Following the recent coming together of the Central Midlands League, and the Midlands Regional Alliance, to form the Central Midlands Alliance ahead of the 2023/24 season, Linby Colliery are now one of 15, Nottinghamshire-based clubs.
Church Lane will still host Premier South football in the new campaign, alongside that of fellow Notts clubs, Arnold Town, Mansfield Hosiery Mills, Nottingham and Teversal, whilst there’ll be a couple of new faces as well.
Four new sides will join us in the South when the new season kicks off, and they are AFC Normanton, Bakewell Town, Melbourne Dynamo, and Mayfield; Normanton were promoted as champions of Division One East, Melbourne Dynamo as champions, and Mayfield runners-up, in Division One West, whilst Bakewell have been laterally moved from the North, where they finished ninth last season.
Discussing the changes, and looking ahead to the new season, Linby boss, Matt Perberday said: “Yes, there’s been a few changes with the league, but it’s a similar amount of quality in there as well.
“We always look to do better than the previous campaign and, with a lot of familiar opponents, it’ll be competitive enough.
“Last season, we let ourselves down – we had lots of compliments (Clay Cross, Mickleover etc) about us, that we should be higher up the league.
“We squandered too many chances though, so it’s the small improvements that we need to make, and that will help us massively.
“It’s not easy though, all of these lads are amateur, not professional, footballers, and they don’t get paid for playing/training, a good eleven months of the year.
“And there’s the volunteers behind the scenes as well, all of whom do a great job here, but again, aren’t paid for that.”
Meanwhile, our Reserves will play in Division One East, alongside five other, Notts-based clubs in Blidworth Welfare, Clipstone Reserves, Ollerton Town Reserves, RHPSS, and Teversal Reserves.
The divisional lay-out for next season, concerning the two Linby Colliery clubs, is as follows –
CMA Premier South (18 teams) – AFC Normanton, Arnold Town, Bakewell Town, Cromford & Wirksworth Town, Derby Singh Brothers, Graham Street Prims, Holbrook St. Michaels, Linby Colliery, Mansfield Hosiery Mills, Mayfield, Melbourne Dynamo, Mickleover RBL, Mickleover Reserves, Nottingham, Pinxton, South Normanton Athletic, Teversal, Wirksworth Ivanhoe
CMA Division One East (12 teams) – Ashland Rovers, Blidworth Welfare, Clipstone Reserves, Kirton Brickworks, Linby Colliery Reserves, Long Bennington, Ollerton Town Development, RHPSS, Shirebrook Rangers & Juniors, Teversal Reserves, Sleetmoor United, Pilsley
Fixtures for the 2023/24 Central Midlands Alliance League campaign, will be released in due course.
