Rochdale Showdown To East Grinstead Woe: Non-league Stories You May Have Missed

Rochdale group up final-day thriller

Emmanuel Dieseruvwe’s 99th-minute victor for Rochdale against Braintree Town past week was a showbiz ending to a crippled that group up a showbiz ending to nan season: nan triumph intends Dale spell into nan last time pinch a chance of winning nan National League and sealing nan 1 automatic promotion spot, and they are hosting nan only squad supra them, York City, who lead by 2 points. Everything other successful nan section – nan different playoff contenders, nan 4 relegation spots – is settled, truthful nan last time has 11 fixtures pinch not a batch connected them, and 1 pinch everything connected nan line. With nan crippled agelong since sold retired York are showing it connected large screens astatine their LNER Community Stadium and spell into nan lucifer pinch nan assurance of a broadside that person won 17 of their past 20 games (they did suffer doubly connected their travels past month) and usurped nan apical spot Dale had hogged for overmuch of nan play erstwhile nan past leaders had a mini wobble of 2 draws, 2 defeats and 2 wins astir nan extremity of March and commencement of April. “Whoever put nan fixtures retired astatine nan commencement of nan twelvemonth mightiness beryllium getting a small prize for really it’s ended,” said Ethan Ebanks-Landell, nan Rochdale captain. “It’s a monolithic game, I don’t deliberation there’s been thing for illustration it successful nan history of shot – not that I’m alert of anyway.”

More misery for Morecambe

It has been different play of misery for Morecambe, relegated from League One successful 2023, from League Two successful 2025, and now from nan National League. Their play ends astatine Forest Green Rovers, who were relegated alongside them successful 2023 and pipped them by a play to bottommost spot successful League Two but person stabilised and claimed a National League playoff spot for nan 2nd successive year. It will beryllium Jim Bentley’s last crippled arsenic nan Shrimps’ head earlier he steps into an unspecified supporting domiciled for an unidentified caller coach. “I for illustration to deliberation I will play my portion successful taking it forward, getting a feelgood facet to thief make Morecambe awesome again,” he said. These are bonzer times astatine nan Mazuma Mobile Stadium, pinch this nan club’s first play nether nan ownership of Panjab Warriors, whose caput of communications and head of trading had his financial assets frozen by nan UK authorities successful December aft he was accused of supporting a violent organisation successful India.

Title beckons for Bury FC

Anything but conclusion astatine Atherton Collieries is apt to make Bury FC champions of nan Northern Premier League West, which would beryllium their 3rd convention title successful 5 years. The bad news is that nan only squad that could drawback them, Avro, are astatine location to bottom-of-the-table Darlaston Town, who person mislaid their past 13 games (but weirdly hit Avro and drew pinch Bury successful 4 days successful January). Bury’s mean attendance, 3,698 – boosted by nan 7,000 who saw them hit Witton Albion 4-1 successful their past location crippled of nan play – is almost 5 times that of nan next-best-supported broadside successful nan division, Clitheroe (and, for that matter, much than 7 teams successful League Two).

Non-league lows

In nan Isthmian South East (but not for long) East Grinstead Town big Margate seeking their 2nd win, astir 7 months aft their 1-0 occurrence astatine Hassocks. After 41 games they person six points and a extremity quality of -129. Other teams who won’t want to retrieve this season: AFC Dunstable, bottommost of Southern League Central Division One, who will dream to amended connected 2 wins successful 41 games (11 points, extremity quality -132) erstwhile they big second-bottom Rayners Lane; Glasshoughton Welfare of Northern Counties East League Division One, who ended pinch 2 wins and 10 points from 42 games, and a extremity quality of -124; Axminster Town of nan South West Peninsula League Premier Division East, whose 2-0 conclusion astatine Ilminster Town past week was nan 29th of a 30-game play (no wins, 1 point, extremity quality -120), and Copthorne of Southern Combination Football League Division One, who recreation to Selsey connected Saturday seeking a triumph which would double their points tally: they person mislaid 31 of 32 games and person a extremity quality of -125; their crippled astatine Billingshurst past week was called disconnected astatine nan past infinitesimal because they were incapable to section a side.

At nan different extremity of nan scale: Bovey Tracey person played 28 of 30 games and person a extremity quality of +103, though they did get to play Axminster doubly (their first conclusion of nan season, astatine location to Bridport successful February, was by nan improbable scoreline of 6-7). Mulbarton Wanderers won nan Eastern Counties Premier by a singular 21 points, but Whitstable Town of nan Southern Counties East Premier could amended that: they return a 21-point lead into nan last day.

Going up aliases going down?

In National League North Merthyr Town guidelines 1 spot extracurricular nan playoffs, and request to outperform Buxton – who are astatine location to relegated, bottom-of-the-table Leamington (who person won 2 of their past five) – aliases to triumph while 1 of Chester aliases Scarborough Athletic don’t. But they’re playing AFC Fylde, who request triumph to beryllium judge of winning nan title – immoderate different consequence and they could beryllium overtaken by second-placed South Shields, who are astatine third-placed Kidderminster Harriers. The different large crippled successful nan section is astatine North Street, wherever Alfreton Town, who inhabit 22nd place, big Curzon Ashton successful 21st and are looking to propulsion disconnected thing of a awesome flight – they person won 3 and drawn 3 of their past six, a 90th-minute victor past week keeping their hopes alive. At slightest 1 of those 2 must spell down, while Hereford (who hit Marine successful midweek to haul themselves retired of nan bottommost 4 and big relegated Peterborough Sports), and King’s Lynn Town and Bedford Town, some of whose opponents are scrapping to enactment successful nan playoff places, effort not to get dragged into trouble.

Merthyr Town request a consequence against AFC Fylde and dream astatine slightest 1 different scoreline goes their measurement to scope nan National League North playoffs. Photograph: Simon Gill/Alamy

All eyes connected nan top

In National League South nan cardinal matters to beryllium decided are whether Maidenhead United, successful eighth but pinch nan 5 teams supra them each wrong 2 points, tin vault into nan playoffs, and whether Hornchurch, successful second, tin sneak into apical spot by winning if Worthing gaffe up. Inevitably Hornchurch are playing Maidenhead, and only 1 tin get nan consequence they desire. One imagines that lucifer will beryllium followed pinch fanatical liking astatine Woodside Road wherever Worthing, a constituent up of Hornchurch (but pinch a monolithic extremity quality advantage) are astatine location to Ebbsfleet, who are a constituent up of Maidenhead. Meanwhile ninth-placed Maidstone United person a chance of sneaking into nan playoffs if they hit relegated Bath City.

VCD Athletic’s farewell

In 1916 workers successful nan Vickers armaments mill successful Crayford, south-east London, group up a useful team, who played connected nan mill diversion grounds connected Old Road. The mill has agelong gone but nan team, VCD Athletic, remained connected nan aforesaid site. On Saturday they recreation to Sittingbourne to play their past game. Their crushed was sold this year, and its caller owners are spot developers who intelligibly person plans that a shot nine would get successful nan measurement of. “We person not been offered a caller lease to stay astatine our historical home,” VCD’s chair, Gary Rump, said. “For complete a century, nan nine has been much than conscionable a shot squad – it has been a cornerstone of section identity, bringing together players, supporters, volunteers, and generations of families who person shared successful its history, tone and achievements. To scope this point, wherever we must judge that nan continuation of nan nine is nary longer viable, is profoundly painful.”

The extremity of VCD continues a miserable inclination for clubs successful nan area: of nan teams successful nan apical 2 divisions of the Kent League successful 1985-86, Alma Swanley, Darenth Heathside, Fisher Athletic (in their original guise, Fisher FC person now reformed), Folkestone, Greenwich Borough, Kent Police, Four Area (Met Police), Slade Green, Snowdown Colliery Welfare and Thames Polytechnic are nary longer pinch us. The news comes successful nan period Hillingdon Borough resigned from nan league, while Hashtag United asked to beryllium relegated from nan Isthmian Premier League because, arsenic their founder, Spencer Owen, put it, “moving to measurement 4 will mean important budgetary savings”. Four months agone Bedlington Terriers folded aft they grounded to work together a caller lease connected their Dr Pit Park stadium.