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It’s Tuesday. The day after the mammoth weekend that defined a lot of club’s seasons but it also didn’t make things much clearer for a lot of clubs up and down the country.
My own club Barnet are a single point away from a Football League return, it’s been a closer run promotion than it promised a few weeks ago but looking below the National League it’s going to be a long week for many of those supporters who are on edge for the next few days.
Elation on Friday or Saturday, despair on Monday, or vice versa. It’s been four days of contrasting emotions and having been put through the ringer by their respective teams it’s not going to stop just yet, but whose chewing fingernails until the weekend and who is sitting a little more comfortably?
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The National League South is without doubt the league no-one wants to win. Any one of six, yes, six clubs could be crowned champions next Saturday afternoon. Just three points between the lot of them and none face each other in what will be the closest watched division all afternoon.
Three sides at home, three sides on the road. Truro hold the upper hand, two goals better off than Torquay Utd. Then come the Sussex pair of Worthing and Eastbourne Borough both a point worse off and two points further back the pre-season fancied pair of Boreham Wood and Dorking Wanderers, but who takes it and condemns the rest to the play-offs?
The National League North has half the excitement, one of three will come away with the title. Two points separating three sides at the start of the day, the title favourites in third place and with the toughest tie of the lot.
Scunthorpe Utd head to Hereford, the home side still needing points to ensure they are in the top seven come the end of the afternoon. Kidderminster are also on the road, holding off Brackley Town on goal difference currently, not as many permutations as their southern counterparts but enough to have plenty of people refreshing social media feeds all afternoon.
So if you think that’s pretty competitive which it is, then let me introduce you to the Isthmian Premier Division. Three teams all on 84 points going into the final weekend of action, the top two Billericay Town and Horsham separated by one goal, one single goal. Dartford are the third team in the equation, all three are at home this coming Saturday and two are going to be disappointed and having to make their way through the play-offs.
Whilst that division has it’s drama at the very top just underneath them the final weekend couldn’t have been scripted any better. Chichester City host Dover Athletic, a side playing at this level for the first time ever against a side who once harboured ambitions of being a Football League club.
The prize? Well, the winner takes the final play-off spot with victory, Dover hold the lead on goal difference, both locked in on 73 points. This is the kind of drama we love, not so much if you’re a fan of any of these sides with still so much to play for!
Whilst most clubs will finish their season on Saturday, the National League runs for one more matchday but before they conclude get yourselves along to a play-off game or two, so much riding on these, plenty of drama and excitement to come, get the popcorn ready!
