Gloucestershire
Football:
A Beginner's Guide
Few people from outside God's own County realise how
competitive Gloucestershire football actually is. While the
County is generally better known for rugby this is neither as
traditional or as dominant as many believe. While no football
side is at the pinnacle of the sport in the same way Gloucester's
rugby club is in terms of popular involvement football is without
doubt the more popular game. However whilst many rugby fans follow
a local side the local football teams struggle with the
Premiership scourge as children follow the sides they see on
television rather than their local team. This leaves a huge
potential support, but in reality a lot of local teams are
fighting amongst themselves for the same pool of players and
supporters. A look at a map of Gloucester City's catchment area
shows the potential competition:
As can be seen once the nearby clubs from outside the County
borders are added there are loads of teams trying to stuff their
hands into the same money pot. The local professional clubs are
obviously ahead of the non-league sides, their existence actually
benefits City who get players rejected by them who are still top
quality performers at our level, as exemplified by Gary Thorne
and Jon Holloway. City benefit from having a well connected and
high profile manager in Leroy Rosenior who is kept informed of
possible availability at Bristol Rovers and Swindon as well as
former club Bristol City.
Of more concern to City should be the local Conference sides,
especially since Forest Green have added themselves to Hereford
and Ch@#ltenham above us in the pecking order. These sides can
obviously offer a higher standard of football, and normally
larger crowds too. While some players may filter back down to
City it is more likely the transfer traffic will be in the other
direction with the Conference sides well positioned to cream off
our better players. Of equal danger is the loss of some
spectators, while a loyal hard core will stick at Meadow Park no
matter what there are plenty of neutral fans who may be lured to
travel that bit further for a slightly higher standard of play.
All this underlines why City cannot afford to be third in the
Gloucestershire pecking order for long. While City are used to
being seen as the underdog against Ch@#tenham, the Forest Green
situation makes things very awkward. The Nailsworth side are
traditionally the third side, and there new status is an obvious
threat to Gloucester. Promotion next season could be vital- we
certainly stand to lose out without it.
Underneath the Conference a host of clubs in the area compete
for quality players to lift their Southern League sides.
Gloucester City find themselves competing against other local DML
Premier sides for a small crop of talent, but Merthyr, Bath and
Worcester are probably just about far enough away to keep
recruitment down to a civilised level, although Rosenior's
poaching of Molloy and Wyatt suggests Gloucester are well placed
to compete in this market for the time being. The clubs are far
enough away to mean they are not likely to be fighting over
players at youth level or over fans.
The other local sides should on the face of things be small
enough to not be a threat to City. However it shouldn't be
forgotten that until a few seasons ago that was how we thought of
Forest Green. Most of the sides in the lower echelons of the
Southern League act as useful conduits of local talent for City.
However the worrying form of Evesham, Cinderford, Cirencester,
Yate and Witney suggest there is indeed a dearth of real talent
in the local area, while the imminent folding of Trowbridge show
the perils competing at this level can present for the less successful sides. Complacency could cost City dear, Cinderford now
have John Murphy as manager with his wealth of local contacts,
while the arrival of former City youth coach Geoff Medcroft
alongside him at The Causeway could well be a threat to City's
access to local young players. Further south the resurgence of
Clevedon Town could pose a threat to City's steady supply of the
better players from the Bristol area.
So all in all City face a difficult task to survive, never mind
progress, in such a crowded market area. However looking ahead
there is no need to be defeatist. If City can be successful they
pull in crowds that dwarf those of Ch@#tenham, the potential at
Gloucester City is frightening. The city could easily support
League football, but we need to be the first to get there and the
race is very much on with us a lap behind. Forest Green will not
be able to continue their momentum for long, the money will go
and the crowds will collapse back down to the 300s once they stop
winning. Ch@#tenham are obviously a good side but are unlikely to
reach the League unless the big sides unexpectedly struggle next
season. City must strike quickly, but with the quality of our
squad we should be pushing for promotion this season. The
prospect of a Conference Division 2 also offers a lifeline, and
more incentive to put ourselves in contention for the proposed
league by grabbing a top 6 finishing spot.
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