NON-LEAGUE

There’s former Premier League talent aplenty in the top two tiers of non-league – and a sheepish Notts County...

Notts County hit a new low while (Tim) Flowers can bloom on Solihull Moors

NATIONAL LEAGUE Gone are the well-backed Salford City and the machine-like Leyton Orient, brilliantly led by the inspirational and sadly-missed Justin Edinburgh, but what of the league they leave behind?

Yeovil and Notts County took the two promoted clubs’ places and they’ll start in wildly different circumstances. Yeovil – so long a feared name in non-league – taste life below the Football League for the first time since 2003, but seem ready to challenge for an immediate return to the 92. New manager Darren Sarll has persuaded Andrew Crofts, Lee Collins and Luke Wilkinson to drop down a level and aid Yeovil’s promotion bid.

If only things were as simple at Notts County, who teeter on the precipice. The crisis-hit Magpies lost their status as the Football League’s oldest club in May and were in the High Court in July, facing action over an unpaid tax bill. Attempts to sell the club are yet to yield results, and what state they’ll be in when the season begins is shrouded in doubt.

Chesterfield are the bookies’ current favourites to win the division, but they’ll need to find the consistency they were missing last season. John Sheridan has added Liam Mandeville and Anthony Gerrard to a squad not lacking in talent.

Dave Challinor at AFC Fylde has taken similar steps, signing the experienced Mark Yeates and the exciting Kurt Willoughby, a highly-rated England C international. Fylde’s quest to reach the Football League by 2022 ended in tears last season when they were well beaten by Salford in the play-off final, although their FA Trophy success (right) did add a silver lining to that particular cloud.

Beaten by Fylde in the play-offs last season were Solihull Moors, following an outstanding campaign that saw the unfancied side finish 2nd under Tim Flowers, the former England goalkeeper and Premier League champion with Blackburn. Going one better in 2019-20 could prove difficult, even with quality additions in MK Dons defender Mitch Hancox and Eastleigh’s Paul Mccallum, runner-up in the National League’s scoring charts last season. Eastleigh themselves may struggle as a result.

Wrexham also impressed before suffering play-off heartache. They could go close again if JJ Hooper and Devonte Redmond, signed from Grimsby and Salford respectively, can hit the ground running – and Mark Harris could be an excellent loan signing from Cardiff.

Elsewhere, rapid risers Harrogate Town have had a busy summer with veteran striker Jon Stead among their signings, and Craig Hignett’s Hartlepool hope the permanent addition of loanee striker Nicke Kabamba can help them to improve on last term’s poor showing.

Stockport and Torquay – both Football League clubs within the past decade – will add further quality to non-league’s top flight, having come up as champions of the National League North and South respectively. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see either club in the top half of the table; each have managers who’ve had success at a higher level, in Jim Gannon (above) and Torquay’s Gary Johnson.

The National League is an unforgiving environment. But, with six play-off spots available, a whole host of clubs will be scrambling for a place in League Two.

NATIONAL LEAGUE NORTH

The North East clubs have dominated headlines ahead of the new season.

Lee Clark surprised many by taking the reins at Blyth Spartans, three divisions lower than he’s ever managed before. He faces a tough task in replacing Alun Armstrong – the ex-ipswich striker who once scored in both legs of a UEFA Cup tie with Inter – after Armstrong joined North East rivals Darlington and took a host of players with him, plus former Newcastle forward Adam Campbell.

Spennymoor Town, beaten by Chorley in last season’s play-off final, could right that wrong after bringing in academy alumni from Newcastle (Dan Ward) and Sunderland (Rees Greenwood).

And Gateshead were relegated into step two of the non-league pyramid as a punishment for financial irregularities under previous ownership. The Heed are run by a supporter-led consortium now and another former top-flight player, Mike Williamson, leads their bid to recover in his first managerial role.

But it is a former Gateshead manager whose squad looks best-equipped to go up. Steve Watson has prepared for his first full season in charge of York City by signing England C striker Dan Maguire from Blyth Spartans, talented midfielder Andy Bond from Fylde, and promotion specialist Steve Mcnulty from Tranmere. Come May, it wouldn’t be a shock to see Mcnulty adding to his five promotions.

NATIONAL LEAGUE SOUTH

Relegated duo Maidstone United and Havant & Waterlooville are tipped as the early favourites in a competitive division, but promotion candidates also include Bath City and Essex trio Chelmsford, Braintree and Billericay.

After last season’s play-off heartache, both Chelmsford and Bath – as well as Welling United and Wealdstone – have made smart additions over the summer ahead of another challenge at the top.

At Havant, former Sutton United boss Paul Doswell has raided his old club for some impressive additions, bringing defender Dean Beckwith, midfielder Nicky Bailey and winger Roarie Deacon to the South Coast. Doswell’s nous and knowledge will mean the Hawks have to be taken very seriously in 2019-20.

And over in Kent, one-time Arsenal academy graduate Gavin Hoyte and ex-wolves behemoth George Elokobi have been signed by Maidstone head coach Hakan Hayrettin. Yet it is having wily old John Still as ‘Head of Football’ that could be key as they try to bounce straight back into non-league’s top tier.

In 2018-19, Torquay romped to the National League South title. With more than half a dozen genuine contenders this time around, it’s hard to see any club having things so easy in 2019-20.