Could a Hellenic side become the best reserves in the country and how far could they go?

Kidlington Reserves currently sit 16th in the Hellenic League Division One, with eight points from 13 games. Kidlington’s first team, known as the Greens, ply their trade in the Southern League Division One Central with their reserve side the sole mantle bearers for reserve and development sides in the league.

There is room for debate, however, with Sporting Club Inkberrow occupying fifth in Division One having started life as Inkberrow FC Reserves in 2016. Their rise through the leagues from the Stratford-upon-Avon Alliance to the Hellenic League saw them overtake their ‘first team’ with a name change to Sporting Club Inkberrow along the way.

SANDS ROAD, HOME OF SC INKBERROW

Inkberrow aside, where do Kidlington's reserve side sit in the pyramid compared to their fellow second strings and development teams across the country?

Running at the same level as Hellenic Division One is the Thurlow Nunn League, also known as the Eastern Counties League, which contains AFC Sudbury Reserves and U23 sides for Needham Market and Leiston in the First Division North. The Southern Combination Football League Division One is home to Dorking Wanderers B, who’s first team are well known for the ‘Bunch of Amateurs' series following their rise to the National League. Leighton Town Development play in the Spartan South Midlands League alongside Royston Town U23. Last season’s Hellenic Premier Division Champions Cribbs also have a reserve team, although not competing within the Hellenic system but in the Western League Division Division One.

So that leaves 4 of the 16 other leagues at Hellenic Division One level with competitors for the title of highest placed reserve team. At the time of writing, Dorking Wanderers take the mantle as they sit second in the Southern Combination League Division One. With all these concurrent leagues, the highest placed reserve/development/U23/B team could change week in week out, this is how it currently stands at the time of writing, and just in time for the midweek fixtures to make it wrong again.

Interestingly enough, AFC Sudbury Reserves and Dorking Wanderers have an almost identical record, sitting on the same points total with Sudbury playing one more game with a record of 8-2-3 compared to Dorking’s 8-2-2 which is enough to put them four places higher in the Southern Combination Division One. Cribbs even boast a higher points tally, albeit by one, but find themselves seventh in the table. For now.

How high up could they go?

Step six is the peak for reserve teams, with Hellenic Division One the highest they can climb. Hellenic Division One is the gateway to the National League System, the first taste of the upper echelons of the best non-league system in world football, with assistant referees in place, leaving substitutes thankful to never hear ‘who’s running the line’ again. Why is that the limit? Because a reserve team cannot compete above step six.

Regulations: “7.2 Reserve teams, including a team from a club or Club which is not considered by the Committee to be sufficiently separate from another club or Club, will not be permitted to compete above Step 6 in the NLS. There must be a minimum of two Steps between a first and reserve team. This does not apply at Steps 6 and Feeder League level. No two teams from the same Club can play at the same Step.” - National League System Regulations.

THE STEPS

So while that is the limit for reserve sides, clubs can break away from their parent club and compete in their own right, or remain at that level to continue to develop players and provide playing time in an environment which could instil a winning mentality but could also pose the issue of not providing enough of a challenge to players dropping down from the first team.

The aforementioned Inkberrow are a prime example of where ambition and the multifaceted and widespread make up of the non-league game can take you, with what was once a reserve team able to rise to one league below the likes of former National League side Worcester City.

So for now Dorking B have the lead, but a good run of games could see the Hellenic league's own Kidlington FC Reserves become the highest-ranked reserve side in English football.