M 6 or M5 ?

[The Reasonable Man]

Been tweeted by @GrahamSmyth (see above) that Worksop's appeal has been rejected. They will not be in the NPL next season. I'd say your going back North. If so, whether we join you remains to be seen...

[YeltzDoc]

Yep. http://www.evostikleague.co.uk/worksop- ... lub-19715/

Looks like Worksop have f'd it up properly. You've got to feel for their supporters.

In other news, did I also hear a rumour that we'd be groundsharing with Harrogate Town?

*rubs magic lamp again*

[The Reasonable Man]

There's a ground in Eastwood going spare...

(This is how rumours start...)

[YeltzDoc]

Won't you lot need to play there while the cricket season is still on?

(the reasonable-ness of our debate couldn't last...)

As a semi-serious point, do SCC still rule at SFC? The cricket club were in some Worcestershire regional league last time I looked.

[Laurel Lane Lamper]

I do hope we stay in the Southern Premier, my travelling over the last couple of days has brought back happy memories - Cirencester, Swindon Supermarine, Chippenham, Salisbury, Bashley, Poole and of course Wimborne ( http://ht-fc.com/history/season-by-seas ... -town.html )

[YeltzDoc]

http://m.worksopguardian.co.uk/sport/lo ... -1-6641946

[beastyyeltz]

Looks more and more likely that we will be in the north, now we have conformation that Worksop's appeal has been rescinded...

[The Reasonable Man]

As a semi-serious point, do SCC still rule at SFC? The cricket club were in some Worcestershire regional league last time I looked.

A serious answer to your "semi-serious" question...

The Cricket Club have never "ruled" at Amblecote. The two clubs are effectively equal tenants and always have been - we hold the lease from 1st September to 30th April each year, and they hold it from 1st May to 31st August. The Cricket Club are in the third tier of the Birmingham League (or whatever it's called now), I think.

There was a lengthy period when relations were frosty, to say the least, but nowadays things are much more amicable. In the last five years we have played home midweek games in August although we have had to play Saturday home games at your place and at Redditch. We have also had pre-season friendlies at Amblecote against Kiddy, Telford, Cheltenham and this summer will play Kiddy again and Solihull. One August BH Monday (two seasons ago) we managed to play Barwell at home in the evening after the Cricket Club had played at home in the afternoon.

[YeltzDoc]

Great reply TRM, I always did wonder where the power lay.
It hints at another subject. Our "rivalry" has always struck me as a bit constructed.
When you lot needed a ground to play at, we often stepped in. Admittedly we'd make a few quid for it but it's hardly the action of a bitter rival.
In the early eighties, when I started watching, your mob were well above us, but we got a lot of press due to the Vase. Then we went up and you came down, and it has been reversed recently.
We met occasionally during these times and sometimes it was very nasty - I remember the bloke who was stabbed getting led off by a policewoman across the pitch on the mid '80s.
And the last time you came to our place it was a bit rubbish, with a load of chavvy 16 year old morons who pretended to be associated with us giving it a load of inappropriate mouth.

But, the point I'm stumbling towards is that, is our rivalry really that bad? One of my best friends in the world is your own "DY9 Stour" and we have more of a bond about our shared love of non-league than our usual nonsense about "Brummies" and "STFC".

I hope that your mob want to be kept with us, as we do with you. I'm not interested in "banter" - usually a euphemism for misspelt, repetitive, vitriolic, humourless gibberish - but I'd like a chance to renew friendly hostilities and make a few quid for both clubs.

I'd be interested in your "Reasoned" thoughts.

[The Reasonable Man]

YeltzDoc - you and I seem to be very much on the same wavelength. I enjoy "banter (ie. proper banter, rather than abuse) with any opposing supporter. Football is a game. I might call you "Brummies" and point to your phone numbers and postcodes but if you can't rise above that and chortle about our parks pitch then it's a poor show. It's BLOODY FUN, FOOTBALL. Nothing more, nothing less.

The only real nastiness I can remember was in the FA Cup in 83/84 at Amblecote and that was down to West Brom and Wolves supporters and their "less enlightened" view of the day - it was a good excuse for a ruck with limited police presence to get in the way. The daft thing is my Dad met a woman he knew in town many years later who said she loved football and would love to come to Stour but her husband wouldn't let her "because of all the trouble."

I will "raise my voice" in the direction of the opposition (and VERY occasionally the officials) during a game but when the full-time whistle blows that's that. I hope my comments on forums after a game are always balanced and fair and you'll NEVER see me bleating about a result or a refereeing decision.

(I might add, before anybody else who knows me does, that I haven't always been so restrained - I may have mellowed a little as the years overtake me...)

I wrote a column in our programme a couple of years back about our (ie. Stour's) rivalries (plural). For my generation Halesowen are our rivals, but by my reckoning since Stour joined the SL in 1970 we have only spent SEVEN seasons in the same Division. For newer supporters Leamington seem to get the juices flowing, whilst older supporters think of Kiddy and even Brierley Hill Alliance.

I was quite happy that we would be in the same Division next year, even if it means you've had a bit of success. I'm not even bothered if you're runners-up next season, as long as we're the one team above you. Frankly, if we both have good seasons it will be good for BOTH clubs. Yes, it was good fun seeing you suffer three years ago losing every game (but not going down the pan - wouldn't wish that on any club) but actually I think both clubs are far better off meaningfully competing with one another. I hope supporters on both sides will recognise that. I'm all for a bit of an atmosphere at the matches, a bit of an edge, you might say, as long as it doesn't overstep the mark. You're only a football club and a bunch of supporters just like us, you just happen to have had the misfortune to have been born in the wrong place ( ).