. Behind the other goal is the Blowick End – another terrace with no roof, which is where away fans are allocated.

Fixtures

Luton at home is our first game of the season and I can’t wait to see the ‘new’ team! I am also looking forward to Chester away, which couldn’t be played at a better time than New Years Day! Another game I am excited for is Dartford away and finally Barnet (both home and away), to see how they perform after being relegated.

Predictions

To be promoted: Luton (Champions) and Wrexham (Play-offs)

To be relegated: Salisbury, Hyde, Nuneaton and Aldershot

Southport’s finish: 17^th

Ben
@benniehighton8
http://hightonontour.blogspot.co.uk/

2012/13: 19^th in Conference – “Room for improvement”

Tamworth

We’ve lost Adam Cunnington, who scored all the goals and pretty much carried the team last season. Tom Marshall is another who will be missed, as he was a big presence at the back for us. Never rated by the fans, other than myself is Sam Oji – another centre half – who oozes quality and by far the best defender in the team. We’ve gained Richie Baker who’s a good goal scorer from midfield and has played a lot of games in the Football League, and goalkeeper Cameron Belford is a massive coup for the club. He’s also the son of the manager.

Manager Dale Belford is definitely right for the job. He’s a legend at the club and will have the players put in a shift every game. He’s a hit with both fans and the players.

The Lamb Ground may need a bit of attention, but the atmosphere it can generate is amongst the best in the league!

Fixtures

I look forward to every fixture if I’m honest, but notably: Nuneaton (home/away), Luton (home), Kiddy (away), Barnet (home/away), Salisbury (away), Dartford (away) and Wrexham (home).

Predictions

To get promoted: Barnet (Champions) and Chester (Play-offs)

To get relegated: Hyde, Nuneaton, Welling and Aldershot

Tamworth’s finish: 13^th

Ed
@QuarrelsomeGoat

2012/13: 1^st in Conference South – “Like watching Brazil!”

Welling United

Anthony Acheampong has moved to Barnet for reasons best known to himself – commanding defender and good for a few goals. With Ben Martin also leaving The Wings, that's a couple of regular central defenders down.

Jamie Day is a fabulously passionate young player manager who encourages and inspires great team spirit. Without a doubt, he’s the right man for the job.

Park View Road is shabby and old fashioned. We walk round the ground at half time so we can always stand behind the goal Welling are attacking.

Fixtures

As a former Barnet season ticket holder I have to say I’m looking forward Barnet at home.  Also the two matches against local rivals Dartford.

Predictions

To get promoted: Wrexham (Champions) and Grimsby (Play-offs)

To get relegated: Alfreton, Salisbury, Hyde and Southport

Welling’s finish: 16^th

Peter
@peterwanless

 

2012/13: 12^th in Conference – “New, exciting, successful”

Woking

We have only signed one player so far in the approach towards the start of next season and that is midfielder Josh Payne who recently played at Aldershot Town. Woking’s squad will mainly be made up of loan players and this was seen as the key to success last season. However, the most successful players that featured last season, including Billy Knott, Bradley Bubb and Jayden Stockley, are not likely to return this season so new key players will have to be found. The side will be boosted by the return of Woking’s spine from last season including captain Mark Ricketts and the impressive Kevin Betsy.

After taking over halfway through the 2010/11 season Garry Hill took Woking to the Conference South play-offs and then the following season won the league to see the club return to the Conference Premier. After an impressive first season in the Conference, I and many other supporters believe that he is very much the man to keep Woking away from the relegation zone this season.

Kingfield is situated just over a mile from the town centre and railway station and its main feature is the Leslie Gosdon stand behind the goal, of which away supporters usually get a quarter of. Visiting fans also get a full open aired terrace along the side of the pitch which is a great view. The only negative to this is, with no roof, visiting supports can expect to get wet if the weather isn’t great!

Fixtures

The game all Woking fans were looking out for when the fixtures were released were the games against Aldershot Town as the clubs are local rivals and due to their success and our relegation, the sides haven’t played since 2007. As with all smaller clubs in the league the big away days are still games that we look forward to including Luton, Macclesfield, Wrexham, Grimsby and of course Barnet. I personally am looking forward to visiting the likes of Halifax and Chester as I am yet to visit either of these clubs and have heard good things about their respective grounds.

Predictions

To get promoted: Luton Town (Champions) and Wrexham (Play-offs)

To get relegated: Aldershot Town, Southport, Braintree Town and Nuneaton Town

Woking’s finish: 15^th

Jacob
@JGreenwood91
everythingwokingfc.com

2012/13: 5^th in Conference

Wrexham

2013/14 Season Preview - Part Three

2012/13: 18^th in Conference

Hyde

2012/13: 2^nd in Conference – “Just missed out!”

Kidderminster Harriers 

This season we are looking to go one better and the majority of last season’s squad has remained unchanged with a few exceptions like Pilkington going to Hereford and Vincent going up to Scotland to join Inverness but to replace those we have brought the likes of Lee Fowler and Dior Angus in to name a few to Help strengthen the overall squad.

Steve Burr is one of the best managers that we could find for the Harriers. His knowledge of unknown players is exceptional and he works very hard to get the best out of them, which can be shown with Chey Dunkley who was fairly unknown and is know one of the league’s top defenders. Burr knows if the players work hard then we can achieve big things this season.

Aggborough is a nice ground for this league and holds just over 6000 fans. It has great food here so make sure when you come to Aggborough this season you check out the £4 pies – they are well worth the money!

Fixtures

There are quite a few games to look forward to the season. Top of my list has to be Wrexham as that is always a cracking day out, as well as the other big teams (like Luton, Grimsby and Forest Green). I am also looking forward to the games against the new members especially Chester and Barnet – and look forward to a trip to The Hive later on in the season.

Predictions

To get promoted: Kidderminster (Champions) and Wrexham (Play-offs)

To get relegated: Salisbury, Halifax, Woking and Welling

Kidderminster’s finish: 1^st

Liam
@LiamKHFC

2012/13: 16^th in Conference – “stressful, worrying, frustrating”

Lincoln City

We lost our two best strikers in the summer: Jamie Taylor who scored 16 goals last season left us for Sutton United for family reasons, and Vadaine Oliver who scored 13 goals last season was snapped up by League One Crewe. I feel that our gaffer has done a great job of replacing them by signing four strikers. The two who I am most impressed are Waide Fairhurst (who scored 13 for Macclesfield last season) and Nick Wright who was part of Mansfield’s promotion winning side and has had previous impressive goal scoring records at Conference level with Tamworth and Kidderminster. I am pleased Alan Power, Jake Sheridan and Tom Miller signed new contracts in the summer as they were key for us last season.

I believe Gary Simpson is right for the job as he has a passion and love for the Imps having been our assistant manager to Keith Alexander, and has unfinished business having seen us come close to promotion in League Two. Since being appointed manager back in February he saved us from relegation from the Conference on the final day of the season and masterminded an impressive set of results together. He clearly has a good eye for players in the transfer market, although it may be beyond him to get us promoted in his first season in charge.

We play at Sincil Bank, an all-seater stadium with a capacity of 10,120. This coming season there is a change to where the away fans are being housed – moving from the corner of our biggest stand (the co-op) to our smallest one on the opposite corner which was previously our family stand. The Stacey West stand behind the goal is being closed for this season to cut costs but will be open if necessary for larger away followings to sit in. The whole of the co-op stand is being given to home fans this season – the way it should be in my opinion as it is our biggest stand. The cathedral can be seen from the upper sections of the stadium. We have a bar at the ground which welcomes away fans and shows any live football; there is also a Wetherspoons which is always popular on match days, as well as a selection of bars in the town centre.

Fixtures

I am most looking forward to playing our fierce local rivals Grimsby as since dropping to the Conference, we are yet to beat them. Also looking forward to Alfreton away again this season as it is a short trip, which we have very little of in this league.

Predictions

To get promoted: Luton (Champions) and Forest Green Rovers (Play-offs)

To get relegated: Braintree, Alfreton, Hyde and Salisbury

Lincoln’s finish: 7^th

Karl
@Lincoln_Karl

2012/13: 7^th in Conference – “Paul bucked up!”

Luton Town

Most people will say Stuart Fleetwood is the biggest loss; however, I don't agree. There’s no doubt he can score goals, but his attitude was terrible. The signing of Luke Guttridge being the pick of the bunch, I also expect Mark Cullen to do a job up front!

John Still is now in charge and I'm hoping he's finally the right man to lead us back to the Football League! As expected he’s cleared out a few of the players, but to date has made eight signings.

If you've never been to Kenilworth Road then this is the season to come and visit us. As away fans you almost go through people's gardens to get to the stand but don't let that put you off! The atmosphere inside the ground is fantastic and expect 5-6000 home fans every home game!

Fixtures

I'm personally looking forward to seeing Barnet’s new ground and Cambridge away is always good!

Predictions

To get promoted: Forest Green Rovers (Champions) and Cambridge (Play-offs)

To get relegated: Hyde, Dartford, Welling and Braintree

Luton’s finish: top five

Richard
@HabbyHatter

2012/13: 11^th in Conference – “Interesting, but frustrating”

Macclesfield Town

Sam Wedgbury and Keiran Murtagh are the key midfield losses, but once again they were expected to go. Our Player of the Season Wedgbury gave everything, all the time. And always came across as someone who knew what the supporters expected of him and the team. Such was his effort, it was no surprise when a League club came calling for him. With Murtagh, he was always solid in the centre and Macclesfield were a lot different and underachieving whenever he wasn't playing in the squad. Unfortunately such was his tendency to get booked, Murtagh spent times on the sideline through suspension, and this certainly didn't help us. Matthew Barnes-Homer, our main goalscorer has not yet officially left, but most supporters expect him to. He's currently on trial at Notts County. Given the amount of goals he got for Macclesfield, it will be a key loss. But John Askey has signed Chris Holroyd, a Macclesfield born lad who scored nine goals for us during a short loan period last season. This included a hat-trick against Stockport County at Edgeley Park, which is certainly a good way of endearing yourself to the Macclesfield supporters! I'm also delighted that keeper Rhys Taylor has signed a new contract, and that Jack Mackreth has committed – a young, pacy winger who has great potential to make it in the higher leagues.

John Askey knows Macclesfield Town in and out, and what the supporters want to see at the Moss Rose and away. And that he would most likely commit to the same style of play that his predecessor used. Having been in charge of Macclesfield's youth output, I'm sure a few young prospects will make their way into the squad as the season goes on. Not only that, his new assistant is Efe Sodje, another Macclesfield legend who will bring in his in depth knowledge and status to ensure the squad has passion before the game begins. For a coaching team that have nearly 800 appearances in a Macclesfield shirt between them, they already have the respect from the supporters; they need it from the players though. I just get the feeling they didn't have it last season.

Moss Rose is a very quaint, standard League Two/Conference ground, that combines the modern stands with the old quite well. I suppose it's nicely old fashioned in the sense that it still has a terrace without a roof – away fans be warned if you're playing us in the winter!

Fixtures

Wrexham and Chester are the stand-out games – it's good that after one local rival departs (Stockport County) another can take their place. A bit more local for myself though, based in Staffordshire, is the trip to Tamworth and I went there for the first time last season on a Tuesday night. A dour goalless draw, but I enjoyed good conversation with some of their supporters beforehand, inside a typical lower capacity Conference ground. It was what I would call a proper Conference away game. I look forward to Kidderminster Harriers again this season as well, for the same reason about supporter interaction.

Predictions

To get promoted: Kidderminster (Champions) and Luton (Play-offs)

To get relegated: Southport, Salisbury, Tamworth and Gateshead

Macclesfield’s finish: 11^th again

Ian
@Ianthenoodle

2012/13: 15^th in Conference – “Incredible last third” 

Nuneaton Town

We have signed Louis Moult permanently who we had on loan at back end of last season and formed a great partnership with Andy Brown. Browny himself scored 20 goals last year in a ‘bottom four’ side which is remarkable. We've also just signed Greg Pearson who is a proven conference goal scorer so attacking wise we look good – we just haven't got a goalkeeper yet!

Our boss Kevin Wilkins is absolutely the right man. He stuck with us through demotion and delivered three promotions in four years, as well as Conference survival last season. He was also a brilliant goal scorer for us in the late 90s.

Our ground is adequate and is quite similar to others in the league. With metal terraces either end – one of which holds 1100 for away fans. The Main Stand holds around 400 fans but is located towards the away end.

Fixtures

Look forward to playing any of the big ex Football League teams. Luton away in front of 6200 last year showed how far we had come in four years when we had Dunstable and Marlow as league games! Aldershot will be good as we've never played there and Macclesfield first game when it's warm (rather than a freezing cold December fixture)!

Predictions

To get promoted: Luton (Champions) and Wrexham (Play-offs)

To get relegated: Hyde, Alfreton, Aldershot and Gateshead

Nuneaton’s finish: 17^th

Mark
@markjakeman