Greater Glasgow PAFL 2017 Season Preview
As the start of the Great Glasgow Football Premier League gets closer and closer, I have put a bit of information about how they have done last year and what the goal is this year. An interesting league and a lot of nice guys working for the Greater Glasgow PAFL.
With the majority of the teams in the three divisions, saying that they are feeling like they have a strong team going into this season and the rest declaring it is to early to say at this point.
I have taken a look last seasons finishes, I will be updating team news closer to the season, once signing is completed. You can catch regular updates of the league, and catch all results by following on twitter, @__SportCentral.
Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read this today, get it touch with me for any feedback and to have your opinion. You can tweet me at @__SportCentral, (two underscores), or you can email me enquiries at sportcentral@mail.com and I will always reply.
Division 1
Calderglen AFC - 7th place in Division 1 ending on 22 points. Despite a slight struggle last year for Calderglen they will still be a team that has a lot of potential to do well this season and they are one of the Division 1 clubs that remain in the league and will be playing a lot of opposition that spent last season in a different division.
Cambria AFC - 8th place in Division 1, ending on 21 points. A similar situation for Cambria AFC as they finished in 8th place, they to this year will hope to score just a couple more goals here and there which makes such a massive difference in a competitive Great Glasgow Division 1.
Dynamo East Kilbride AFC - 5th place in Division 1 ending on 27 points. Last season Dynamo East Kilbride came a mid place finish but as the teams above them will know, it takes a new striker or a few goals here and there to make all of the difference, and change your finishing position dramatically.
Eaglesham AFC - Division 2 champions winning 13 out of 18 ending on 40 points. They have a very strong home record Eaglesham, and have made their home venue a fortrusse in division 2 winning 7 out of their 9 home games and conceding just 12 goals at their home ground.
Eastwood Parkmount 'A' AFC - 3rd placed in division 1, Eastwood won over half of their games and came just 1 point behind the runners up Newton Vale and 4 points behind the champions Eaglesham. Eastwood Parkmouth 'A' can bost the best defensive record in the second division as they only conceded 24 goals, and only 9 of them at home from 9 games, one more striker may have been the difference between 3rd place and 1st place last season.
Erskine AFC - Runners up last year in Division 1, ending on 36 points, winning 12 matches. A very successful season for Erskine AFC last season and they will be ready to go in Division 1. Their excellent season last year will put them in a good position and a side to look out for going into this season.
Glasgow University 'A' AFC - The university team came 4th last season in division 2 and won over half of their games. A good season in Division 2 last season for Glasgow University 'A', but now in Division 1, they will want to repeat what they accomplished last year in the top division.
GSC Jordanhill AFC - 5th placed in Division 2 last season, 28 points in the league and won 8 of their games. A good opportunity for GSC Jordhanhill this year as they are in DIvision 1 and will be keen to get going and get underway and look to get the first win on the board.
Newton Vale - Runners up in Division 2, despite losing less games that Eaglesham AFC, they drew 4 out of their 18 games and came second by 3 points. Last season, Midfielder Kevin McFarlane scored 23 goals in 31 games. Midfielder/Striker, Martin Jones 19 goals in 31 games and midfield partner Nad Zeb scoring 18 goals from 30 games. A very dangerous midfield who scored a lot of goals between them last year, Kevin McFarlane, Nad Zeb, Kieran Zeb, Martin Jones and Marc McFarlane. Newton Vale scored the most goals in Division 2 last year. They are very solid defesively also as they have a goal difference of 28.
Robslee AFC - Champions of Division 1 winning 13 games out of 18 ending on 39 points. They won the division and will be the team with the traget on their backs this season. The famous saying is that it is hard to get the top but it is harder to stay there. For me, this is a huge, but exciting season for Robslee as they set out to retain their well deserved top division championship.
St Patrick's FP AFC - 9th in Division 1, they won 5 of the 18 ending on 16 points. St Patrick's FP will be looking for a better season this year as they begin the year as they at home to Culquhoun AFC in the Presidents League Cup Section 3. They will hope to make their home ground a fortrusee to have a good season in Division 1.
Strathclyde University AFC - 3rd in Division 1, winning 10 of the 18 games. A strange season last year for Strathclyde University, they only won 2 of their 9 home games, despite coming 3rd in the top division. Most of the time this would mean a dissapointing season, but they won all but one on the road, winning 8 of the 9 matches and conceding just 10 goals away from home. This impressive away record kept them in the league and presented them with a strong league finish, a few wins at home this season my make them serious championship contenders.
Division 2
Ashvale Victoria - Coming 9th in the second division wasn't the ideal season for Ashvale Victoria, but they do have Division 2 experience on their side this year as they remain in the league. They will hope to continue wining their home games and picking up points to have a strong season.
Carbrain - The third team to be promoted was Carbrain and despite coming first they have an excellent home ground record from last season having only lost 1 game at home. Impressive defensively throughout last season gave them the edge to be in 3rd place.
Crookston Castle - Last seasons Division 3 runners up Crookston Castle will be ready to go again in Division 2 as last season they proved to be a free scoring team, scoring 89 goals from just 20 games and deserving the promotion to Division 2. That being said the competition gets harder and it will be an important season for Crookston Castle.
East Kilbridge Y.M. - Having won more games away from home and having a good defensive record away from home throughout the whole of last year. They will hope to improve on their 8th place finish this year in Division 2.
FC Baillieston - A 5th place finish for FC Baillieston last year means that this year in Division 2, they will be hoping to recall a similar feet, if not place higher. They won half of their games and have a favorable goal difference and they will hope this does not change this season.
Glasgow University 'B' - Having come 4th in Division 2, but yet level on points with Carbrain, they came 4th based on their goal difference. Although they were outstanding defensively, they unfortunately did not score enough goals, falling 28 short of Carbrain. The signing of a striker may be the difference this year as they find themselves a league higher in Division 2.
John Street - John Street came 6th in the third division last season, but got promoted to Division. They will have to fight this year to stay up, but it is an exciting year for John Sport as they will have to start well.
North Kelvin Sports - Having come 8th in Division 3 this year, it will be tough for North Kelvin Sports in the league above but they have got a lot of teams around them they can beat and this is what makes the Division 2 a very tight league to call this year.
Rannoch 'A' - They came level on points in division 3 with North Kelvin Sports last season, they did however have a good defensive record and will hope that continues. They will have had a long off season of recruiting so hopefully will be goals galore at Rannoch this year.
Renfrew Thistle - Renfrew Thistle has a struggle of a season last year as they came 10th out of 10 in Division 1, but now they find themselves in Division 2 and will have that top division experience on their side as they hope for a much better season. Despite the position they ended in, Renfrew Thistle can bost a good home record last season, and they will look to continue that this season.
Third Lanark - Last season Third Lanark won Division 3 having only lost 1 game and that was away from home. They will be hoping that in the new league they find themselves in, they will hope for the unbeaten home record to continue, and this will be an exciting season for all at Third Lanark.
Westerlands 'A' - They came 7th last year in Division 2, but based on the league this season, they are the team that came highest last season, based on who is in the division this season. They will hope to improve on their defensive record this year, but after a long off season they will be ready to go.
Division 3
Bellaire - A brand new club in the Greater Glasgow League, they will be a surprise and I am sure that everybody is looking forward to seeing them get underway and see how they get on.
Boswell - Another new club for the league and they will be an unknown side which may give them an advantage.
Busby - Busby are a club that have rejoined the league this season and will begin in division 3 and will be a surprise to all.
Carradale - Yet another new side, which is always good to see. Carradale will hope to be the team that shine in an unpredictable Division 3. They join from the WOS. Lets see how they do in the GGPAFL division 3.
Colquhoun United - Culquhoun United came bottom of the 3rd division last year, but with a lot of new teams, they will hoping the fact they have already jelled together well will earn them a much better finish this season.
E.K.R.R. - Having been relegated from the division above, EKRR will hope for a better season, they have with them the experience for the league above to bring down and use, and for them, they will hope that it pays off. They will be hoping to return to Division 2 at the end of the season.
Eastwood Parkmount 'B' - Although it was a tough season for Eastwood Parkmount 'B', they have an impressive home record to brag about. They scored 25 goals at home compared to just 12 away from home, so this season they will look to make their home turf a winning only zone and get themselves into division 2.
Helenburgh - Another club joining from the WOS, that will remain unknown at this moment in time. They will add to the mystery of the tough GGPAFL division 3. Helenburgh are a club that will bring experience into a league with a lot of clubs that have been formed this season, this may have an advantage, but at this stage division 3 is to tough to tell.
Newshot - The new club, appropriately named Newshot are another team that will be unknown to the rest. They will add to the mystery of the already unpredictable division 3. From a personal stand point, the new clubs make this league the most interesting for me, the fear of the unknown, and also it is great to see new clubs form and do well.
Rannoch 'B' - With their first team already being well known in the GGPAFL, they will be known within reason. They are a club that are strong and have been able to provide a second team/B team this season, which is always nice to see.
South Lochaber - The third club to have joined from WOS. They will also be a team that are experienced in playing together, but part of the unknown in the GGPAFL. South Lochaber are a club that will add the element of mystery.
St Thomas - A club formed in 2017, St Thomas are another club that will be new on the block this season. They will hope to get underway with a bang and win as many games as possible in their first season. The formation of new clubs is something that I think is absolutely brilliant to see and exciting to watch.
Westcliffe - Westcliffe are new boys on the block and will remain a mystery for everyone they face this year. An exciting time for the club and I am very much looking forward to seeing how the new club get on.
Westerlands 'B' - They won 5 games last year in division 3, but they have a strong away record earning more points, scoring more goals and conceding less goals away from home, they will hope to have a strong home record this year and then be able to have a good place on the ladder at the end of the season.
Summary
I am excited for the start of the season, especially with the unknown elements provided in division 3 as many new clubs have joined a strong Greater Glasgow league and I will be bringing you a lot of updates, that relate to scores, transfers, fixtures and standings. I am looking forward to see how Robslee get on this season as they set out to retain their Championship.
Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read this today, get it touch with me for any feedback and to have your opinion. You can tweet me at @__SportCentral, (two underscores), or you can email me enquiries at sportcentral@mail.com and I will always reply.
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