Pre Season Friendlies

[YeltzDoc]

First few up -


4th July Redditch (a)
15th July Stafford Town (a)
25th July Sporting Khalsa (a)
29th July Worcester City (h)

I thought Worcester had moved to playing Sunday league?

Actually, although I don't have any great love for Worcester, their situation is terrible. No ground, voluntary double relegation, horrible.
I hope that Snapper can turn them around.

[juanillo]

I understand the logistics of playing local opposition but apart from Redditch, I don't think playing opponents 2 or 3 levels down is great preparation. So let's hope there's one or two better standard teams lined up.

[KenR]

said this about the opposition friendlies ever since John Hill has been in charge. Ought to get a big club at the grove and generate some money from the gate and some higher league games.

[YeltzDoc]

I admit, there's nothing there (yet?) to set the pulse racing, but I wonder what the process is?
I suspect your can't just ring Jose Mourinho up and ask if he fancies sending a side down.
In my nostalgia addled memory we always used to get a "glamour" friendly or two, but I suspect the stats (if anybody kept them) would feature Halesowen Harriers and The Lye a lot more.
Do any of the old heads have some insight as to how it works?

[andy]

The main reason I suspect is that league clubs want too much money to come here. Gone are the days when they would come and help out a non league side for nothing.

[juanillo]

Given that we seem to be only too glad to play teams from well down the pyramid it doesn't seem much to ask to play at least one from a higher league or from the equivalent level: Tamworth, Gloucester, Nuneaton, Telford, Leamington, Stratford to name but a few.

Playing opponents from 2 or 3 levels below won't tell the management much about players' capabilities at Step 3.

[YeltzDoc]

I'm sure that Andy would be keen on a match against his old friends from Tamworth.

[Laurel Lane Lamper]

One way to stand a chance of playing clubs of at least equal level would be to re-enter the Worcs Senior. It's now a pre-season competition and so could also bring some competition into pre-season.
Not only am I able to recall pre-2014 times but also remember that in 1962 the Worcs Senior Cup was the first trophy I saw The Yeltz win.
It will be interesting to see what happens this year as presumably Worcester City themselves will not be eligible to play having been demoted to below step 4.
Perhaps The Yeltz will compete in it again one day, on the other hand currently I'm not too bothered

[Laurel Lane Lamper]

I thought Worcester had moved to playing Sunday league?

Actually, although I don't have any great love for Worcester, their situation is terrible. No ground, voluntary double relegation, horrible.
I hope that Snapper can turn them around.

Actually they've moved into a league which, thanks to the excellent Jumpers for Goalposts, has an increasingly higher profile. They'also will be in the Vase with a not too unlikely chance of Wembley.
It also, with reference to one of the themes of this thread, seems Lee Hughes has secured them a pre-season friendly against Notts County.

[YeltzDoc]

For those that weren't aware of "Jumpers for Goalposts", old episodes can be found here - https://www.madeinbirmingham.tv/catchup ... s&p=x4umq9

Apologies to the GDP of the UK as the usual suspects on here (you know who you are) spend all day watching back episodes about GKN Sankey.