NRJFA Leagues

[Jacksgranda]

6 hours ago, welshbairn said:

Aye, there are arguments about why but my memory of it was that they didn't get their paper work done on time and thought they would cruise in without making a pitch.

That's been posted before - perhaps by yourself! - don't know how true it is, but seems a possibility.

ETA: But not according to The Oracle. (See below)

Edited February 4, 2022 by Jacksgranda

[Jacksgranda]

14 hours ago, HibeeJibee said:

Haven't both these explanations... that they hadn't applied properly, and they didn't do a Powerpoint presentation before the vote... been shown to be myths?

At the time all the hullabaloo was that Formartine and Turiff got preferred to BoD because they weren't as strong.

(There was a gentleman's agreement to admit 1x North club: so Strathspey were already stick-ons).

BoD already had stand and lights... others didn't. BoD already entered Aberdeenshire Cup + Shield (indeed finalists that season) and U20s... others didn't. BoD had humped several HL sides in Scottish Cup. Yet with 4 clubs going for 3 places BoD came 4th.

League records were:

Banks o'Dee
2006-07     3rd in North Junior Superleague
2007-08     champions of North Junior Superleague
2008-09     champions of North Junior Superleague

Turriff
2006-07     5th in North Junior Superleague
2007-08     7th in North Junior Superleague
2008-09     12th in North Junior Superleague

Formartine
2006-07     7th in North Junior Superleague
2007-08     13th in North Junior Superleague = relegated
2008-09     2nd in North Junior First Division = promoted

Strathspey
2006-07     8th in North Junior First Division
2007-08     5th in North Junior First Division
2008-09     3rd in North Junior First Division

Similar to Ferranti Thistle (Meadowbank Thistle) getting elected to the Scottish League in 1974/75 ahead of Inverness Thistle, as Tom Fagan (and others) thought it was too far for Albion Rovers (and others) to travel. (And Inverness Thistle were a lot stronger than Ferranti Thistle.)

Edited February 5, 2022 by Jacksgranda

[FairWeatherFan]

39 minutes ago, HibeeJibee said:

Haven't both these explanations... that they hadn't applied properly, and they didn't do a Powerpoint presentation before the vote... been shown to be myths?
 

When the 10 year anniversary came along and the threads from the time were dug up I went through them to see what happened at the time. The idea that they didn't turn up at the final meeting was never mentioned. However, there were plenty of dead links to P&J/other newspaper articles with the subsequent comments that showed plenty of dithering in the months leading up to the final vote.

 

 

[stanley]

25 minutes ago, Jacksgranda said:

Similar to Ferranti Thistle (Meadowbank Thistle) getting elected to the Scottish League in 1974/75 ahead of Inverness Thistle, as Tom Fagan (and others) thought it was too far for Albion Rovers to travel. (And Inverness Thistle were a lot stronger than Ferranti Thistle.)

It is a travesty that Ferranti were elected ahead of Inverness Thistle. Ferranti weren't even a very strong EoS side at all. I wonder how different things would have been had Inverness Thistle been elected and I wonder how Caley would have fared in the Highland League had Thistle joined the SFL.

 

On another note, is it likely that the Highland League will become extremely dominated by Aberdeen (+Aberdeenshire)/Dundee sides in the future?

[FairWeatherFan]

12 minutes ago, stanley said:

On another note, is it likely that the Highland League will become extremely dominated by Aberdeen (+Aberdeenshire)/Dundee sides in the future?

Yes. It's going to take more of a swing to the City of Aberdeen area in particular/Tayside.

The top half of the current North Super League basically goes 1) Aberdeen 2) Aberdeen 3) Aberdeen 4) Aberdeen 5) Aberdeen 6) Montrose 7) Aberdeen. It's quite rare for a Moray/Highland area Junior club to have a prolonged stint in at Super League level.

Midlands explains itself.

[welshbairn]

1 hour ago, FairWeatherFan said:

However, there were plenty of dead links to P&J/other newspaper articles

Could only find this working link, seems the P&J have purged/lost their archives. Doesn't sound like BoD were wholeheartedly keen on promotion, nor that the HL were hostile to them at that stage.

https://web.archive.org/web/20120212232815/http://www.eveningexpress.co.uk/Article.aspx/958081?UserKey=

It's worth remembering that although Formartine had plenty money to spend on players their pitch was like a potato field for at least 5 years after they joined, they were close to Fort William in terms of postponements. Eventually they spent some money on drainage and it was sorted.

Edited February 4, 2022 by welshbairn

[FairWeatherFan]

22 minutes ago, welshbairn said:

Could only find this working link, seems the P&J have purged/lost their archives. Doesn't sound like BoD were wholeheartedly keen on promotion, nor that the HL were hostile to them at that stage.

https://web.archive.org/web/20120212232815/http://www.eveningexpress.co.uk/Article.aspx/958081?UserKey=

It's worth remembering that although Formartine had plenty money to spend on players their pitch was like a potato field for at least 5 years after they joined, they were close to Fort William in terms of postponements. Eventually they spent some money on drainage and it was sorted.

I suppose the thing to remember about all this is that the Highland League had been at 15 clubs for years. The only reason this application process kicked off was due to Formartine United getting relegated from the Super League in what they saw as an unfair circumstance.

They then applied to the HL in a huff, and were undoubtedly the most proactive applicant. Even then they only got 11 votes with BoD 5 for the final spot.

 

 

[LongTimeLurker]

2 hours ago, Jacksgranda said:

Similar to Ferranti Thistle (Meadowbank Thistle) getting elected to the Scottish League in 1974/75 ahead of Inverness Thistle, as Tom Fagan (and others) thought it was too far for Albion Rovers (and others0 to travel. (And Inverness Thistle were a lot stronger than Ferranti Thistle.)

That was a complete joke of a decision but Falkirk having their Scottish Cup tie against Inverness Thistle postponed 29 times later on that decade would be the more acceptable sort of reason for central belt clubs being wary. Was there not a feeling that it was the wrong applicant in Inverness terms and that a Caley application might have been viewed more favourably?

[LongTimeLurker]

2 hours ago, stanley said:

...On another note, is it likely that the Highland League will become extremely dominated by Aberdeen (+Aberdeenshire)/Dundee sides in the future?

Extremely may be pushing it a bit but I'd be surprised if BoD, Lochee United, Tayport, Carnoustie Panmure and Broughty Athletic are not in the HL ten years from now. After that the ML champion might start to struggle in the playoff as the low hanging fruit will be gone. Think the big question mark is how quickly other top north region clubs in and around Aberdeen other than BoD go for licensing.

[Jacksgranda]

11 hours ago, LongTimeLurker said:

That was a complete joke of a decision but Falkirk having their Scottish Cup tie against Inverness Thistle postponed 29 times later on that decade would be the more acceptable sort of reason for central belt clubs being wary. Was there not a feeling that it was the wrong applicant in Inverness terms and that a Caley application might have been viewed more favourably?

I can't remember all the fallout  now, but that might have been the driving force behind the eventual merger application.

I don't think Caley would have got in in 1974 either, but that's just my opinion.

[welshbairn]

12 hours ago, FairWeatherFan said:

I suppose the thing to remember about all this is that the Highland League had been at 15 clubs for years. The only reason this application process kicked off was due to Formartine United getting relegated from the Super League in what they saw as an unfair circumstance.

They then applied to the HL in a huff, and were undoubtedly the most proactive applicant. Even then they only got 11 votes with BoD 5 for the final spot.

 

 

I wonder if some of the clubs thought BoD would get an unfair home advantage by being the only club with a plastic pitch?

[GNU_Linux]

[Whitburn Vale]

On 05/02/2022 at 08:45, welshbairn said:

I wonder if some of the clubs thought BoD would get an unfair home advantage by being the only club with a plastic pitch?

Cove had their fingers all over what happened with BoD....they wanted BoD nowhere near the HL !!

 

[Jacksgranda]

52 minutes ago, GNU_Linux said:

 

104 goals in 17 games. 

[TheScarf]

BoD must be playing Saturday-Wednesday-Saturday for the rest of the season now.

[kevsmart]

13 hours ago, TheScarf said:

BoD must be playing Saturday-Wednesday-Saturday for the rest of the season now.

They are in Cup action next Saturday as well, 10 league games plus cup. noticed Bridge of Don only have 4 league games left. Anyone know when the league is meant to finish?

[welshbairn]

8 hours ago, kevsmart said:

They are in Cup action next Saturday as well, 10 league games plus cup. noticed Bridge of Don only have 4 league games left. Anyone know when the league is meant to finish?

Mid April.

[HibeeJibee]

On 07/02/2022 at 08:29, TheScarf said:

BoD must be playing Saturday-Wednesday-Saturday for the rest of the season now.

 

20 hours ago, kevsmart said:

They are in Cup action next Saturday as well, 10 league games plus cup. noticed Bridge of Don only have 4 league games left. Anyone know when the league is meant to finish?

 

11 hours ago, welshbairn said:

Mid April.

Hadn't appreciated there's another cup solely for North Superleague but it was drawn on Sunday.

By my reckoning their remaining program is potentially:

9x league games
4x round-robin games
2x playoff games
1x Aberdeenshire Shield     (Final v Huntly)
3x North Junior Cup     (QFs v Aberdeen East End > SFs > Final)
2x North Junior League Cup     (SFs v Culter/Dufftown > Final)
3x North Junior Superleague Cup     (QFs v tbc > SFs > Final)
eliminated from Scottish Cup
completed Aberdeenshire Cup
eliminated from Junior Cup
eliminated from North & Tayside Junior Cup
= 24

Edited February 8, 2022 by HibeeJibee

[GNU_Linux]

[Ray Patterson]

Banks O'Dee Chairman said their looking forward to the HL on AVFTT the other night so will defo be playing in the HL next season* and won't be dragging their heels again.

*assuming there isn't a Lochee United-type in PO.