AML67

We have said the early finish takes away any potential for some teams to have that ‘last weekend of the season’ scenario where you might get to celebrate huge wins and possibly vital league deciding games. Imagine the scenario if others dropped multiple points unexpectedly and the team winning the title has finished 4 or 5 weeks ago , a bit of an anti climax however fantastic it would be for said team although I’m aware this won’t be the case it’s not impossible in the future. I would always prioritise the League games and let common sense prevail in fixture scheduling but clearly I might be in the minority with this train of thought. Somewhere down the road many locals feel that it’s inevitable that the league will end up being incorporated into and expanded West and realistically would that be such a bad thing ? New challenges and opposition with the potential for promotion / relegation etc. With regards to opening / closing weekends I’d totally agree and personally I’d always have Cup Finals on a Saturday afternoons to allow maximum attendance fans wise and the chance for the winners to celebrate with them ! Without the fans the Club will disappear rapidly

We’ve literally only had 2 home League games this year ( and 4 in total ) which is frankly incredible and far from ideal ! Star have I believe ten games left which could rise to SEVENTEEN if they make all the Cup Finals remaining and win the League thus qualifying for the Pyramid play off games so from a fixture point of view you have to ask why ? I have literally for years now tried to get the League to ensure those with grass parks have more home games earlier in the season to avoid scenarios like this but to no avail , it just seems to fall on deaf ears. Financially for us it’s far from ideal but such is life and we’ve a handful of hard working Committee members that ensure the Club stays on an even keel working tremendously hard to bring in invaluable sponsorship opportunities. If Clubs live within their means you can continue to thrive but the financial model has to be sustainable but this is up to individual member clubs to ensure this is possible within their own constraints. We have a fairly young , local team in general and that in itself generates great home crowds but that isn’t necessarily replicated across the South although it’s up to individual teams to factor in success v sustainability ! With Gretna now bottom of the LL their potential return to the League would be a welcome addition in terms of numbers and they’d also boost the overall standard and competitiveness in the South but clearly that will depend on how their season pans out for them. I can’t see any other teams on the horizon so we’ll just have to soldier on until any future change is potentially forced upon us somewhere down the road. To finish the season on top of the table albeit with others hunting us down is fantastic considering only 5 years ago we literally only had 6 players at the Club is testament to the hard work and dedication a few folk and all the players during that time have put in.

Surely it’s Dalbeattie’s to lose now ? They’ve been the best side in fairness to them

Lewis Dunn , a terrific wee player ! They’re still in the hunt but a fixture pile up will be a problem for both if the weather hampers either pitch in the coming weeks. Huge game in April 20th at Castle Cary unless either slip up beforehand

They’re in a strong position but a fixture pile up may well play a part for both themselves and Creetown !

Aren’t the West already at the limit they stated numbers wise ? Theyre hardly pissing the South although they are the best side imo

Dalbeattie’s to lose you assume although Creetown still in the hunt surely !

The weather and the impact it will have on the grass parks could end up very telling in the long run ! I was at Blairmount on Saturday and Dalbeattie started very strongly , have to say defensively they were all very poor goals to lose for NS but that’s taking nothing away from the visitors ! The home side came back into it well and missed several other good chances after the two quick goals and a point blank sitter could’ve took the teams in at 3-4. I was extremely disappointed by the time wasting from Star from fairly early on however I suppose you can’t knock them too much when they were in a strong position. The Ref wasn’t great and one Star defender should’ve seen red for a strong two handed push decked the Newton captain after the official denied what looked like a stonewall penalty for NS and both of those strange decisions could’ve have a big impact on the game imo. Dalbeattie are the best side I’ve seen this season overall and will be favourites for most after taking 6 points of NS and Creetown having 3 draws lately but time will tell !

Are you suggesting the current Top 3 as surely defending champions Abbey Vale are still very much in it and Nithsdale will surely have a say in matters too ?

They wouldn’t have a choice and neither would Dalbeattie or Creetown ! A long way to go but definitely a fair chance this time a licensed club will complete in the playoffs

A fair few games between top 6 teams in October might just shed some light on the title aspirations of the contenders !

What money did we spend if you’d care to elaborate ? You must know something we don’t ?

The obvious difficulty the South has is manly geographical and to a slightly lesser degree population density ! The East were on their knees with 13 members Clubs before the Junior invasion ( we had 16 at that time ) yet we are seen as non progressive because we didn’t have 40 ex junior sides to rejuvenate our League ! It would’ve been wonderful m sire all South Clubs would’ve agree but what can we do when no one bar the likes of Glasgow Wellington apply to join the set up . If two or three of our members Clubs tried the Threave route the South is dead in the water and I for one would hate to see that after 75 years because I’d rather a few more stepped up to reinvigorate the League. Gretna may ultimately fall in to the South which would boost numbers bu5 other than that I can5 see where anyone else is coming from !

It was certainly mentioned when we put in an application to the West during its original set up ( which we ultimately decided against at that time ) and I can assure you that many realise that the possibility of an amalgamation of sorts somewhere down the road is a distinct possibility !

Newton Stewart beat a WOSFL Premier side last season in Cambuslang Rangers away from home and have an opportunity against an EOSFL Premier side next week in the Scottish Cup when we play Luncarty ! Last season we beat former Lowland League side Preston Athletic in the Cup so it shows this apparent gulf can be bridged although possibly not over a season without as you’ve suggested investment.