Ten English Non-League New Save Ideas for FM24
Richard David Pike's Beyond The Big Five Newsletter: Edition 8
1) Barnet FC
The first English non-league save idea for FM24 sees you take a side who since being promoted to the English Football League (EFL) for the first time in 1991 have endured yo-yo periods between it and non-league. Founded in 1888, Barnet FC have spent a total of 21 years as an EFL club in three different stints (1991-2001, 2005-2013 and 2015-2018). The club currently sit in the 5th tier National League, a classification which could have worsened in 2020/21 when Barnet finished 22nd, normally a relegation spot, however, owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, promotion and relegation between tiers five and six was postponed for a season, earning Barnet a reprieve.
Since their last relegation from the EFL at the end of the 2017/18 season, Barnet have only once come close to a 4th EFL spell. That being the 2022/23 campaign when after a 5th placed regular season finish, The Bees lost to Boreham Wood in the playoffs. With last season’s runaway dominant National League forces in the shape of Wrexham and Notts County out of the way and promoted to the EFL, can you now lead Barnet to regain their EFL status for 2024/25 or sometime shortly after?
2) Altrincham FC
From a club with 3 past separate spells in the EFL under their belt in Barnet, we now for club number two in this challenge move to a club with no past EFL experience to call on. Altrincham were founded in 1891 and have spent the entirety of their existence in non-league, currently residing in the National League, first reaching their current level for the 1968/69 season, under its former Northern Premier League label. The Robins made significant headlines in the 2000’s National League scene when for 3 consecutive campaigns (2005/06 to 2007/08), the club was reprieved from relegation. The first reprieve came via enlargement of the division to 24 teams alongside Canvey Island’s voluntary demotion, the second due to Boston United’s financially conditioned double relegation, the third due to Halifax Town’s voluntary demotion.
Promoted back to the National League for 2020/21 after a four season absence, Altrincham have stabilised in non-league’s top tier since their return, recording 17th, 14th and 17th placed finishes in the three completed seasons since. Prior to the 2022/23 National League season, the club announced that they would adopt full-time professional status for the first time with a future target to reach the EFL. Can you be the coach to give Alty their EFL debut, following in the footsteps of fellow North-West clubs who have done similar since the new millennium such as Morecambe FC and Fleetwood Town?
3) Rochdale FC
Remaining in the North West for save idea number three, Rochdale AFC currently sit at a fascinating period of their 116 year history following a first-ever EFL relegation this summer, after a 102 year-unbroken spell following their EFL election in 1921. Throughout their entire time in the EFL, Rochdale spent 36 consecutive seasons in the bottom fourth tier between 1973/74 and 2009/2010, when at the end of the latter they won promotion to the third tier League One. Other noteworthy statistics on Rochdale’s time in the EFL include the lowest average finishing positions of all clubs with continuous EFL membership (76th when the EFL comprised 3 divisions and 79th upon the EFL expansion to 4 divisions from 1950/51 onwards).
With the fifth tier National League now being a fully-professional division with the exception of a few clubs, recently relegated EFL clubs struggle to bounce back from relegation at the first attempt. If you opt to choose Rochdale as your save, patience may the order of the day early-doors, nonetheless, returning Rochdale to the EFL will give those who opt for this new save ideas two fascinating long-term objectives. The first being to reach the 2nd tier EFL Championship given Rochdale hold the record for most EFL seasons without playing in the 2nd tier (95). The second is to reach the EFL Cup final again as Rochdale were the first 4th tier side to reach the final of a major cup competition in England in 1961/62, an EFL Cup final that they lost to Norwich City 4-0 on aggregate.
4) Boston United FC
Dropping into the regionalised sixth tier for the first time for team number four, Boston United are a club who represent an interesting new save idea, being the only one of seven tier six options in this guide who have previously played in the EFL. Founded in 1933, The Pilgrims first shot to prominence at the turn of the millennium after winning the Southern League in 1999/2000 and then just two seasons later winning the National League and a first promotion to the Football League for 2002/03. Boston’s EFL stay lasted just 5 seasons, never once threatening promotion to the 3rd tier and on the final day of 2006/07 being famously relegated after a loss vs Wrexham at the Racecourse Ground, a result which kept the Welsh side up at Boston’s expense.
Financial problems post-EFL stay meant a drop to the seventh tier Northern Premier League for 2008/09 before climbing back to National League North for the 2010/11 season, a level which they have remained at ever-since. After many years playing at York Street stadium before leaving at the end of 2019/20, The Pilgrims moved into their new Boston Community Stadium in December 2020 after a brief groundshare arrangement with fellow Lincolnshire club Gainsborough Trinity. Can you be the manager to lead Boston United on another adventure back into the EFL? Perhaps one long-term objective is to establish the club as top-dogs in Lincolnshire, eventually surpassing local EFL rivals Grimsby Town, Scunthorpe United and Lincoln City.
5) South Shields FC
The first of four newly playable clubs on the Football Manager series owing to starting play at a new highest-ever footballing level, South Shields FC have been a club going places in the last eight seasons. Into its third incarnation, South Shields was reformed for a third time in 1974 and up until 2018 had not gone beyond level 8 of the English Footballing pyramid. However, in 2015, South Shields began their modern-day transformation following a club takeover by local entrepreneur Geoff Thompson, investment which enabled The Mariners to win three consecutive promotions from level 10 to level 7 of the pyramid in addition to winning the 2016/17 FA Vase.
After being cruelly denied promotion to level 6 in 2019/20 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, South Shields, after 5 seasons at tier 7 and operating as a fully-professional club since 2021/22 finally won promotion to National League North for 2023/24. Famous names of Sunderland past are contributing to South Shields’ rise as the club’s manager with Kevin Phillips leading The Mariners to the historic National League North promotion. Can you now continue the South Shields rise on FM24 and attempt to do what another ex-Sunderland fans favourite turned manager in Julio Arca is attempting in real life. Escaping a very North-East heavy National League North featuring local rivals Spennymoor Town, Darlington FC, Blyth Spartans and Scarborough Athletic is your first objective, after that, the target is EFL football.
6) Warrington Town FC
Moving from the North-East to the North-West for the second FM24 debutant club we move to a town more associated with Rugby League than football but a club beginning to rise up the pyramid in the shape of Warrington Town. Founded in 1949, The Wire came to the attention of football fans across the UK in 2014/15 when playing in the 8th tier Northern Premier League Division One by reaching the FA Cup Second Round, defeating 4th tier League Two outfit Exeter City en-route in the First Round. Promotion to the 7th tier followed in 2015/16, which then after 7 years and several near-promotion misses saw Warrington Town finally reach the National League North for the first time, defeating Bamber Bridge in the promotion play-off.
Since promotion, the club have made news off-the-pitch by a need to conduct substantial work on their Cantilever Park stadium by March 2024 to bring it up to National League standards or face instant relegation, regardless of league position. On the pitch, the club also stunned observers with the recent signing of 30 year-old former Liverpool, Derby County, West Bromwich Albion, Norwich City and RB Salzburg defender Andre Wisdom after two years away from football. A marquee signing like this onboard gives you a reason to try Warrington Town as an FM24 save idea, can you continue their upward trajectory, one which could eventually lead to a future EFL promotion?
7) Rushall Olympic FC
The 3rd debutant team playable on FM24 sees us venture to the West Midlands. 2022/23’s Southern Football League final standings saw Tamworth FC, a name previously present at National League and National League North level make a return to tier 6 as champions, however, fellow West Midlands outfit Rushall Olympic were certainly not expected to join them in tier 6 for 2023/24. Founded in 1893 in Rushall, a northern suburb of Walsall Metropolitan Borough, The Pics crept into the Southern Football League play-offs in 5th place by just a solitary point, however, proved no easy fodder in the promotion play-offs. Firstly defeating Coalville Town, who missed automatic promotion away from home in the semi-finals, before then defeating Nuneaton Borough away from home in the final, both victories achieved on penalties by shoot-out score-lines of 4-3.
Rushall Olympic’s play-off promotion triumph formed part of a treble trophy haul, also achieving victories in the local Walsall Senior Cup and Staffordshire Senior Cup competitions. Rushall are underdogs going into their debut season in English football’s sixth tier, yet as manager Liam McDonald stated in a pre-season interview with the Express & Star, the club is already well-versed in defying odds with top five Southern Football League finishes in 2019/20, 2021/22 and 2022/23. Consolidation is the initial order of the day, however, as a long-term objective, try get The Pics into the EFL before then being noisy neighbours in surpassing Walsall FC.
8) Aveley FC
To complete a nice geographical spread of newly playable teams debuting in FM24 we now head to Essex and Aveley FC. Founded in 1927, a shock run to the 2019/20 FA Trophy Quarter Finals, where The Millers defeated higher division opponents such as Taunton Town, Biggleswade Town, Carshalton Athletic, Hornchurch and Chelmsford City proved a catalyst in a recent meteoric rise. Notts County ended the FA Trophy run, however, in the next completed club season, following the 2020/21 Covid affected campaign, Aveley won the tier eight 2021/22 Isthmian League North Division title. Not content with consolidation in the 2022/23 Isthmian Premier, Aveley finished 4th, defeated Canvey Island on penalties away in the playoff semi-final and overcame Hornchurch 1-0 in the final, securing a place in 2023/24 National League South.
At time of writing, Aveley’s astonishing rise continues under the management of Danny Scopes, currently sitting in the National League South play-offs after just 11 league games. Ex-EFL teams in the shape of Torquay United, Yeovil Town and Maidstone United FC share a league with the Parkside Stadium outfit, highlighting the scale of their progress. Can you continue the Aveley fairytale? One remarkable and quite tough challenge should you feel up for it is to try achieve a promotion to the EFL by end of 2026/27, to coincide with Aveley’s centenary celebrations.
9) Truro City FC
The penultimate challenge takes place in the UK’s most South-Western county Cornwall with its highest-ranked football club, Truro City FC. The White Tigers were founded in 1889 and looked a club on the rise after their 2010/11 Southern Premier League title victory which promoted them to the 2011/12 National League South. However after just a season playing at tier six, the club entered into administration part-way through the 2012/13 campaign, which very nearly led to extinction before local businessmen Philip Perryman and Peter Masters acquired the club.
What followed over the next decade has very much proved a rollercoaster ride. Relegation to the Southern League for 2013/14, a return to National League South for 2015/16, a failed near promotion attempt to National League, another relegation back to Southern League in 2018/19 before finally returning to National League South for 2023/24 after a 2022/23 Southern League playoff final victory over Bracknell Town. Truro City will move into a new 3,000 capacity stadium, scaled down from the 10,000 capacity failed Stadium for Cornwall project in time for 2024/25 and have agreed a temporary groundshare at 8th tier Plymouth Parkway’s Bolitho Park stadium. Cornwall is a county which has never had an EFL club, can you with the prospects of a new stadium on the horizon take Truro City there and create intra-Devon vs Cornwall rivalries with the likes of Exeter City and Plymouth Argyle?
10) Bath City FC
The final English non-league save worth trying in FM24 hails from county Somerset and a town where football is not the number one sport. Founded in 1889, Bath City’s most noteworthy era came in the 1970s and 1980s when The Romans spent over a decade consistently at tier five of the English pyramid. In a pre-winning promotion EFL-election era, Wigan Athletic were voted into the EFL by 26 votes to 23 at Bath’s expense in 1978, the controversial election system only being abolished in 1986. Since relegation from the National League in 1996/97, Bath City have only spent two seasons back at tier 5 of English football, being stuck for much of the 21st century at tier 6.
As aforementioned, football is not the main draw for Bathonian’s, with Rugby Union being preferred. At the same time of Bath City’s National League stagnation throughout the mid 1980s to early 1990s, Bath Rugby emerged as English Rugby Union best side. However, 1995/96 proved Bath Rugby’s last Premiership Rugby title, the once dominant force being surpassed in recent decades by Saracens, Leicester Tigers & even in recent seasons by South West rivals Exeter Chiefs and Bristol Rugby. After the agony of missed election in 1978, can you now take Bath to a first-ever EFL promotion? Overcoming fierce Somerset rivals Yeovil Town, now at the same level as you will prove an interesting first hurdle.