The South Will Rise Again...

Chatham are back in the Ryman 1 South. Its been announced today on the Ryman League's official site as a back end to a sad story about the possible demise of Ashford Town.

Ashford, plagued by boardroom rifts off the pitch and rumours of a debt close to a cool 1 million English pounds, have today tendered their resignation from the Isthmian League, and hope to be playing next season in the Kent League. If the Kent League will have them. That at least looks positive - the Kent League are so desperate for members (due to the success of member club's being promoted and not bouncing back down) that I wholly expect them to be "sworn in" like a disgraced US President at a Freemason's party.

This all follows on from the nonsense we had last week where Grays were "relegated" to the R1N having been initially accepted into the Ryman Premier. This left the northern section a club heavy - a problem that is now solved thanks to Ashford's misfortune.

Its also been reported today that Maidstone, tenants of Ashford Town, have been evicted from the Nuts and Bolts' Homelands stadium. Maidstone have met this with some incredulity - but the reasons cited by Ashford Town on their website do stand up to interrogation. It is appropriate to consider such a matter as failing to license the Sky TV that Maidstone had installed as a breach of the tenancy agreement in that Ashford as owners of the ground can probably expect to receive the fine. This leaves Maidstone potentially homeless. There is talk of them returning to Bourne Park, but it was very much a mooted point in the early summer that Stones' chair Paul Bowden Brown wanted to share at our very own TOSC. As we've already replaced Ashford in the league, it makes perfect sense for us to take on our now homeless neighbours from the county town. The fixtures simply need Ashford crossing through and Chatham replacing, and hey presto, no clashes with Maidstone. Simple enough really. All we have to do is ensure that we don't get screwed by it, and that the pitch holds up. And we have to hope that sense prevails at the league, who do not now expel Maidstone from the league for failing to have a ground share in place by deadline day (this has passed). Any such deal needs to be long term for the Ryman League - let's hope that the stupidity ends and that the non league scene in the south of England stops embarrassing itself.

The logical direction for this next paragraph is about irresponsible club owners not being limited to the professional ranks of the game - in fact, the number of non league clubs that have gone bust or taken enforced relegation this season is terrifying. Its not right to speculate about other owner's motives, but I am glad that Chatham Town are operated by a board who are first and foremost local football people, rather than big bucks businessmen. Long may it continue. I'd take a lifetime of mediocrity over anything that risks the club's future any day of the week.

Fixtures are now due out tomorrow. Which will now reunite us with Sittingbourne. Who've signed Rob Denness and Lee Barnett, if you believe the rumours. That has to be better than some attempt at Rivalry with Tilbury, surely?