Non-league football

[Pilko]

York losing their play-off 0-3 against an Oldham side that finished 23 points behind them, proper shan. Needs to be three up, two automatically from the Connie.

[Yorkie]

Horrible night for York, so disappointing. Hopefully Oldham go up and not Forest bloody Green.

[Wallsendmag]

Bedlington Terriors demoted to the Alliance League and Dale Pearson signs for Heaton Stan. Great signing!

[Stifler]

Finished on 96 points and still didn’t go up, the national league is a farce really.

In my opinion the EFL needs a reconfiguration. 20 teams per league, the National League and League Two should be the same level and divided by North & South. 2 down and 2 up from each of them.

Less midweek games by reducing to a 20 team league could mean that you reconfigure the EFL Cup earlier rounds. It would also mean that towards the end of the season there are less games with nothing riding on it.

[ponsaelius]

There's nothing wrong with the Football League, I have no idea why you would want to regionalise the pro game at League Two when the league is thriving and one of the strongest pyramids in European football.

 

An additional promotion place from non league is obviously overdue as there is a current bottleneck - but that is it.

[Optimistic Nut]

Gateshead must be looking at Southend enviously tonight. 

[54]

I don't know why, but I have an irrational hatred of Southend, it may be residual dislike due to being associated with Phil Brown, so howay Oldham  

[Paullow]

Maps for steps 7 and 8 next season.

 

NPL Premier Division

 

 

 

NPL East

 

 

 

A shame there's not a few more North Yorkshire sides so that the likes of Matlock and Lincoln U could go into the NPL Midlands. Pickering, Knaresborough and Tadcaster are in the league below (Northern League Division One equivalent, and Harrogate Railway a league further down) but none of them were in promotion contention this year, but even having those 9 north east sides will be a massive boost in terms of travel, Friday night matches, a few more at the gate etc. Blyth S should get some decent crowds against Blyth T and Ashington, you'd think / hope - unless it's looking like a third successive relegation could be on the cards.

 

It will be very hard for everyone to stay up this year, but hopefully it's no more than one if any of them do drop to still have a net gain coming up from the Northern League the following season.