Talking Points: The big stories in Non-League football – January 30, 2019

Bradford PA say they’re still aiming for promotion following reports that they didn’t want to go up. After such a good first-half of the season it would be a shame to see them fall away from the top, what’s going on?

Nicky Wroe told the Boston Standard this week, following his move to Boston United, that all the Bradford players had been told they were free to leave the cub and that manager Mark Bower’s budget would be cut because the club feels it isn’t ready to go up.
Bradford have since reassured supporters that this isn’t the case and that Bower is simply making some changes to his playing squad. Time will tell whether Bower does receive the backing to strengthen his squad after losing Ben McKenna, Steven Drench and Wroe to league rivals.
 

It always seems at this stage of the season clubs start receiving point deductions for fielding ineligible players and other registration issues, why does this happen and what can be done in the future to stop it?

Club secretaries have the arduous task of registering players whether it be on a permanent basis or on loan. There’s also the issue of dealing with suspensions and often when competitions change rules on this – like in the FA Vase this season where Godmanchester Rovers have been thrown out – problems can arise.
Clubs rely heavily on volunteers and one of the positions that needs filling is the role of club secretary. Often this person will be operating the turnstiles and carrying out other jobs at the club, be it on a match day or during the week – it’s tough. The last thing they want to do is cost their team valuable points, but mistakes do happen.
The FA are aware of how complex player registrations and eligibility is, and encourage clubs to contact them if they are unsure on anything.
 

The top four of the National League – Leyton Orient, Salford City, AFC Fylde and Solihull Moors – are all still left in the FA Trophy, are we seeing a change in attitude from the clubs at the top towards the competition?

This weekend is the third round of the FA Trophy meaning clubs are now five games (two-legged semi-final) away from the final. The prospect of playing at Wembley on Non-League Finals Day should be a real source of motivation for clubs in Non-League, even the ones who may have recently been relegated from the Football League.
It’s great to see the top four of the National League still in the competition. Of course these clubs would always choose promotion to the Football League over a Trophy success and we have see managers dropping some of their stars, but it’s also a testament to the strength in depth they have.
Finals Day is a fantastic occasion – it would be brilliant to see Wembley packed out for two National League big boys.
 

How have Sutton been able to stay competitive in the National League despite being part-time?

Having a good manager helps and Paul Doswell is certainly that. In a league that is almost entirely full-time, Doswell is able to pick from the best part-time players, but crucially he’s been able to keep the spine of his team together in goalkeeper Jamie Butler, centre-back Jamie Collins and midfielder Craig Eastmond.
They finished 12th in their first season, when they reached the FA Cup fifth round, before finishing third last year. Now they’re firmly in the play-off hunt again and flying under the radar.