The Vanarama National League relegation battle is heating up nicely, by Glenn Moore.

If it were not for Solihull Moors the Vanarama National League relegation fight would be all but over by now. Torquay, Guiseley and Chester have fallen away, each at least nine points adrift of safety with matches running out. Moors, however, keep the battle alive; theirs is the first result half the division look for on a Saturday afternoon.

That scenario did not appear likely on Boxing Day, after a 1-0 defeat at Maidenhead left Moors bottom of the table, a dozen points from safety. But four days later the revival began. It started in the 57^th minute at Holker Street, Barrow, when Darren Carter, a veteran of many clubs including Birmingham City, West Brom, and Preston, scored an equaliser. Six minutes from time a penalty from Jamie Reckford delivered three points. Nevertheless, Moors still went into 2018 bottom of the Vanarama National League with 20 points from 27 games.

However, by the time Moors won at Dagenham, in late January, to complete a haul of 13 points from 15, fans of the Warwickshire club were beginning to dream. Moors had overtaken the aforementioned trio of relegation strugglers and climbed to within a point of safety.

Two months on Moors remain, frustratingly, in the relegation zone, albeit only on goal difference from Barrow. Despite suffering only two defeats in 12 matches there have been too many draws with only one win in the last seven.

Former Crawley Town manager Mark Yates, who led Kidderminster Harriers to Wembley and Cheltenham twice to the League Two plays-offs, is behind Solihull’s revival. Prior to his appointment in mid-November five different men had picked Solihull teams in the previous 12 months. The departure of Marcus Bignot (now at Chester) for Grimsby was followed by two permanent managers, Liam McDonald and, for 26 days, Richard Money, with two caretakers, Keith Bertschin and Gary Whild, before and after. That instability had an inevitable affect and Yates, assisted by former England and Blackburn goalkeeper Tim Flowers, took over a team that had 11 points from 19 matches.

Under his charge they have gained 29 points from the next 20 matches, a record good enough to put them in the Vanarama National League’s top half if sustained over a season. But that woeful opening period means they remain in trouble with a demanding run-in ahead. Yates, 48, who has not been relegated in a decade as a manager, is eager to keep that off his CV.

Moors, who share their ground with Birmingham City Ladies, were formed by a merger of Moor Green and Solihull Borough in 2007. The union has proved successful in that neither of the parent clubs had reached the fifth tier, a status attained under Bignot in 2016. That exalted status is now in jeopardy, but with a clutch of clubs within reach, hope of survival is far stronger than could have been imagined at Christmas.

Chris Kinnear’s remarkable journey – by Glenn Moore

Chris Kinnear was 31 when he first managed Dover, stepping up as caretaker with the Kent club between managers. Kinnear, who was still playing for the Whites at the time, thought it was a temporary appointment.

That was in 1985. Kinnear went on to manage Dover for ten years, leading them from the Southern League, Southern Division to the National League (then Conference). He then took a break for personal reasons, scouted briefly for Mick McCarthy at Wolves, then spent a dozen years across two spells at Margate – winning two more promotions into the Conference.

Early in 2013 Kinnear returned to Crabble, Dover’s ground perched on a hilltop outside the town. He soon took them them back into the Vanarama National League. Despite two factors which make it hard to attract and retain players – a small budget by the standards of the division, and geographical isolation – Dover are pushing for another promotion, this time into the Football League. They sit in the play-offs places ahead of hosting leaders Macclesfield on Saturday.

Kinnear is now 63. Throughout his time in management he has been a teacher, at Stepney Green, East London. This is possible as Dover are part-time, one of the few such clubs left in the Vanarama National League. Kinnear has said the day job has helped his ability to manage a football club;  many of the people skills are transferrable, and he has even taken ideas from other sports encountered as a PE teacher.

In their three seasons back in the Vanarama National League Dover have finished eighth, fifth and sixth. This despite having to regularly rebuild the squad. Stefan Payne was top scorer the first two seasons. He was out of contract and turned down the offer of a new deal to sign with Barnsley and is now at Shrewsbury Town. Ricky Miller took on the mantle scoring an incredible 45 goals in 46 matches last season. Similarly Miller also rejected the offer of a new deal and made the step up to join Peterborough (he is now on loan to Mansfield having failed to score in League One). Ryan Bird, 30 years old and released by Newport County, arrived. He is top-scorer with 13 goals so far, though Dover’s success this season is built on a parsimonious defence led by former Gillingham centre-back Conor Essam. Only Wrexham have conceded fewer league goals.

Remarkably Essam is one of only three players in the 16-man squad Kinnear has fielded for Dover’s three matches, who were at the club last season, and even he was then on loan. Goalkeeper Mitch Walker was the longest-serving, having joined from Brighton in 2012, while striker Mitchell Pinnock came from Maidstone late in 2015. The rest were newly signed this season, including three loanees.

Last month master-builder Kinnear reached 1,500 matches in management, with a win-rate above 50 per cent. It is surprising a Football League club never took a chance on him, but non-League managers are often typecast. Usually the only way into the league is to be promoted into it. Achieving that with Dover would fulfil Kinnear’s remaining ambition. It could happen this year, but if not, there’s always next year, and the one after.

“I’m a long way from finishing,” Kinnear told BBC Radio Kent last month. “I don’t feel tired by it. I don’t feel different now to when I started, except I don’t make as many mistakes because I now have the experience to draw on.”

For more about Dover Athletic visit: http://www.doverathletic.com

For more about the Vanarama National League visit: http://www.thenationalleague.org.uk/

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Snowbound – by Luke Coulson, FWA and Ebbsfleet United

Great Britain descended into chaos last week with the arrival of the ‘Beast from the East’ and Storm Emma. The cold weather resulted in heavy snowfall, blizzards and the postponement of our fifth straight win in the Vanarama National League. 

On Saturday, Stonebridge Road lay hidden under a thick layer of snow and therefore our home fixture against Wrexham was cancelled because of the poor weather conditions. 

However, the cancelled fixture meant that our manager, Daryl McMahon, rewarded us for our recent winning form with an unusual but well-received weekend off. 

Before the unscheduled time off, our longest consecutive winning run of the season was extended to four games after a 1-0 away win against Hartlepool. 

In the week leading up to the game, the former League Two side sacked their manager, Craig Harrison, following a midweek loss to Halifax. Therefore, we were fully anticipating Hartlepool to start the game on the front foot with their players trying to impress potential future managers. Yet, knowing what to expect and with our confidence soaring high after our three previous wins, we put on another dominating display. 

By our own admission, we weren’t ruthless enough in the first half as we missed four or five good chances and in all honesty, I was the culprit for a few of those missed opportunities. 
For one of those chances, a slight hesitation in the box led to the ball bobbling up off my left shin pad which allowed the defender to clear the ball. Luckily, that embarrassing moment didn’t cost the team. But, unfortunately for me, the highlight has since become a memorable video for the team to laugh about. 

However, I redeemed myself after 17 minutes when I assisted Dean Rance for his first goal of the season. Noticing his late run into the box, my cross to the back post found the head of Rance as he angled his header back across goal and gave us a deserved lead. 

Coming in at half-time with the score at 1-0, booing echoed around Victoria Park as the home fans voiced their disappointment at watching a commanding Ebbsfleet performance.

The second half was a dull affair compared to the first 45 minutes, but we didn’t care as we collected all three points for our journey home. 

In celebration of our victory, Nathan Ashmore blasted out some classic 80s tunes; much to the delight of our old school assistant manager, Steve Gritt. After my powerful and emotional initiation song at the start of the season, Rick Astley has remained a favourite in the changing room after a win. Hopefully, the words of ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ will be sung again this coming weekend when we travel to Leyton Orient.

For more on the Vanarama National League, go to: http://www.thenationalleague.org.uk/

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AFC Fylde coasting towards success by Glenn Moore

Eleven years ago Kirkham & Wesham FC, having dominated the West Lancashire League, moved up to the North West Counties League. They marked their arrival at step six in the non-League pyramid by producing a 15-year plan aimed at reaching the Football League in 2022. Few observers took the proposal seriously.

There were around 900 teams standing in their way at the time. Now there are eight. No one is laughing at them these days. Having ensured the name Kirkham & Wesham would be inscribed for ever by winning the FA Vase at their first attempt, at Wembley in 2008, the club changed name to AFC Fylde, reflecting the area rather than two of its small towns. The Coasters are now ninth in the Vanarama National League, having been promoted last season, bang on the schedule laid out a decade ago. After a slow start they sit on the brink of the play-offs and defeated leaders Macclesfield and favourites Tranmere, 6-0 and 5-2 respectively, in recent weeks.

As usual in these tales there is a wealthy backer, David Haythornthwaite, who made his money in animal feed. As the name of his company, The Tangerine Group, suggests, Haythornthwaite is a Blackpool fan. However, having been rebuffed by the infamous Oyston family he decided to put his cash to good use elsewhere.

Haythornthwaite has bankrolled Fylde through the North-West Counties League and Northern Premier League to the Vanarama National League – five promotions. This is not, though, a story of big wages being paid out to former Premier League players, as sometimes happens. The current squad includes plenty who began at clubs such as Manchester City and United, Everton and Chelsea, but none who those clubs’ fans will recall. Lewis Montrose, who won promotion to League One with both Gillingham and Wycombe is the most decorated though the prolific Danny Rowe garners the attention. Rowe, now 28, was a schoolboy prodigy, on Manchester United’s books, but lost his love for the game and became an apprentice joiner at 16. It has been a long haul back.

There is not much celebrity to the manager either, though Dave Challinor was briefly famous for the long-throws that helped propel Tranmere Rovers to the Football League Cup final. Starting at Colwyn Bay he has won four promotions in seven seasons as a manager, finding time to collect a degree in physiotherapy along the way.

The sense of upward mobility is mirrored off the pitch. Kirkham & Wesham had moved into a new ground in 2006 but such has been the speed of the Coasters’ progress that it was soon rendered inadequate. In 2016 Haythornthwaite opened the £18m Mill Farm Sports Village featuring an array of businesses and sports facilities. The centrepiece is a 6,000-capacity stadium. Doubtless helped by disillusionment with affairs at Blackpool, the area’s traditional powerhouse, but by also Fylde’s vibrant community programme, attendances average around 1,700 having hugely multiplied during their rise.

There are echoes in Fylde’s rise of Fleetwood, 15 miles away. The Cod Army made the play-offs for promotion to the Championship last season. Fylde see no reason why they cannot do the same.
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The Vanarama National League column – stars of the future?

BY Glenn Moore, FWA member and former Independent football editor

Will it be Joe Ward? Will it be Joe Pigott? Will it be Bernard Mensah? Since Jamie Vardy proved potential England forwards could still be found in non-League football, not just back in the days when Ian Wright, Les Ferdinand and Alan Smith were in the part-time game, scouts have been flocking to the Vanarama National League.

This window, a cluster of promising players have moved into the Football League with that trio of attacking players to the fore. Winger Ward so impressed Peterborough when playing against them for Woking in the FA Cup the Posh signed the 22-year-old. Pigott, 24, was snapped up this week by AFC Wimbledon having scored 12 goals for Maidstone United this season. Mensah also went to a League One club in Bristol Rovers after shining for Aldershot.

Like Vardy, who began at Sheffield Wednesday but was released, all three players had been at league clubs earlier in their careers but had struggled to make the grade. Regular football in the Vanarama National League has enabled them to rebuild their confidence, match themselves against seasoned professionals, and gain experience in an environment where results matter far more than in age-group football. 

Peterborough have long scoured non-League for players, a reflection of Barry Fry’s influence at the club. Ward follows the likes of Craig Mackail-Smith and George Boyd, both of whom went on to play for Scotland, Aaron McLean, now back in the Vanarama National League with Ebbsfleet after a decade in the full-time ranks, and current London Road winger Marcus Maddison.

It is Ward’s second attempt at cracking the Football League after joining Brighton & Hove Albion from Chelmsford City at 19. That did not work out but he is now more experienced and is making a smaller step up. “He wanted to play regular football and he took the opportunity in the National League and credit to him for that,” said Posh boss Grant McCann. “”He brings pace, energy and can go past people.”

Piggott came through the ranks at Charlton, where he made 16 appearances, then had a series of loans before joining Cambridge United. One goal in 17 matches led to a further loan, to the Stones, a year ago, but he did well enough at the Gallagher Stadium to win a permanent deal and has continued to prosper. He now joins a club that is no stranger to resurrection stories.

Mensah was a Watford youth product, but only made two appearances for the Hornets. Joining Aldershot in June 2016 he has flourished with regular football.

A pair Vanarama National League South players have also secured moves, Wealdstone defender Ciaron Brown leaping up four levels into the Championship with promotion-chasing Cardiff City. Brown, 20, had only been at Wealdstone 18 months after joining from Combined Counties League side Bedfont Sports. Goalscoring midfielder Dayle Grubb left Weston-Super-Mare for Forest Green. The move means the 26-year-old will have to leave his job as a sports teacher but he feels it is a risk worth taking to follow the dream of a pro career after nine years at Weston.

All these players will be hoping to be the next Vardy, or, if not that, maybe another Glenn Murray or Dwight Gayle, and prove, like those Premier League strikers, there are rough diamonds to be found in the Vanarama League for those that look.

For more on the Vanarama National League, visit:http://www.thenationalleague.org.uk/
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