Nomads + Relegation

[ChrisB]

What's the feeling among the local fans about the chances of Nomads slipping into Division One?
They've been in the bottom three for a while now, but grabbed a vital victory in midweek against Brackley Sts who look the most likely other contenders for the third spot. I assume it's only three down, with Carterton having withdrawn at the start of the season.
It looks to me that a reprieve would be on the cards for some of the occupiers of the relegation spots, as the ground-gradings of some of the Div 1 hopefuls would, I suspect, not allow promotion. P&T's Green's grading, I think, precluded promotion last season; Headington Ams are 'homeless'; Cirencester Dev' couldn't go up if their 1st team is relegated which looks quite likely...just leaving Fairford Town (a nice ground) among the promotion spots.
But then the HL went outside the top two in the two Div Ones last season, didn't they?
Thoughts/comments please.

[ChrisB]

Thought they might be about to register three points last night...but B&T came back too strongly.
Only six games left to pull something out of the bag, and a big six-pointer tonight between Brackley & Henley could make things even harder.

Are supporters surprised that Nomads find themselves in this position??

[Hellenic League watcher]

I assume that three will go down ?? due to Carterton FC withdrawn team earlier in the season, and are there two teams from each of Div West and East wanting to come up and have the ground grading/standard ?

[ChrisB]

As I said in top post, at the moment I think three of the four sides in promotion positions may not be able to take promotion, but the HL have gone further down the two First Divisions before to look for promotees...Henley were third in Div.1E last year and accepted promotion.

[ChrisB]

Looking even more ominous now after Brackley's 4-1 win v Henley on Wednesday evening.
Nomads now 5 points behind Brackley having played one game more.

[hedges]

I know what its like to talk to yourself on a forum, not very nice so obliged to reply.

As you will probably know I don't follow the Nomads so can't give an informed opinion on them, what I will say however that compared to where the club were only 6 months ago, The 1st team hovering precariously above the relegation zone, Nomaads form all over the place (which seems to have continued), Dev unsure if they will be in existence, the youth team doing their thing but no sign they would go on the FA cup run they did, the Lions starting from Scratch with their future also in the balance......hell whether we would still have a club to support at all.

What im saying is if the Nomads turn out to be the only 'on field' casualty of this season, I think everyone involved including the Nomads management can hold their heads high and be happy how they have weathered the storm and got the club as a whole back on something resembling an even keel under extraordinarily trying circumstances.

Craig and his team perhaps more than anybody has had to juggle his pack virtually every game, with Justin and now Mark cherry picking his best players to fill in the gaps in the first team, due to the necessity of the situation its been extremely tough.

It will be unfortunate if the Nomads go down of course, but hopefully with pending off-field deals being finalised and the situation as a whole further stabilising, the Nomads (along with all other teams under the City banner) can go into next season witha new vigour, rebuild and go again.

[ChrisB]

Thanks Hedges.
Agree with all you say. Even last season Nomads went several months without a win , and it was only a very good last few weeks of the season that kept them up then. I'm not sure the side has changed all that much since then, though, as you say, the stronger players have moved to City 1st XI much more quickly than might have been the case a couple of years ago. And, as far as I can see, proved their worth very successfully.
Though Nomads Development could never rise out of Div 2, I believe that City Development could go up to Div 1 if they finish high enough as they'd still be (more than) two Steps behind City. So maybe Nomads and CityDev in Division One next season?
The Youth players, not only in the FA Youth Cup but also for many in the FA County Youth Cup, have really come on and will hopefully eventually progress to the 1st XI...if they're not 'spotted' in the meantime by bigger clubs.
As you say, all in all it looks as though OCFC will make it through this season relatively unscathed, which is a lot more promising that what might have been expected six months ago.

[ChrisB]

Though perhaps CityDev's chances of promotion have now gone after last night's surprise home loss to Stokenchurch.

[ChrisB]

Huge must-win match for Nomads this week at home to Binfield - a perennial bogey team they've only beaten seven times in twenty outings.
IF they win on Wednesday, and Ascot continue to stutter, then it'll all be down to Nomads v Ascot on Easter Monday.
However, a bottom-three finish might be OK for a reprieve in the close-season depending on who does well in the two First Divisions, and how many teams the Hellenic will want in the Premier as they're running a little light at the moment compared with the FA's preferred numbers at Step Five.

[ChrisB]

Nomads sunk by two latish goals from Binfield and consigned to a bottom-three place. They'll be hopeful though of a reprieve at some point in the close season.

[ChrisB]

Very quiet on here...what's the thinking/rumours/knowledge locally about the number of teams to drop from the Premier?

[Hellenic watcher]

Hellenic forum - duds said one team down likely to be Henley and 3 teams up from Dev 1's,seems sensible and correct number of teams in the league then

[ChrisB]

Yes I'd spotted that, which is quite hopeful. Burnham could still push Nomads a place lower so it would be good to get a win v Ascot...or Burnham lose their last game at Tuffley.