Page 4 - Deal Round Up December 2019

Another Successful Non
League Day
By David Richardson

The tenth instalment of Non-League Day was a roaring success – now let’s make sure
the event’s legacy continues!
The annual occasion was celebrated up and down the country in soggy but high spirits
on October 12th.
There was no shortage of media publicity or promotion by the country’s top clubs to
encourage their fans to turn out for their local clubs during the international break.
Big names from the game led by Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson also lent their support
with the former England manager recording a special video message to fans for Non-
League Day’s official charity Prostate Cancer UK.
Premier League Aston Villa, Crystal Palace and Southampton were among the top flight
clubs tweeting their support. Championship representatives included Preston North End
as the downpours of the weekend failed to dampen spirits.
Of course there were plenty of fantastic schemes and offers delivered by Non-League
clubs to draw in the crowds too.
We must now encourage our friends and ‘non-regulars’ to come back again throughout
the season after having a taste of the Non-League experience. Non-League Day doesn’t
have to be just once a year!

It’s that time of year when chairmen and owners start getting a bit twitchy over the trig-
ger. Recently we saw three National League managers axed within days of each other.
First, Craig Hignett left Hartlepool United and within a few hours Garry Hill was on his
way from Ebbsfleet United.
Craig Hignett (left), was
the first to go at Hartle-
pool United, followed
by Gary Hill at Ebbsfleet
(right). Then the surprise
sacking of Dave Chal-
linor at AFC Fylde caught
everyone out
Managerial departures come with the territory these days and nothing surprises anyone
in football. But many of us were caught off guard when Fylde made it a hat-trick on Sat-
urday by parting company with Dave Challinor.
It was only in May that the Coasters were celebrating FA Trophy glory at Wembley having
missed out on promotion to the Football League in the play-off final the week before.
It shows how quickly things can change in football following a bad start. Challinor can
probably feel a bit hard done by that their game was called off last weekend because of
Sutton’s travel problems. As it happened he ended up out of a job. He’ll have plenty of
suitors.
With most leagues having already played a healthy (or unhealthy depending on how you
look at it!) amount of games, the picture of how a club’s season might play out is starting
to become clearer.
Those in charge will be asking themselves, ‘stick or twist?’

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