Re: Who might be joining the Vanarama South next season?

[Roy D Hacksaw]

Dipping form there after the 6-0...

Ha! Rather annoyingly for that tremendous gag, I put them in order of most recent game to least recent.

Still, good work, all the same!

[Roy D Hacksaw]

After today's battling win we can look a smudge more confidently at the National League South contenders to see who we may very well be playing next term - and there's been a lot of movement among the runners and riders at both the top and bottom of our neighbouring leagues.

In the Conference National, Welling went bottom and had their relegation confirmed, as did Kidderminster one place above them. But it's still everything to play for above that. Boreham Wood edged out of the drop zone today, but only by a single point, with Halifax and Altrincham nipping at their toes behind them. Guiseley and Chester still aren't out of the mire, but Kevin Nicholson's Torquay look to have done just enough to escape. So as it stands, we may only get one South team back from that lot - but Boreham Wood still aren't safe.

In the Isthmian, Hampton & Richmond all but confirmed their promotion today, and only a defeat in their final game followed by a run of mathematically freak results from their contenders can wrest it from them.

The four play-off spots are looking pretty solid too. East Thurrock and the in-form Bognor Regis confirmed their places today, while Tonbridge Angels and Dulwich Hamlet as good as take the final two places - but Enfield and Kingstonian can just about still nip them with some more freak maths events.

The Southern, however, is less cut-and-dried. Poole Town guaranteed us another seaside trip as they took the title with two games to spare, but the spots below are less certain, with seven sides still in with a shout. Hitchen are second in the table, but even they aren't certain of making  the knockout stages, while Leamington, Hungerford and Redditch are all bunched up together to make up the top five. But Weymouth, Kettering and even Chippenham are still close enough to all bag a place if the games go with them.

With so much still to play for it's impossible at this point to say exactly how many clubs will be going North and South. But will this finally be the year we get Gloucester or Worcester back to where they rightfully belong?

And after such a positive say I won't even begin to entertain who's likely to be joining the Southern League from below. Who wants to hear about Egham Town's results anyway?!

[comrade powell]

With us losing 'local' trips to Basingstoke and possibly Hayes and Havant, it's good that Hampton look to be replacing them along with Poole. And I assumed that if we stayed up it would be at St Albans expense - my favourite away day - but it looks like they are safe.

[Ashley]

On the bright side, those 3 trips we look like losing are hardly happy hunting grounds over the years

[comrade powell]

And Havant and Basingstoke are dreadful for decent pubs!

[Ashley]

I'm gutted we won't get to see those delightful flats behind the goal at Sutton any more

[stillmanjunior]

Havant is dreadful full stop. I expect they're still blaming their demise on our equaliser against them in February.

[Dave]

Happy for Hayes to stay up if they're at York Road for another year, especially if Margate replace them. The downside of Havant and Basingstoke going is we'll probably get Truro scheduled for Tuesday nights without the need for a postponement now, and someone like Poole too that would have been a decent Saturday awayday.

[Kelston Koppite]

I'm gutted we won't get to see those delightful flats behind the goal at Sutton any more

I hope you are not being sarcastic as they are, in my opinion, a truly classical design. I have always considered them unlucky not to be included as one of the 'Wonders of the Modern World'! Shame on you.

[comrade powell]

Well at least we can hopefully look forward to gazing at the Calor Gas depot at Concord once more....

[Ashley]

I'm gutted we won't get to see those delightful flats behind the goal at Sutton any more

I hope you are not being sarcastic as they are, in my opinion, a truly classical design. I have always considered them unlucky not to be included as one of the 'Wonders of the Modern World'! Shame on you.

[Roy D Hacksaw]

One point from Hayes and I reckon we're safe - so I might as well do some more speculation and tattle from the neighbouring leagues.

The bottom of the National National is still all to play for. Welling and Kiddy are definitely down, but six clubs are still in with a shout of the drop with two games left to play. Altrincham and Halifax currently make up the bottom two slots, with 41 and 44 points respectively. But Southerners Boreham Wood are only out of the drop zone on goals, and are also sat on 44. Guiseley and Chester, still aren't out of it, on 46 and 48 points, but Torquay will have to lose both of their last games and then all four clubs below them will have to win all of theirs for it to be an issue. Stranger things have happened - but not many.

The Southern's not far of being decided. Poole are definitely finishing the season as champs, and Redditch, Hungerford and Hitchen are all definitely in the play-offs. But the last slot is still up for grabs. Leamington currently fill it, and are three points clear of Weymouth, who have one game to play, and six clear of Kettering - who have two. All three sides have very similar goal differences, so it's up to Leamington to get a result on Saturday to bag the final play-off place.

Out East, the Isthmian suddenly got interesting again. Hampton & Richmond looked to have it in their grasp, but Bognor Regis have been scoring for fun as the mopped up all their Tuesday night catch up fixtures by massive scores. Now only three points and four goals separate the two sides, so a win for Bognor and a defeat for Hampton on the last day could see a dramatic last day turnaround.

Whatever happens, both are guaranteed a play-off slot, as are East Thurrock and Tonbridge Angels. The one slot still up for grabs will be battled out between Dulwich Hamlet and Enfield Town. Dulwich are two points clear, but have a vastly superior goal difference, so a draw on Saturday should bag it for them. But with Enfield snapping at their heels, a defeat could put them in trouble.

It's all getting very interesting!

[BenE]

Torquay are safe as Boreham Wood play Guiseley on Saturday.

[Luton Roman]

Fai play to B Wood for putting up decent fight after being nailed on for relagation from day 1. Could yet survive.

[Dave]

Please please please let Boreham Wood stay up, rooting for them in the AGM Cup if not

[Luton Roman]

Lol yes handy for me, but Boreham Wood High Street? ?

[Roy D Hacksaw]

Well, that was an exciting afternoon! Feels nice not to have to worry about how to prepare to play Chippenham and Merthyr next year. But it's also been pretty exciting on the last day of the two junior leagues below us in the hunt to decide who comes up a notch to the Conference South.

And none more so than in the Isthmian. Hampton & Richmond Borough were three points and four goals clear of Bognor Regis Town at the top, and only needed a draw against Enfield Town to win the league. But Bognor quickly raced to a four nil lead, meaning that if Enfield, still chasing the last play-off place, got a single goal, it would be Bognor who went up as champs. But Hampton held on for a goalless draw, sealing the title.

The Isthmian play-offs will now be as follows:

Bognor Regis Town v Dulwich Hamlet
East Thurrock United v Tonbridge Angels

And on the ridiculous form that Bognor have been in over the last month, you really wouldn't bet against them from sailing through the play-offs.

Meanwhile, in the Southern League, Leamington held on for a draw against the already qualified Hungerford, which put paid to a late charge by Kettering at the last ditch.

So the Southern League play-offs will be as follows.

Redditch United v Leamington
Hitchin Town v Hungerford Town

Poole Town went up automatically as champs, but only Hungerford - and Hitchin at a push - would automatically come South. Looks like slide rule time at Conference HQ!

And coming down from the National National, Welling are definitely coming back to join us, but Boreham Wood won a battling six-pointer against Guiseley, putting them a precious point clear of the drop. So, their fate is in their own hands at next Saturday's final game.

But who cares about all that right now, we survived! And in style! Nice one, lads!

[LB]

If there is a north/south imbalance hopefully nobody will get the idea that Lowestoft is in the south!

[2weirdtown]

C'mon Dulwich. They would definitely be a welcome addition.

[yuffie]

Doesn't look too promising for new grounds next season. Been to Hampton and all four Ryman play-off clubs plus Welling and Boreham Wood. Didn't go to Poole and Hungerford would be new so the best case is two unless we get someone new from the North.

As for the Ryman play-offs, I'd probably go for East Thurrock as we owe them one! And please spare us the hipster nonsense that would follow Dulwich.

[Sir Ged Roddy]

Doesn't look too promising for new grounds next season. Been to Hampton and all four Ryman play-off clubs plus Welling and Boreham Wood. Didn't go to Poole and Hungerford would be new so the best case is two unless we get someone new from the North.

As for the Ryman play-offs, I'd probably go for East Thurrock as we owe them one! And please spare us the hipster nonsense that would follow Dulwich.

I'm not sure what 'hipster nonsense' is, (probably something political, slightly left of Genghis Khan), but as the crowds at Dulwich have more than doubled, possibly trebled, I'd welcome any hipster nonsense that would increase our crowds.  The 1000BC group is doing a great job, so our crowds should grow.

[comrade powell]

No more Essex clubs please! Yes, it's nice to try out new places, but I can assure you that Poole is nothing great. More important to me is keeping the good places to visit, like St Albans and Maidenhead and losing the likes of Havant, Truro and Whitehawk (although Brighton is always worthwhile).

[Luton Roman]

Lower down AFC Dunstable are promoted to SL Central, a level below their fellow ground sharers Dunstable Town in the revamped council owned ground.
Can Odd Down go to SL West ? Ground okay?

[Dave]

Don't believe Odd Down will be going up, unsure whether that's because they applied and weren't accepted or just hadn't applied, Barnstaple are guaranteed promotion as far as I'm aware.

[LB]

I thought I read somewhere that the Western League sides who had applied for promotion were Buckland, Melksham and Bristol Manor Farm, but not Odd Down - as I understand it you have to finish in the top three to be able to be considered.

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