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Varc's Ex Files
Season 1, File 4

A two week gap in non league terms is like taking a year off. There is one thing that doesn't change though. Hundreds of ex league players who love their football so much that they couldn't give up, soldier on for little or no money.
 

I start writing this week with the whole of non-league's pyramid in turmoil as the Conference decides to make changes that affect the status of teams all over the country. To cut a long story short, the Conference directors have gone above the FA and decided to make changes to the set up that will make the top teams in non-league higher and the bottom teams lower. They plan to introduce two regional Conference Division One's, and have invited teams from the Southern, Northern and Isthmian to make up the numbers. Obviously they will accept as it means fast tracking to the higher echelons, but some of the smaller teams face dropping a level.

Good news perhaps for a team like Chelmsford. They occupy a middle of the league position in the Dr Martens Premier Division. If the change comes into effect next season, this position would be worth fighting for to get a leg up the leagues. Why the interest in Chelmsford? Their manager is Paul Parker. He is cutting his teeth at a low level but seems to be fairly well respected so far. Only a point for him this week as his side drew at home to Welling United.

Someone in the same division, but enjoying himself so much as to not want to start in management yet is Dennis Bailey. He is still scoring at Stafford Rangers - another goal this week, but the team lost and currently sit 2nd in the division, a few too many points away from the top and promotion.

Two more ex Rangers trying to find their way in management at non league level are having a less successful time of it. In fact its when looking at their performances you realise how lucky we are to have Ian Holloway at the helm! Mark Dennis is the man in charge at Fleet Town. Fleet are in the Dr Martens League Eastern Division and sit precariously placed third from bottom. They managed to scrape a point this weekend but that didn't really help their -39 goal difference!

Worse still you have to scan down the leagues to the Matthew Clark Sussex County league to find Redhill Town being managed by old stalwart Ian Dawes. They are starting to climb away from the lower reaches with a 2-1 win over Arundel. Ian was a bit controversial at his last club. Last season, he managed Dorking to a promotion spot in the Ryman Division 3. However having been promised that if the team did their bit the club would do theirs and pay for the necessary ground improvements, he discovered that they had in fact lied to him.  In true park football style, he picked up his ball and went somewhere else. .. and took the entire team with him!

Thanks to some of you kind chaps reading my articles we have discovered the whereabouts of another of our more recently departed hero's. Thanks to Matty Read, I have discovered Mark Perry is training at Hillingdon. Apparently he is not under contract but looking to keep fit in the hope of finding a new club. This is interesting because other reports suggest Mark has actually retired from football after finding recovery from an injury too difficult. I'll watch out to see if this story comes to anything. Keep your info coming!

And finally this week, they were doing the QPR shuffle at Barnet FC. Peter Shreeves finally walked the plank at Underhill, only to be replaced by Martin Allen. Martin started his reign with a 3-1 win at Southport midweek and a 2-1 win at home to Hereford on Saturday.

Next week I'll be reporting on the QPR core of a team battling for promotion from the Screwfix Direct Western League.  

I can see you all licking your lips in anticipation already...!

varc@qprnet.com