Top dogs have risen this year...

Have the footballing gods been looking down on this year’s play-off contenders? I say that because across Steps 3 and 4, seven of the nine winners finished second in their respective leagues. People always point towards the team that sneaks into the top five late on as where the potential banana skin could be, but only Salisbury in Southern South & West, and Maldon & Tiptree in Ryman North, failed to make their dominance in the table count towards the ultimate goal of promotion.

It was a similar theme in the showdowns at Ebbsfleet and Halifax. Some weeks back, I was convinced Daryl McMahon’s side had enough to chase down Maidenhead at the top of the table. But when they slipped up and the Magpies swooped to the title, there was a feeling that their recent form in the play-offs would come round to haunt them again. And it looked like it was going to script only for Fleet to show incredible courage with ten men to come back and win 2-1.

Meanwhile Halifax, while not able to finish second in National League North, still sat six points clear of Chorley – their opponents in yesterday’s contest at the Shay Stadium. I remain completely impartial here, and I offer commiserations to Matt Jansen and his side, but the Shaymen finished the regular campaign with a goal difference of plus 38 to Chorley’s 19, and lost only one of their last ten games. Chorley, being brutally honest, were only afforded their place in the play-offs due to Darlington’s sorry ground-grading issues.

I’m not saying justice has been served. Play-off finals are about who delivers on the day and we all buy into that. But there is a sense that there has been a selection of very worthy winners this year.