WHAT A WAY TO END THE SEASON!
Guests lap it up at special Celtic Manor Awards gig!
THE National League signed off on one of its most historic seasons as the great and the good of the game celebrated at their Annual Gala awards evening at Celtic Manor last Saturday.
Just hours after controversial plans were pushed through to extend the playoffs from four teams to six across all three National League divisions, guests converged on the resort’s Caernarfon Suite for the end-of-season prize-giving.
While a number of awards had already been handed out at the preceding AGM, the league honoured the divisional winners with their championship silverware at the dinner, while also recognising the outstanding efforts of the managers who led the respective title-winning charges.
Champions
Dave Challinor was on hand to accept the plaudits for National North winners AFC Fylde, highlighting the magnificent team effort by his players in maintaining their advantage at the top of the table throughout the campaign, despite the pressures from below in arguable Non-League football’s most competitive league.
With Maidenhead’s gaffer Alan Devonshire
unable to attend due to illness, the Magpies’ star striker Dave Tarpey was on hand to do the honours; his goals key to seeing off the late and sustained challenge of Ebbsfleet in National League South. Meanwhile, Lincoln City’s managerial pair of Danny and Nicky Cowley were hailed by National League chairman Brian Barwick for not only their success in winning the league after their epic battle with Tranmere Rovers, but also for their incredible FA Cup run that saw them see off Championship sides Ipswich and Brighton along with that memorable win at Premier League Burnley, before exiting at the quarter-final stage against at Arsenal.
Naturally, the topic of the play-offs was still the talk of the room. But National League chief executive Michael Tattersall remained convinced the shake-up will be good for the three leagues next season.
“We know the play-offs are a successful and popular way of determining who should go up,” he said.
“The new format will give more teams a chance, but it will make the league more competitive in my opinion. There are different ways to form the play-offs and this is, we believe, the right time to make a change.”
See below for a full list of this year’s National League Gala Awards winners.