RIGHT, you've just signed for a Non League team, you think you're a bit of a hotshot, the big 'I am' from the Football League, and guess what? You're not even guaranteed a place in the starting line-up.

Hang on a minute, have I woken up and suddenly landed in an age where the credit crunch is a new breed of apple? Here's little old me thinking that only the top four divisions in this land had enough cash to build a squad heaving with players warming benches, but no.

Take a look at the burgeoning news coming out of the Blue Square leagues this week and it seems anyone that wants to get ahead in this world has a couple of decent players for every position.

Yes that's right (and I say this through gritted teeth) SOME teams could find their star player nobbled on a Wednesday, and still have an equally star player ready for the Saturday. Non League just got better.

Take Gainsborough Trinity. Sandwiched in between some of the headlines about pre-season friendlies and hopes for the new season was a line on one of the websites about Steve Charles, manager of the Blue Square North club, saying (and I quote Nonleaguedailly.com) he's "warned Ian Ross he will not walk straight into his first-team after the midfielder became his latest signing."

Have I missed something? When did Non League football suddenly become awash with decent quality players?

When did my little old tinpot league become a land of plenty where it was acceptable to say "Oi Ronaldo, I pick the team. If I say you're only a half decent midfielder who does too many tricks for my liking, then that's what goes"? Where's the romance in that?

Some would say it's progress. Poppycock. I remember one hazy summer many moons ago when the mighty Claret of the Chelmsford City was adorned by a 30 stone, former fit midfielder making up the numbers in a pre-season friendly.

I loved the fact the opposition would fire shots at his belly to see whether the ball would be swallowed up or return five hours later after a bender somewhere around his belly button.I loved the fact that the line "even I could run quicker than him" would bounce around the corrugated sheets.

The sad fact is if it's proper decent football I'm looking for (where the half-time whistle is cue for the respirators to be carried on) then I may have to venture even further down the pyramid.

Some call the money and talent pouring into the Non League game progress, I call it the marginalization of the unfit dreamers who still clung onto that hope of one day getting their call to the big time.

Caroline and the team