When it comes to English professional football, there are so many elements of interest and points of conversation, in addition to so many differing opinions, which is what makes it one of the best countries in the world for the sport.
Many people say that the Championship (England’s second tier), is one of the most competitive in Europe and the hardest to get out of, however, in terms of the second factor, this could easily be the National League (once known as the Conference).
Being relegated to the National League effectively confirms your club’s status as ‘non-professional’ and the vast majority of players at that level have a primary job.
One of the biggest reasons it is hard to escape from is that there is only one automatic promotion place. However, the play-offs function differently than in the rest of the football pyramid, such as the Championship, League 1 and League 2 with six teams being involved.
As a result, it means that if a club finishes in seventh place, they still have a chance of being promoted, so betting on this market could be quite lucrative.
Also, with 24 teams, clubs have 46 games – even more if they finish in a play-off place, so it can be a long season and with many clubs not having huge budgets, it often means squads are paper thin and fatigue can set in quickly due to there being an inability to rotate players substantially. As a result, many clubs usually bring in youth players as young as 15 to help with this.
Who Are The Main Contenders This Season?
Currently, York City (who at one point in the last 25 years were in the old division two – now League 1) are one point clear at the summit, ahead of Forest Green (second on goal difference) and Barnet (third), with Gateshead just behind on 47 points. However, former football league club Oldham Athletic in fourth are on 43 points but with two games in hand.
As it stands, it is the Yorkshire side who are ahead in the betting at 2/1 with Forest Green available at 5/2 – indeed, it is of many fans’ opinion that the Gloucestershire club has the best squad, though this does not always translate to success.
There has been some controversy just recently, with the table-toppers signing striker Josh Stones on a permanent transfer from Wigan Athletic, with the 21-year-old having been in prolific form on loan at title rivals Oldham until the start of the new year.
This could certainly be a huge psychological boost for the Minstermen who have been playing some of the best football in the league this season – the top spot certainly doesn’t flatter them and their free-flowing, attacking football has complemented their well-organised rearguard.
At the other end of the table, it could already be a forgone conclusion, with many having already written off Ebbsfleet United and Boston United, while it could be any two from Fylde, Maidenhead, Braintree Town, Wealdstone and Aldershot Town to make up the rest.
It is more or less all to fight for from the playoff perspective. As it stands any two from eight clubs could finish sixth and seventh. It is hard to imagine that there will be much change in the top four, potentially five clubs (depending on how Oldham fare with their two games in hand), though the order could change.
Could There Be A Runaway Champion?
As it stands, the possibility of a clear winner of the National League seems highly unlikely, especially considering the current form of the top three clubs – each of which have differing styles. York City boasts the league’s top scorer in 29-year-old Ollie Pearce with 15 goals, so keeping him fit will be crucial to their chances, though the acquisition of (Josh) Stones will help to alleviate the pressure.
