Brackley - Good or Bad? Or even, Ugly?

I'm in a quandary.  Am I happy or sad that Brackley lost out to the newly reformed Halifax in this afternoon's Conference North play-off final?  I suppose deep down, I'm not really fussed, but in the pursuance of wringing another blog out of  a Northamptonshire sporting failure that didn't involve us for a change, here goes -

Obviously I'd have liked Brett to get promoted back to Conference National.  It would also have been fun listening to Radio Northampton justifying not covering their games on the air next season.  It would have been quite nice for Jon Brady to have got his team up.  More broadly, it might have been good for Northants FA to have a team at Conference National level, because, let's face it, Corby, Scum II and the Poppies are a million miles away from that level.

However....

Turley - a face only a mother
or dealer could love

Does Conference National need a new member who attract only a few hundred fans?  We used to have ridiculous clubs like Fisher Athletic, with a handful of fans scrape their way into the top division in the past and they always seemed horribly out of place.  Should another rich person's plaything-team get into Conference National only to suffer when the money is inevitably withdrawn?  Darren Collins as Assistant Manager also cancels out any positive feeling gained by Brady.

So, all in all, pretty even.

Until you remember who Brackley have between the sticks.  Our old friend Spilly Turley.  Our old mucker from the mega-bucks, druggy, "glory" days of Direones.  Such is the baggage that man carries for any Poppies fan that his inclusion guarantees the vote against Brackley is carried.

Sorry guys, better luck next year, assuming of course Lawrie is your No.1!