NLP says...
It’s a topsy turvy world in Non-League
The National League has come in for a fair bit of criticism this season from me, notably for the postponements at Solihull Moors at the start of the season, and last week at Eastleigh. But for excitement and delivering the unexpected, it’s currently, if you will excuse the obvious pun, in a league of its own.
Every week I am left scratching my head as I look at the table; every week I am expecting one of the big guns and pre-season favourites to fire out a marker to the rest and state their intentions to grab the division by the neck. This week, case in point: Tranmere clock up back-to-back wins after a slow start and a third against Chester will see Micky Mellon’s side spring into the top seven. But it doesn’t happen. Meanwhile, the top four all win: Macclesfield, Dover, Woking and Sutton. Back in August, if you asked a thousand fans for their top quartet at the start of October, not one is coming up with that combination.
As I write this, there have been no fewer than six sides to top the National League this term. I know it’s early days and there will always be a few ups and downs in the opening weeks, but it really is anyone’s for the taking. Some managers will be flummoxed by it all, while others like Craig Harrison at Hartlepool and Leyton Orient’s Steve Davis will be grateful for the congestion – just nine points separate first and 15th – considering the mixed starts their sides have had in the Non-League ranks.
But of all the clubs to have taken me by surprise, it has to be Woking, who I feared would really struggle this year. I personally viewed the recruitment of Anthony Limbrick to be something of a ‘Yes’ man who would keep the Kingfield board happy. The polar opposite of previous boss Garry Hill, who always brought a certain menace to proceedings, I just didn’t think Limbrick’s CV – where he had been a youth team boss at Southampton – gave him the tools needed for success in the National League.
But he, and Woking, can no longer be ignored, neither can Sutton, or Dover, or Macclesfield. That said, I still think Tranmere will come good and win it. You can insert your own jokes here…
Browsing Twitter yesterday morning, the above tweet caught my eye. For me, nothing better sums up what Non-League football is all about, and Non-League Day for that matter.
There were bumper crowds across the land and I just hope a few more faces return next week to relive the magic of football in its purest form. So to all the volunteers who give their hearts and souls to their clubs, thanks for making it the great day that it is…