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Post by casablanca on May 11, 2023 9:03:49 GMT
Any news on parking arrangements?
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Post by clive on May 11, 2023 20:09:43 GMT
I was expecting it to be the same as for the semi-final. However, after pre-booking my £5 I was directed to park on the netball court just off the car-park next to the ground, which was 75% empty.
Maybe it is now free as you come.
As I was too late to get my ticket it no longer matters to me !
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Post by Hoops. on May 11, 2023 23:27:38 GMT
Where would you recommend parking on Sunday - please can you share a link to the carpark you booked in?
Thanks.
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Post by abingdonox on May 12, 2023 17:20:52 GMT
Maybe they have just scrapped the £5 fee because fans were leaving cars in Marston and inconveniencing residents.
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Post by bez on May 13, 2023 8:16:34 GMT
Hi away fan here.would anyone recommend any off street parking areas near as I gather the stadium car park might get full. Just hoping for a great game with the best team going through.
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Post by ChrisB on May 13, 2023 9:16:14 GMT
Hi away fan here.would anyone recommend any off street parking areas near as I gather the stadium car park might get full. Just hoping for a great game with the best team going through. Extra parking listed on the City website (local primary school etc.). Otherwise there are local roads without parking restrictions, but they get busy too. |
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Post by ChrisB on May 13, 2023 9:20:56 GMT
Maybe they have just scrapped the £5 fee because fans were leaving cars in Marston and inconveniencing residents. . Indeed, I wonder if the planning department would have been so keen on the site if City had been in the NL in the early '90s?! Just the odd match >500 in the first 20 years, but (hopefully!!) much bigger crowds on a regular basis if they do get promoted and the local roads where cars might be parked are not wide. |
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Post by bez on May 13, 2023 9:41:03 GMT
Maybe they have just scrapped the £5 fee because fans were leaving cars in Marston and inconveniencing residents. . Indeed, I wonder if the planning department would have been so keen on the site if City had been in the NL in the early '90s?! Just the odd match >500 in the first 20 years, but (hopefully!!) much bigger crowds on a regular basis if they do get promoted and the local roads where cars might be parked are not wide. Thanks Chris appreciate your reply |
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Post by Rijs on May 13, 2023 13:10:10 GMT
I would have thought St. Alban's would have run more than one coach to the match - surely your fans would have filled half a dozen? That would ease the parking problem.
On a different note, I hope our manager does not come to regret his decision not to prepare for extra time and penalties. With the two teams likely to be evenly matched, a draw over 90 minutes is surely a distinct possibility, and then teams become afraid to lose, as well as tiring, and matches often go to penalties. The Saints have already shown they are good at these, but in the only match where City had to face a shoot-out this season, they lost to lower league opposition. It would be regrettable to come this far and lose because we did not foresee a predictable outcome - unless Ross thinks it's better not to think about it, for some psychological reason?
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Post by clive on May 13, 2023 18:52:51 GMT
St Albans forum was wondering if their coaches would also be dropping supporters off at the away end............
Since The Hoops have been in National League One South, the home record against Saints is 5-2-1. The bookies have us odds on favourites to win in 90 minutes. Let's hope they are right !
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Post by Rijs on May 13, 2023 20:51:01 GMT
If I were a betting man, I think St. Alban's would be worth risking a few pounds at that rate. Odds-on favourites - no pressure, then! The Saints have won six of their last seven matches, which makes them the form team, and they have the league's leading scorer in their ranks. I hope the bookies prove right, but I would not have the odds so short on the Hoops. To me, this is anybody's game. May the best team on the day win, as 'bez' said.
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Post by ChrisB on May 14, 2023 13:54:09 GMT
Brilliant result City. Didn't get to see the score until we were 3-0 up! Couldn't believe it, I'd expected a really close game.
It's going to be a busy close-season, sorting out the pitch, and a squad to deal with life at Step 1.
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Post by clive on May 14, 2023 14:50:53 GMT
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Post by ChrisB on May 14, 2023 15:16:07 GMT
Thanks for all those detailed reports this season Clive. I look forward to more next season from the dizzy heights of Step 1! |
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Post by Rijs on May 14, 2023 15:45:40 GMT
A brilliant first-half performance blew the visitors away and in the process, justified our promotion - we really are that good! It was appropriate that the three midfield men around whom the team was constructed scored our first three goals, and who could have deserved the fourth more than Josh Parker, who was immense today. Many congratulations and huge thanks to Ross and the boys for giving us such a wonderful season. Enjoy Ibiza - then it's back to work preparing for an even bigger challenge!
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Post by City Gent on May 14, 2023 18:43:50 GMT
Congratulations to Ross, Andy and ALL of the players and not forgetting the Committee and backroom staff. A superb achievement! So pleased for the supporters who travel home and away.
You bring me so much joy.
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Post by Rijs on May 14, 2023 19:46:29 GMT
Nice one, and a good reminder that a lot of people off the pitch have to be given credit for this amazing achievement. Even just for the organisation today - we have never had such a large crowd to manage, but it seemed to go smoothly. The raised platforms were a good idea, the extra drinks bars, the litter-pickers going round, and on top of that all those cameramen, gantries etc. to fit in. Quite a feat for the matchday organiser.
So, it will be grass not a new plastic pitch next season. Although I like grass more, it will reduce our hiring income considerably. Hopefully it won't be as bad as the old pitch used to be in the second half of the season, provided we keep off it! Interesting to think we may be eligible for a grant from the ground improvement people.
As for today, I'm still basking in it with thoughts of where we have come from, after watching the Hoops since the late nineties. Every promotion has been via play-offs but this was the best. That first-half performance was as close to footballing perfection as you are likely to get in non-league. We have played some lovely football like that in patches this season, but often it hasn't been reflected in the scoreline. We've heard Ross saying, 'We could have been four up by half time if we'd taken our chances.' And today we did! St Alban's just looked a bit shell-shocked. There was so much movement and good passing breaking their lines, they couldn't cope with it. We probably would have had a penalty for handball if we had VAR, and that header from Zac which brought an excellent save from the keeper would have been the goal of the match if that had gone in. The second half was just about game management and keeping a clean sheet on a warm Sunday afternoon - talk about a stroll in the park... I was proved completely wrong to be concerned about a lack of penalty practice! How could Ross have known we wouldn't go beyond 90 minutes?
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Post by casablanca on May 14, 2023 20:59:25 GMT
I have run out of superlatives! What a fantastic display of brilliant football we had in the first half to clinch victory. Apart from the grant aid for improvements, don't forget the other benefit, exemption to the 4th Qualifying Round in the FA Cup! I hope to be able to get to a number of away games, as I can get to some of them by train (so long as there are no strikes!).
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Post by kevvo on May 14, 2023 22:01:20 GMT
What an incredible match! What a sensational football final, just brilliant! I watched it live on TV on BT Sport 3. The first half was a real football lesson close to perfection. It's been a long time since I enjoyed watching a football game so much. All the players were magnificent in their positions. I hope that with some new signings the team can stay in the National League next season. I look forward to going next season in person to a game at Marsh Lane. Congratulations to all the players, staff, fans, and congratulations to Ross Jenkins, so young and in his first campaign as a coach he makes his debut in style with honors! Bravo!
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Post by clive on May 15, 2023 6:34:20 GMT
I think the current squad is good enough to hold its own in the National League, the key will be holding onto all the players as I expect a few clubs with more financial muscle might be making offers if they had watched yesterday's match. Any new additions would be to add numbers to the squad, and then to replace any leavers. The one obvious exception to this is to sign a permanent goal-keeper and a back-up.
The other big decision would be whether to have any full-time players ?
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Post by ChrisB on May 15, 2023 8:20:21 GMT
Nice one, and a good reminder that a lot of people off the pitch have to be given credit for this amazing achievement. Even just for the organisation today - we have never had such a large crowd to manage, but it seemed to go smoothly. The raised platforms were a good idea, the extra drinks bars, the litter-pickers going round, and on top of that all those cameramen, gantries etc. to fit in. Quite a feat for the matchday organiser. So, it will be grass not a new plastic pitch next season. Although I like grass more, it will reduce our hiring income considerably. Hopefully it won't be as bad as the old pitch used to be in the second half of the season, provided we keep off it! Interesting to think we may be eligible for a grant from the ground improvement people. I thought Step 1 still allowed 'plastic' (but maybe I'm having a senior moment), or has a decision been taken by the club to return to grass? As you say, I do hope it won't be like the 'beach' that the old pitch became at the end of seasons. And the part-time/full-time, pro/semi-pro questions will also be tricky decisions to make. Anyway, for the moment we can all just bask in that result!! |
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Post by Rijs on May 15, 2023 11:17:10 GMT
I have heard this but it may be wrong. Either way, we have to have a new pitch as the current one has failed inspections.
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Post by Padz on May 15, 2023 13:24:54 GMT
The artificial surface will be replaced with a new artificial surface over the summer
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Post by abingdonox on May 15, 2023 13:56:00 GMT
Dorking and Bromley have artificial 3g pitches so we won't be the only one in the league with one.
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Post by waynetilling on May 15, 2023 14:52:26 GMT
BT Sport coverage on the National League playoffs has been good - and I think the best two games I've seen on TV all season, including the Premier League, were: Wrexham v Notts County and Notts County v Chesterfield. You've got players playing to win - and not playing because they have been giving a silly amount of money. And when the ball hits the net - you know within 2-3 seconds that it is a goal - no time to go and make a coffee while VAR looks at it and breaks up the whole momentum of the game. All National League games not at 3pm on a Saturday can be watch live on National League TV or BT/TNT Sport - and if you are not in the UK then every game is available live - even on a Saturday. Looking forward to next season. What an incredible match! What a sensational football final, just brilliant! I watched it live on TV on BT Sport 3. The first half was a real football lesson close to perfection. It's been a long time since I enjoyed watching a football game so much. All the players were magnificent in their positions. I hope that with some new signings the team can stay in the National League next season. I look forward to going next season in person to a game at Marsh Lane. Congratulations to all the players, staff, fans, and congratulations to Ross Jenkins, so young and in his first campaign as a coach he makes his debut in style with honors! Bravo! |
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Post by clive on May 15, 2023 19:26:52 GMT
National League TV isn't free though. The pass for the two National League One South play-off semi-finals was £9.50. I can't remember what the cost was for regular season games.
I have BT/TNT Sport, so there wouldn't be any incremental cost to me to watch the games they will show.
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Post by clive on May 15, 2023 19:35:29 GMT
I see Bishop's Stortford have been sent North.....
If we hadn't got promoted it could have been us. Instead, we play Hartlepool, Gateshead, Oldham, Halifax, York, Flyde, Rochdale, Altrincham, Chesterfield...........!
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Post by Rijs on May 15, 2023 21:00:08 GMT
Thanks to Padz for clarifying the pitch situation. Would the ground improvement grant cover the pitch as well, or just the stand?
Poor Bishop's Stortford. Braintree is actually further north, but I think it is more a question of travel distances. Yes, we will have to travel further, but we'll also have a lot of matches in the south and not too far away - Wealdstone, Barnet, Borehamwood, Aldershot, Woking and Maidenhead for example, with Dagenham and Eastleigh not bad and Bromley no worse than Welling. And even in the NLS we'd now have Yeovil, Torquay and Weston super Mare as well as Dover, Eastbourne and Weymouth.
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Post by abingdonox on May 15, 2023 21:31:44 GMT
Thanks to Padz for clarifying the pitch situation. Would the ground improvement grant cover the pitch as well, or just the stand? Poor Bishop's Stortford. Braintree is actually further north, but I think it is more a question of travel distances. Yes, we will have to travel further, but we'll also have a lot of matches in the south and not too far away - Wealdstone, Barnet, Borehamwood, Aldershot, Woking and Maidenhead for example, with Dagenham and Eastleigh not bad and Bromley no worse than Welling. And even in the NLS we'd now have Yeovil, Torquay and Weston super Mare as well as Dover, Eastbourne and Weymouth. Add Truro, Taunton, Worthing, Havant and Maidstone to that list. NLS has as many miles as the NLN next season. Slightly less distances to cover next season in the NL. |
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Post by waynetilling on May 22, 2023 16:43:57 GMT
I think it was £15 for the weekend - but you got all games except those live on BT Sport or at 3pm Saturday. But those outside the UK got every game live for that price - you can pick one or hop around. National League TV isn't free though. The pass for the two National League One South play-off semi-finals was £9.50. I can't remember what the cost was for regular season games. I have BT/TNT Sport, so there wouldn't be any incremental cost to me to watch the games they will show. |
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