National League North 2023-24

[Bottega Don]

Our defence has been our problem all year. Too slow and too many mistakes in it unfortunately. Ultimately what’s cost us a play off spot. Felt in control at HT, but a quick throw in and a lack of pace let Roberts in. The two quick goals put a pay to the game as we had to win and left gaps as we threw men forward. Two nice finishes for the third and fourth. Away end was brilliant yesterday, great atmosphere, non stop singing all game even when behind.

You’ve been really clinical against us in the both games this season, why couldn’t you have saved that for someone else?! Shame we’ve fallen just short of the play offs but we aren’t quite good enough.

Yeah you seem to have caught us twice on our most clinical days, we’ve missed a hatful most other games.

I think from 5th to about 13th are all very similar level teams at the moment, been a tight league this year

 

[BigDaveCUFC]

Hmm league going to be a mess now.

Spennymoor as ‘per usual’ postponed tonight vs Banbury.

Problem now is Banbury have a game next Tuesday vsBoston so where that new one will fit in is going to be a nightmare.

Plus it now means two of the play off battlers getting a massive advantage playing a Banbury side playing 4 games in a week when GD could be vital.

And with crap weather next week and Banbury and Spennymoor notorious this season for flooded pitches is no guarantee either is played.

Why they cannot move tonight’s Spennymoor game elsewhere to get it done

 

[BigDaveCUFC]

Alfreton did their job last night so I’d think Saturday if they get something should see them there.

Leaves two places now between South Shields, Curzon, Chester, Boston and Spennymoor.

Still in the hands of Boston and South Shileds, Chester need a heck of a lot to somehow get in.

Curzon’s I think to grab if a mistake

 

[Prodigal]

Very disappointed to not get at least a point last night, sadly a missed penalty meant we came away empty handed, looks like we are going to finish 4th now.

 

[Harrier94]

Fair play to Rushall. I reckon most would've had them down to be relegated but that win last night has put them in a great position to survive.

 

[DaveBirm1875]

Yeah big up to Rushall Olympic for a small village club its a great achievement to have almost secured their status for another season. This after losing Danny Waldron their tops scorer earlier in the season.

 

[BigDaveCUFC]

The bit I find ironic at the bottom is 12 months ago Farsley and Blyth had horrific seasons for 75% of it then hit really good form in the last quarter to somehow get out of it when they looked gone.

12 months later Farsley and Blyth have had decent seasons for 75% of it and been extremely comfortable, then both have had utterly horrific last quarter and look set to get caught in the same trap they caught other sides in last season

 

[AndyPark]

We’ve been given 500 tickets for Chester away next weekend, would be very surprised if we didn’t sell out and ask for more.

 

[Bottega Don]

Win on Saturday and we essentially secure 2nd place (baring a wild goal swing)

That would mean we have to win two home games for promotion, all in our hands

 

[Railway Blue]

We’ve been given 500 tickets for Chester away next weekend, would be very surprised if we didn’t sell out and ask for more.

It'll probably be a dead rubber for both teams.

 

[Floreat Salopia]

Believe there’s a Boston supporter on here(?)

If so, what’s Jai Rowe like? Could he step up to League One football at all?

https://twitter.com/x/status/1778062349192118342

 

[GTFCfish]

Looks like Darlo are going to pull off the great escape, fantastic job by Watto and his assistant

Josh Gowling needs to take a lot of credit too for laying the foundations down first…..

 

[AndyPark]

Josh Gowling needs to take a lot of credit too for laying the foundations down first…..

Absolutely useless that man.

 

[GTFCfish]

Absolutely useless that man.

He’s a bell too.

 

[Bottega Don]

Believe there’s a Boston supporter on here(?)

If so, what’s Jai Rowe like? Could he step up to League One football at all?

https://twitter.com/x/status/1778062349192118342

Played a lot of games for us in the FL, played under Hurst so would make sense.

He was one of the few that actually seemed to give a shit in our horrific years so I’ll always like him for that. Biggest issue here was he never seemed to fit into one postion, we played him RB/CB/CM. Was a good player though.

Think he’s been playing RB consistently for Boston and doing very well.

 

[Railway Blue]

Absolutely useless that man.

Was he that good?

 

[BigDaveCUFC]

Spennymoor 4-2 Banbury

Probably as best I as a could hope curzon wise really I expected them to win tonight but we still have a goal advantage.

Now need Boston to drop points somewhere

 

[SpennyfanChris]

With the 5-2 Spennymoor win tonight, Banbury have now been relegated

 

[BigDaveCUFC]

And that last minute goal has pushed curzon out of the playoffs and Spennymoor into it.

Means curzon not only really must get 2 wins but need to take advantage of who they play to get two big wins……some other teams here would get an 8-10 goal swing with them 2 games, we won’t but do need to try and win big.

 

[BigDaveCUFC]

So we head to another massive weekend, two Saturdays to go for most, little bit longer for some others.

Alfreton vs Spennymoor
Boston vs Scarborough
Brackley vs Chester
Buxton vs Bishops
Chorley vs Banbury
Curzon vs Gloucester
Darlington vs Farsley
Kings L vs Peterborough
Scunthorpe vs Blyth
Southport vs Rushall
Tamworth vs South Shields
Warrington vs Hereford

In terms of what can be sorted the following may:

Win for Scunthorpe will see them second
Point for Chorley will see confirmed play off
Points for Rushall and Southport will see them safe
Win for Darlington will see them safe
Win for Blyth and loss for Farsley will see Farsley effectively down

 

[DaveBirm1875]

Hope Curzon Ashton make the play offs, remember them well whilst following Rushall in the NPL. nice ground good people, done amazingly well

 

[SpennyfanChris]

The only game that is outstanding is Banbury United v Boston United next Tuesday

 

[BigDaveCUFC]

Hmmm big big match day today.

Win our game vs Gloucester and we are involved one way or another last day and anything can happen………fail to wi and we are deservedly out of it and season over.

Realistically we don’t just need to win but win big it is extremely possibly for any of them top 7-8 sides if playing the bottom two to claw back a 6-10 goal swing from them last two games if they deliver…….all about having now to finally deliver.

Curzon are not as good a goal scoring team as others up here so it is unlikely but I’d love if we could grab a 4 or 5 goal win today because that would effectively end the gd advantage for Boston and Spennymoor and heap pressure on them.

But end of day we just simply need the two wins if others then still finish above us fair play to them.

 

[Prodigal]

Looking to give Banbury a good drubbing today to restore confidence after 2 losses, really is a must win for us. Interesting day all round today, lots of questions should be answered today.

 

[Prodigal]

Very easy win against a very poor Banbury side looks like 4th for us which in some ways is a bit disappointing as we had 2nd in our own hands just 3 games ago. Ah well see what happens next Saturday, still places to be claimed in the play offs.

 

[BigDaveCUFC]

We did what we had to do although the first half was awful……team was full of nerves making lots of sloppy errors, missed a pen first minute or so and then went to pieces.

We were just lucky in the end (sorry to say it) that Gloucester were just a terrible
Side who has fully given up…..they seemed to have a midfielder as big as Steve Evans a goalkeeper who looked about 14 and a tiny forward who looked like he was having a game in between his exams!!

Even then first half we deserved to be losing and just gained a big stroke of luck when a Mahon cross went into the net.

Better second half and got the lead but it was still nervous as a goal for them made a massive difference for the season but then we got the vital 3rd and that was that, ended up 4-1.

Made much harder work of it than should have on another day Gloucester would get thumped but we made numerous basic errors from slack play……nerves I guess.

Nerves which hit a few other sides the results went for us today especially the Boston failure and means we win next week we are in.

 

[Bottega Don]

2nd pretty much confirmed for us now

Would like to avoid Curzon as they've beat us twice this year but Alfreton are one of most tedious sides to play against so that wouldn't be great either

 

[SpennyfanChris]

Saturday 13th April Results

Alfreton Town 2-1 Spennymoor Town
Boston United 0-0 Scarborough Athletic
Brackley Town 3-1 Chester FC
Buxton FC 2-0 Bishop's Stortford
Chorley FC 3-0 Banbury United
Curzon Ashton 4-1 Gloucester City
Darlington FC 3-1 Farsley Celtic
King's Lynn Town 0-1 Peterborough Sports
Scunthorpe United 5-1 Blyth Spartans
Southport FC 3-0 Rushall Olympic
Tamworth FC 3-2 South Shields
Warrington Town 1-2 Hereford FC

 

[SpennyfanChris]

1st Tamworth FC, 2nd Scunthorpe, 3rd Brackley, 4th Chorley (who knows how Brackley and Chorley will finish after next Saturday) and 5th Alfreton all sorted with Champions and some of the play off places have been confirmed - 2 play off spots to be decided on the last day -

6 Curzon Ashton - P45, 74 Points, GD +13
7 South Shields - P45, 71 Points, GD +23
----
8 Spennymoor Town - P45, 71 Points, GD +9
9 Boston United - P44, 69 Points, GD +19
10 Hereford FC - P45, 69 Points, GD -2
11 Chester FC - P45, 68 Points, GD +21

Fixtures (For Play off Hopefuls) -

Tuesday 16th April
Banbury United v Boston United

Saturday 20th April
Bishop's Stortford v Curzon Ashton
Chester FC v Darlington FC
Hereford FC v Boston United
South Shields v Southport FC
Spennymoor Town v King's Lynn Town

 

[SpennyfanChris]

Relegation is quite tight between 3 clubs now -

19 Rushall Olympic - P45, 53 Points, GD -12
20 Blyth Spartans - P45, 50 Points, GD -12
----
21 Farsley Celtic - P45, 50 Points, GD -21

Fixtures for hopefully surviving relegation -

Saturday 20th April
Blyth Spartans v Brackley Town
Farsley Celtic v Buxton FC
Rushall Olympic v Warrington Town


Already relegated - Bishop Stortford, Gloucester City and Banbury United