Love Thy Neighbour? Absolutely Not! | Vital Football

Love Thy Neighbour? Absolutely Not!

Interesting read Scotimp, thanks. New Brighton on The Wirrall were a similar Merseyside story and it will be astonishing if Fylde, Fleetwood and Blackpool all survive treading on each others toes.
 
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Fylde and Fleetwood are very interesting - I intended to cover this in the article, but it was already long enough!

It is common knowledge that a very large number of Blackpool supporters are boycotting the club until the Oystons are gone. It is entirely possible that some of these have washed up at Fleetwood in lieu, and AFC Fylde are aware that part of their support base definitely consists of disaffected Blackpool fans.

The question arises over what happens to Fylde in particular once those supporters return to Bloomfield Road, which surely the majority will. No one knows how many we are talking about, but Fylde in particular have no immediate population to speak of to sustain them. The town of Kirkham has a population of just over 7,000, which is not enough to support a FL team by a long chalk (and before anyone tries the Nailsworth argument, FGR have a substantial population in Stroud). Fleetwood may stand a better chance of survival because they have been established for longer and have a larger population (26,000). However, it will be interesting to see what happens to attendances at both Fleetwood and Flyde when Blackpool are Blackpool again.
 
Good read and very interesting, funnily enough I have actually been to Darwen FC for a meeting we used their function room.

Nice little club only about 1.5 miles from Ewood Park. Turn left off the motorway instead of right for those that went to Blackburn in the Cup.

Darwen FC today below:-

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I notice that another former League Club has been slowly rising through the leagues over the last few years and I wonder if they can piggy back to success on the recent struggles of its much bigger City rival.

Bradford (Park Avenue) are joint top of the National North and are enjoying their biggest average attendance (540) since reforming in 1988.

They went out the League in 1970 after finishing bottom 3 years on the trot and were still amazingly averaging 3,137 that season.

They actually beat York City 4-1 away last weekend (Wow York have fallen a long way!)
 
Casperimp said:
I notice that another former League Club has been slowly rising through the leagues over the last few years and I wonder if they can piggy back to success on the recent struggles of its much bigger City rival.

Bradford (Park Avenue) are joint top of the National North and are enjoying their biggest average attendance (540) since reforming in 1988.

They went out the League in 1970 after finishing bottom 3 years on the trot and were still amazingly averaging 3,137 that season.

They actually beat York City 4-1 away last weekend (Wow York have fallen a long way!)
Click to expand...

Different club. The original club folded in 1974.
 
Scotimp said:
Different club. The original club folded in 1974.
Click to expand...

Like so many before them, to name just a few.

Aldershot
Newport County
AFC Wimbledon
Accrington Stanley
Chester
Rangers (although they conveniently kept their history for some reason)
Halifax Town
etc etc.

I think what this proves is that clubs very rarely actually die and often come back in another guise.

Be great to see Bradford (Park Avenue) back though it's such an evocative name!
 
Always remember when I used buy the shoot magazine in the 80s when I was kid that they used to say in that that Kenny Hibbert was the last player still playing who had played for Bradford Park Avenue when they were a league side.
 
Casperimp said:
Rangers (although they conveniently kept their history for some reason)
Click to expand...

That is a real bone of contention up here.

Perhaps I should change my name to Charles Dickens and claim ownership of Great Expectations and the rest...
 
And what about those two new clubs?
Harry Kewells Notts County
And Frank Lampards Derby County?
In Jimmy Jocko land there is of course........
Steven Gerrard Rangers.......well that's what they are named as in the national rags!
 
Casperimp said:
...
Bradford (Park Avenue) are joint top of the National North...
They actually beat York City 4-1 away last weekend (Wow York have fallen a long way!)
Click to expand...

Sean Newton scored York's goal.

Bradford PA are an interesting case, they were amongst the first of the "phoenix" clubs and are currently owned by a Texan billionaire (though he was originally from Bradford). Although he funds the club they still have a reasonably modest budget but put a lot of work into community links.

A lot of us will remember that they are, in fact, simply "Bradford", and they used to appear in the football results like that. It's a real bone of contention with their older fans when Bradford City get called by what they consider to be their name.

We had that game against them at Sincil Bank in the late 60s during their demise when we were two up in the first minute an 4-0 ahead after 10. Clive Ford will probably remember that one better than me.

They lost their league place to Cambridge United when they were voted out, surprisingly as most people expected Newport to get the chop if anyone, but they got a lot of bad publicity that season (69-70?) when their Chairman decided to pick the team himself, and that worked against them.

Who knew that far from being a egomaniac the guy was actually a trail-blazer for interfering chairmen, and his actions repeated rather close to home.
 
Unfortunately for them, Bradford had finished bottom three years in a row and applied for re-election for four in a row. Probably fully justified on that basis.
 
Scotimp said:
Unfortunately for them, Bradford had finished bottom three years in a row and applied for re-election for four in a row. Probably fully justified on that basis.
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Probably Scot, though I'm pretty sure that Newport were favourites to go out.

During last Tuesday's commentary Thommo kept going on about John Helm being at the game. For all those who wonder about commentator bias I do know for certain that Bradford (Park Avenue) was John Helm's team.
 
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