Dorking Wandering
The Dorking Wanderers FC Fans Forum
Getting to that time of year where we can start to see the teams we will be facing next season. Obviously we don't know what league we will be in yet but we can see the confirmed teams so far for both.
NLS Confirmed Teams for 26/27 so far:
Dagenham & Redbridge
AFC Totton
Tonbridge Angels
Horsham
Slough Town
Hampton & Richmond Borough
Farnborough
Walton & Hersham (Southern Prem winners)
Folkestone Invicta (Isthmian Prem winners)
Truro City (Relegated from NL)
Braintree Town (Relegated from NL)*
Playoff places for both leagues are basically set as well, so we will see one of Gloucester, Farnham, Poole, Berkhamstead or Sholing from the Southern, and one of Aveley, Billericay, Brentwood, Chatham or Dartford from the Isthmian.
Will be interesting to see what league Gloucester go in if they win the Southern League playoffs. Recently have been in the NLN but they could switch with Braintree.
NL Confirmed Teams for 26/27 so far:
Hartlepool United
Woking
Tamworth
Wealdstone
Solihull Moors
Boston United
Altrincham
Yeovil Town
Gateshead
Sutton United
Aldershot Town
Eastleigh
Worthing likely to be added to this list, as well as either AFC Fylde or South Shields. Still not clear who will be coming down from League Two but Barrow and Harrogate Town are starting to get left behind.
Great thread 👍
Gloucester genuinely prefer NLN and Braintree genuinely prefer NLS so that is how that would go if Gloucester won the play offs
Talk from Braintree fans is that if they were put in NLN it would break them (the travel logistics) and they'd go down again
Had to google where Berkhampstead is to be quite honest. Their ground barely looks step 3 level, huge amount of work needed to make it step 2 standard (albeit they would have until the end of March).
Brentwood's ground isn't much better either!
In the case of both Berkham[pstead and Brentwood, they have both only just come up from step 4 last season, so another promotion would be astronomic.
But then you could say the same for Farnham potentially, albeit their owner is upgrading their ground at a rapid pace, and Walton & Hersham are also rising the leagues too
On the flipside there are some fantastic places to visit in the NL, proper stadiums, proper cities to visit, such a contrast. Lots of new grounds we haven't been to before - Boston, Sutton United, probably Carlisle and Harrogate, to name just some of them, a Blackpool trip again with Fylde...
I stand by my belief that in many ways we have outgrown this league we are in, we have always finished top 7 until now and to grow as a club we do need a promotion even if we'd be massively up against it in the NL
"Why would I leave to join a League Two club? We're going there anyway!" - Marc White
Should we remain in the NLS I would like to see Berkhamsted promoted as from a personal perspective it is a 5 min train journey for me👍 The station is on the outskirts of the town/high street which has several good pubs. The stadium is about a 10 min walk from the station and the town centre is sandwiched in between so everything is all within a good walking distance
The stadium is about a 10 min walk from the station and the town centre is sandwiched in between so everything is all within a good walking distance
Looks to me like the ground is about 30 seconds from the station!
And the Grand Union Canal 🤔
As you say High Street very close too, potentially a delightful away game
"Why would I leave to join a League Two club? We're going there anyway!" - Marc White
@dorking-eagle Would be a lovely away game in the opening month for sure😆
Feels like it will almost certainly be Gloucester or Farnham from that league.
Probably Aveley from the Isthmian 🙄
I think it's very unlikely Halifax will make the NL playoffs, and that could be confirmed tomorrow when Southend play one of their two games in hand.
