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The final paragraph of today's FA statement hints at the possibility of the planned restructure of Steps 4-6 going ahead.


"It has also been decided that, subject to FA Council’s decision regarding the curtailment of the season at Steps 3 to 6, both committees will revisit discussions around a potential restructure at Steps 4-6 of the NLS, which was previously agreed and has been on hold since the 2019-20 season. A further update on this will be provided in due course."

 

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The restructuring of Non-League Step 4 directly affects Ilkeston Town FC.

There are currently 7 step 4 leagues and this is being increased to 8.

The Northern Premier League has been chosen to expand its two Step 4 divisions to three.  The current NPL Step 4 leagues are :  the South East Division and the North West Division.  

The names or geographical areas of the three newly created divisions which will replace the North West and South East Divisions have not been announced but every effort is being made to minimise travelling.

The addition of 20 new teams being upgraded to step 4 will mean each division however geographically split will contain several new teams. 

The geographical split could be :
North Division, South Division and Central Division or
East Division, West Division and Central Division or
North West Division, South East Division and Central Division or
some other geographical split


Whatever division Ilkeston are placed in, the makeup of the teams competing for promotion will be different.


 

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Ollie Bayliss[/url] [url=https://twitter.com/Ollie_Bayliss]@Ollie_Bayliss 
Mark Harris, FA’s Alliance Committee vice-chairman on the @NonLeagueShow: The Step 4-6 reorganisation “is something we’re all keen to explore. But the sad reality is, we live in times where clubs can go to law, you’ve got make sure that any decision you make is legally robust.”  

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LOUGHBOROUGH DYNAMO

 

LEE REFLECTS ON CURTAILMENT DECISION    BY KIERAN KING

 The gaffer has a message for the Dynamo fans...So, that's the season come to a close and unfortunately we have not been able to see where we could have gotten to had the season been allowed to continue. I had and do have great belief in this group of players and I am convinced that had the season resumed then we would have been there or thereabouts in and around the top 5 come the end of it all. It is a difficult pill to swallow but the more time that has passed, the more I'd prepared myself for the inevitable disappointment that the season would be cancelled. I don't think it would have been fair to settle anything on a PPG basis - it is too early for that. Whether the season could have been continued once lockdown restriction end- maybe. Either way, I cannot be bitter about it as other clubs have been more deserving of progress last season than ourselves this time round. Leek and Stamford should have been promoted last year- it wouldn't be fair for the FA to ratify something different this time around. Likewise, I wouldn't have wanted to be handed anything on a plate. It is a shame, but all we can do is focus on moving forwards.

First of all I have to say a thank you to the club, board, volunteers and fans for their support in what has been difficult and testing times for every club. The stop-start nature of the season has gotten to everybody in some way and for me personally, as someone who likes to be organised and plan ahead, it makes things tricky and takes you out of your comfort zone. For players, knowing when to try and peak their fitness has been a constant guessing game. a frustration for everyone.

A word on the players and staff though, most of whom have been with us for 2-3 years now. They have been a credit to me, the club and themselves. Many of the lads have come on leaps and bounds this year on both a personal level but also collectively. I am seeing huge improvements in players games and am excited for what comes next. It has taken me and the staff/squad 3 years to build up to where we are now and build a change in mentality and culture that it is not ok to just 'compete' in games when you play for me or the club. We have to win games and overcome challenges. We have found ourselves in second place, only on goal difference to a strong Leek side having faced probably the worst injury crisis I've known since becoming a manager. Running on a small squad, at one point we had 9 players out injured, square pegs in round holes, wingers playing full back, full backs at centre half etc but we just kept winning games of football- that's when togetherness of a good group shines through. I've always said team spirit is worth 15 points a season and that was definitely the case earlier on in this campaign.

I look back to games like Stocksbridge where we were down to 9 men for the best part of 40 minutes and we won the game 2-0. What went into winning that game was more than just good footballers, it was personality and character.For me, it is about taking all of that forward now. I want to keep the group of players together who I feel have unfinished business in this division. We need to show that what happened in the first 12 games of this season wasn't simply a 'good run' but actually one of a side that can consistently keep up that level of performance. That is the gauntlet i'll be laying down to the players in the off season. 

In the mean time, I am in contact with 4/5 people from other clubs to see if we can arrange a Leicestershire based Champions League style tournament to ensure we have some semi-competitive football to look forward to once it is safe for things to resume. This will obviously be dependent on crowds and use of facilities etc but gives us something to look forward to and will hopefully take more shape over the next week or 2.  Stay safe and hopefully see you all soon.
Gaffer 

 

wonder if we will hear from the club now about the 3g pitch being installed 

lol funny enough i drove past today .... dont half miss the place .