Wednesday 16 May 2012

Blue Square Bet Premier Season 2011/2012: Team by Team Review


Southport and Barrow Teams shake hands before kick off
Well after 1104 hectic Blue Square Bet Premier league matches the 2011/2012 season is finally over. We know the teams who have triumphed and tried. 

There’s been sackings and new appointments, suspensions and injuries galore and some incredible goals as always. And of course we now know the teams that have been promoted, reached the play-offs and been relegated.

So to catch our breaths before the long hot British summer, here is a short review of the season for each team:

1)    Fleetwood Town – 103 points 

The Cod Army have had a memorable season which saw them promoted to the football league for the first time in their history, securing the Conference Premier title. It was a slow start to the season with only a small number of goals scored, defeats to Barrow and Wrexham and goaless draws with York and Darlington.

But with a win at Kettering, the Cod Army kicked on and barely dropped points throughout the season, having a superb run of form particularly at home.

They quickly became favourites after Christmas to clinch the title and opened up a gap in March over Wrexham.

I spoke to Fleetwood players Andy Mangan and Nathan Pond ahead of their match with Lincoln City on their thoughts ahead of playing in League Two next season.


Fleetwood v Lincoln City Preview: Andy Mangan Interview by amyscarisbrick

  Fleetwood v Lincoln City Preview: Nathan Pond Interview by amyscarisbrick


The only negative to their season’s performance was right at the end when they stumbled across the finish line with a 1-1 draw against Wrexham and a 2-2 draw against Lincoln City, having to wait to seal the title the following day when Wrexham failed to beat Grimsby.

Here are the Fleetwood Town and Lincoln City teams coming out the tunnels ahead of their game at Highbury:




A memorable moment for Fleetwood was playing their Fylde Coast rivals Blackpool in the Third Round of the FA Cup, despite suffering a heavy defeat to their seaside neighbours on the day.

However, all’s well that ends well as they have secured the valuable automatic promotion spot to league football next season. 

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2)    Wrexham – 98 points

It has been a polished and resounding performance from Wrexham throughout the season. The main feeling from the fans and club will be the disappointment of losing the Conference title and automatic promotion spot to Fleetwood after going toe to toe with them for most of the season. 

Losses to Alfreton Town and Forest Green Rovers and draws against Cambridge and Fleetwood halted their automatic promotion push.

Fleetwood opened up a gap that Wrexham couldn’t close and lifted the crown when Wrexham were unable to get the win they needed against Grimsby Town.

Then perhaps the bigger blow came with losing out on making the play-off final to Luton. Defeat in the first leg meant they couldn’t make Wembley despite trying to turn around the deficit with a 3-2 win in the second leg.

A highlight has to be their FA Cup Third Round tie with Brighton which ended 1-1 in after extra time and the conference side only lost out to Brighton 5-4 in the penalty shoot out. They also managed wins over Fleetwood, York City and Luton Town.

The Welsh side will surely go into next season as hot favourites to win the conference premier title.

3)    Mansfield – 89 points

There’s always one team that makes a late surge in the league and steals the play-off spot at the last minute and this season it was Mansfield who seemed to come out of nowhere.

The stags had a solid first half to the season, but it was in mid-February with a 5-2 win over Darlington that Mansfield’s campaign really took off. They backed that up with a 7-0 thrashing over Barrow and 6-3 victory over Alfreton Town. This started a phenomenal run in the last 14 matches of the season in which Mansfield were only beaten once.  

The fans may be disappointed that they were unable to secure a trip to Wembley considering they went into the second leg of the play-off semi final on level terms with York.

Their success has to be partially down to the superb form of striker Matthew Green, netting 29 goals and securing second top scorer in the league just two goals behind Fleetwood Town’s Jamie Vardy.

Mansfield have certainly made themselves strong contenders for finishing highly next season.

4)    York City – 83 points

Well despite not finishing in the top two this season, it has been an almost dreamlike campaign for York City by the end of April. 

Barrow and York City Teams before their Match
They’re the only team to boast they have two trips to Wembley this year. Firstly, making the play-off final and beating Mansfield Town was a great achievement. 

But to also lift the FA Trophy with goals from Matty Blair and Lanre Oyebanjo makes 2011/2012 a memorable year for the fans.

There have been some stunning performances from Ashley Chambers and Matty Blair in particular and if it hadn’t been for persistent injury keeping Jason Walker out this season, York may have made it into the top two and have pushed Fleetwood and Wrexham more this season. 

Big results this campaign included 6-2 thrashings of Braintree Town and Salisbury in the FA Trophy and a 7-0 victory over conference strugglers Kettering.


5)    Luton Town – 81 points

Another of the BSBP Big boys that have their hopes pinned on promotion. There seemed to be a lot of uncertainty throughout the season on whether Luton could live up to the expectation of making the play-offs. 

Even just two weeks before the end of the season, Luton were in 7th place and three points off the play-offs after drawing 0-0 with Alfreton Town.  It was carrying a couple of games in hand that made the difference as they managed to secure the vital points and make it count.

The Hatters also had a memorable festive period by beating Kettering 5-0 both on Boxing Day and New Year’s Day to secure 6 valuable points that helped them on their way to the play-off places.

Now with a place in the play-off finals for the second season in a row, the Hatters will be hoping to convert it into promotion back into league football where the fans feel they truly belong.

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6)    Kidderminster – 76 points
A strong finish to the season for the harriers as they finished just outside the play-off positions. It was a bright start to the campaign for Kidderminster as they moved up into the play-off places in October with a 1-0 victory over Kettering. 
Kidderminster Harriers' Mascot

However, by the end of the month, they back into the mid-table pack after a 3-1 defeat away to Barrow.

Consistency meant that Kidderminster bounced back and were just points shy of the play-offs for most of 2012 and broke into the top four after a winning streak of five games throughout April. 

It was a crucial 1-0 defeat to play-off rivals Luton Town that ended their hopes of promotion. The Harriers look to be strong contenders for battling for the play-off or promotion spots next season.


7)    Southport – 76 points

A surprise package in the Blue Square Bet Premier this season considering they were relegated from last season and stayed in the Conference when Rushden and Diamonds fell into administration. A low point in the season came with a 6-0 defeat to old Conference North rivals Fleetwood Town.

Southport Away Stand
However, they started to push on and have been at the higher echelons of the BSBP all season. Southport pushed their way from the top ten into the top five with consistent results, allowing them to occupy a play-off place for most of 2012.

Credit must be given to Tony Gray who had a strong campaign as captain and led Southport to a fine league finish.  

At the end, their play-off hopes slipped away with a series of draws against Braintree Town, Barrow, Tamworth and Ebbsfleet. Nevertheless it was a strong performance for the sandgrounders this season as they managed to make a significant improvement on last season’s performance. They’ll be hoping to produce a similar result next season. 

8)    Gateshead – 74 points

Many Blue Square Bet Premier fans will probably forget that before the two horse race emerged between Fleetwood and Wrexham for the title, Gateshead were ahead of them and took the league lead in early October.

They were 7 matches unbeaten at the start of the season and it was losing the “big matches” to Fleetwood, Luton and drawing against Mansfield that stopped Gateshead’s progress. Nevertheless, the Tynesiders were narrowly outside the play-offs by Christmas.  Gateshead had one of the star players of the year in Jon Shaw who scored 28 goals this season.

Perhaps more consistency would have pushed Gateshead a little higher up the table, but a strong finish nevertheless. With the news that Manager Ian Bogie has extended his contract for another year at the club, it may be the boost they need to break into the play-offs next year.

9)    Cambridge United – 71 points

Their best phase in the season came in October and November when they secured 9 matches in a row unbeaten, lifting them to 4th in the league table. With a little more consistency, Cambridge may have been able to retain that high position, but United were mainly involved in the mid-table battles of the season.

They managed to push on and pick up some strong results in April to finish inside the top ten and came top of the mid-table pack. The key was picking up victories over teams such as Braintree Town, Barrow and Alfreton.

United even have boasting rights of beating Fleetwood after they secured their promotion to league football.


10)    Forest Green Rovers – 70 points

Another team that have had a late surge in the league as they were able to fend off mid-table rivals to claim a late and valuable 10th place finish. After their loss to Kettering in mid October, FGR lay in 17th in the league. However, by stringing wins and draws together, over the winter, they consolidated a mid-table position.  

After fighting near the bottom end of the table for the last several campaigns and coming close to relegation, this is a great league table finish for the club and solid season campaign.

Season highlights include a convincing double secured over Alfreton Town, beating them 6-1 then 4-1 and giant killing performances over Luton Town and Wrexham.

The signings of Magno Vieira from Fleetwood Town and Ben Wright from Braintree Town will be a huge boost for the club and surely will bring them more success next season.


11)    Grimsby Town – 70 points

Grimsby finished 11th for the second successive year which shows their consistency as team.
It was undoubtedly a shaky start to the season with four losses in their opening six games, but the Mariners were able to quickly gain momentum with 5-2 victories over Barrow and Alfreton.  

A significant result came beating Stockport 7-0 and by mid-March they hauled themselves to within sight of the play-offs in 7th place. Like Gateshead, they were just unable to keep up that consistency to push through and earn a play off place.

A big part of the Mariners’ campaign was all down to the revelation of Liam Hearn who racked up 27 goals this season, helping them win many games.


12)    Braintree Town – 62 points

Another team with fine performances this campaign and fans should be content with their league finish considering it is their first year in the Blue Square Bet Premier. They’re the highest finisher out of the teams that earned promoted from the Conference North and South last season.

Like Southport, Braintree were a bit of a surprise package as with a stunning start to the season, they were in 4th position by October and looked poised to cause a potential play-off upset.

But it became a little too much for them from October to December when Braintree could only manage one win in 12 matches. Results improved into the New Year which maintained their mid-table position and a big 3-1 win over play-off chasing Luton Town in April proves they have what it takes to be contenders in the Blue Square Bet Premier.  

13) Barrow - 60 points

Full Season Review of the Bluebirds' Performance

14) Ebbsfleet United - 54 points


Another solid performance from a newly promoted team to the Conference Premier and United fans should be content with 14th in their first season in the league.

Ebbsfleet had a dismal start to the season and by late September were left in 22nd with only 8 points after winning just one match. Credit to United who managed to turn their season around by picking up wins throughout November, December and January and by February they were 14th and 12 points clear of the relegation zone.  

Another encouraging sign is that Manager Liam Daish has signed a new two year contract to stay at Stonebridge Road.

15)    Alfreton Town – 54 points

Likewise Alfreton Town will be happy that they consolidated another season in the Conference Premier since being promoted at the end of last season into this division. The newly promoted side only picked up one victory and two draws by mid September which left them trailing at the bottom of the league.

They looked to be in trouble of relegation early on, picking up only 10 points after 18 games and finding themselves firmly rooted in the relegation zone after a run of 13 matches without a single victory.

Alfreton found some form throughout January and February to bridge the gap to safety and managed to break out of the relegation zone in early March with a crucial 6-1 victory over Stockport.

This may the foundations that Alfreton can use to build on over the summer and try and progress in their second season in the BSBP.


16)     Stockport – 51 points

After getting relegated from League Two into the Conference, County struggled to adjust to the conference this season and never were able to really show their league potential.

It was a reasonable first half of the season as they were lying in 14th in late September and with a handful of points could have made the top ten. But then the low point of the season came in November when County were thrashed 7-0 by Grimsby, dropping Stockport into the relegation.

Stockport and Barrow Teams coming onto the pitch at Edgeley Park
With all respect to County, they managed to regroup and pull results together and the crucial results of a 1-0 win over Wrexham and 4-0 victory over Lincoln City gave them the edge to stay up.

Considering the club’s league history and their struggles particularly against the newly promoted teams to the Conference this year, County will overall be disappointed with their league position.  

During their matches against Barrow, I saw County play some nice football but it never really quite happened for them. The club and the fans will be hoping for a better campaign next season to push on to try and gain re-promotion to league football.


17)    Lincoln City – 49 points

Like fellow relegated candidates Stockport, Lincoln City will probably be disappointed that they couldn’t have finished higher in the league this season.

Losses to teams in the bottom half of the league such as Braintree and Tamworth in the early stages of the season meant that Lincoln were slow out the blocks and hovering above the perilous relegation zone.

It was inconsistent results such as losing to bottom of the table Bath City 2-1 then bouncing back to a 4-0 victory over Tamworth that meant they were just safe from relegation, but could not push further up the table.

It just shows for both Stockport and Lincoln the effects that relegation can have on clubs. Similarly, both teams will be hoping to bounce back next season and have stronger performances to try and work their way back into league football.



18)    Tamworth – 48 points

Tamworth had a good start to the season by picking up consistent victories and draws in the first half of the campaign, raising them to 10th in the league in October. However into January with their focus on cup competitions, Tamworth began to drop points and started to fall down the table. It was a run of 12 matches without a win during February and March that left them struggling in the league.  

The highlight of Tamworth’s season was their great progression through the FA Cup, beating Hinckley United and Conference rivals Gateshead to reach the third round.

Tamworth sealed the best tie out of all the non league teams in the FA Cup by drawing Everton in the third round. Even though they lost 2-0, it was a day out for the fans at Goodison Park and it’s always good to see a BSBP side take on a premier league club at their own ground.


19)    Newport County – 47 points

The highlight of the season has to be making the FA Trophy Final and trip to Wembley for the fans. County will be disappointed they were unable to perform a cup upset but should take heart from making it to the cup final for the first time in the club’s 100 year history.

Newport County's team at Holker Street
In the league, things were tough for the welsh side this season as they tried to fight their way out of the relegation zone for the first half of the campaign.

With 14 matches without a victory, Newport were left in the relegation zone with just 11 points after 16 games. 

Crucial wins over Gateshead, Bath City and Mansfield in January and February distanced them from the drop and ensured safety for County.

Survival in the Conference Premier was key for Newport and they will be hoping to build and finish in a higher league position.

20) AFC Telford United - 46 points


First year in the conference and they just managed to secure their place in the league for another season. 

In the first half of the season, there were some solid performances and even secured a draw against eventual champions Fleetwood back in September and consistent victories over mid-table and bottom of the league teams kept them in 13th in the league.

The Bucks started to struggle a little bit heading towards Christmas, picking up draws rather than wins and were back down to 17th in December. Inconsistent results throughout January and February put them on the bubble of relegation but they managed to create a 5 point gap to the bottom four and secure safety.

Telford will be hoping to be safer earlier on in the season and push on to the mid-table positions. 

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21)    Hayes and Yeading – 41 points

Inconsistency was the downfall of Hayes and Yeading as they were unable to pick up point week in week out. They had slipped into the relegation zone by late October and never really got their season on track.

Into the new year, they slipped to 23rd as they were unable to improve their performances. H & Y were unfortunately unable to pick up back to back wins and were unable to beat any of the big teams to buck the trend and lift them out of the relegation zone.

After losing 4-1 to Wrexham  in mid-February and only 28 points in 32 games, they were in exactly the same position as Alfreton Town who went on to dig themselves out of the relegation zone and finish 15th. Hayes and Yeading were unable to copy that and couldn’t bridge the gap to safety to catch AFC Telford United. 

22)    Darlington – 36 points 

A team that grabbed all the headlines in the BSBP this year was Darlington and unfortunately it was for all the wrong reasons. Financial doom and gloom meant the club looked unlikely to survive in January.  

Their trip to Barrow was under threat when the team couldn’t afford to pay for the club bus and a local newspaper luckily footed the bill. 

Darlington Fans visiting to support their club

The spirit of the team and the fans to carry on was recognised throughout the conference as fans raised thousands of pounds to try and save the club.

Sadly, Darlington couldn’t escape relegation and their fate was sealed mid way through the season and they fought their battles off the pitch as well as on.

Now the club is looking hopeful of existing which is vitally important. The club’s new owners Darlington FC 1883 LTD are now taking over and although no debts have been settled by the former owners and Darlington are looking to move from their Arena stadium, at least Darlington still exist for now.  


23)    Bath City – 31 points

Spent most of the season in the relegation zone and didn’t seem quite able to string together results to try and find a way out of it. It was a disappointing first half to the season that seemed to seal their fate quite early on in the season as after playing 18 games they had only picked up 7 points.

They played the first 13 matches of the campaign without a single victory which meant it was going to be extremely difficult to climb out of the relegation zone. That was followed with another 8 matches passing before their second victory of the season came in December.

Credit to Bath City for having a better second half of the season and picking up a handful of wins and draws, but the simple factor of their downfall was that they lost a high proportion of their matches.

They’ll be looking to regroup and try and bounce back as soon as possible.


24)    Kettering  - 30 points
Unfortunately a team has to finish at the foot of the table and this season it was Kettering. Like fellow relegated team Darlington, the Poppies had their fare share of financial difficulties which decimated their campaign. Firstly, a transfer embargo was placed on the club in November when the club had failed to pay their players’ wages. 

Then the club had a three point deduction for failing to pay creditors and escaped a winding up order after their debt to HMRC Customs was paid. All of these issues really detracted from the football for Kettering and made it virtually impossible to stay up in the BSBP. The future of the club’s owners are uncertain, but they must try to recover and keep the club in existence.

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Next season, Macclesfield Town, Hereford United, Hyde, Woking along with the play off winners of the Conference North and South will join the Blue Square Bet Premier. Let’s see how those teams will fare alongside the regulars in the 2012/2013 campaign. 

@amyscarisbrick

Contact the author: ascarisbrick@uclan.ac.uk

Tuesday 8 May 2012

Review of Barrow's Season 2011/2012

The Furness Building Society Stadium
 
I have officially just completed my third season reporting on Barrow matches for The Bay and I must say that it has probably had the most twists and turns for the Bluebirds out of the three.
Of course it was always going to take one hell of a performance to beat Barrow’s spectacular 2010 FA Trophy winning season, but there were glimmers of pure magic and moments of anguish during the latest campaign.

It seems that Barrow Manager Dave Bayliss seems to agree with my assessment as he told me it was a very "Barrow-like" season with many twists and turns in my interview for The Bay's Goalzone recorded after their 3-1 win over Newport County.

So to reflect on what has been an action packed season, I’m using a framework that may have been effectively overused over the last few decades, but I don’t think anything sums up Barrow’s season much better than The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.

The Good

The Blue Square Bet Premier is becoming tougher every season, not only on the pitch, but for some teams contending with finance off the pitch.

There is clearly a gulf between those who “have” and “don’t have” the resources to create large squads, which makes the task that bit harder to try and achieve. For Barrow, they proved that with the limited resources, they continously punch high above their weight.

The highlights of the season were definitely the giant killing home performances over the Blue Square Bet Premier’s Big Boys.

Barrow’s 4-0 victory over Fleetwood Town was a sensational way to start the season back in August, with Andy Cook scoring a hatrick and every player peforming at their very best.  

This was quickly backed up with a win over high flying Wrexham who had not lost a single match until they played Barrow at the Furness Building Society Stadium.

War of the Roses: Barrow Fan's Banner at York City match
Other huge achievements against big teams came in November with a goaless draw against York City and a dominant 1-0 win over Luton Town in February.

There was even a hint a sweet irony for Barrow fans as former star striker Jason Walker was sent off on his return to Holker Street with York City.

Another lasting memory of this season has to be the solid home form as the newly named Furness Building Society Stadium was turned into a fortress.

The Bluebirds managed to secure 12 home victories in the league this season and importantly were able to grind out 1-0 wins against Lincoln City and Alfreton Town on cold, wet and windy Tuesday evenings.

Fans were even allowed to dare to dream of the play-offs after a dream run of form which began with a 3-2 win over Tamworth in January and marked the start of 7 matches undefeated, earning Dave Bayliss Blue Square Bet Premier Manager of the Month in February.

It also must be celebrated that 13th place was the best league finish for Barrow since being re-promoted to the Conference Premier four seasons ago. The team reached 50 points comfortably and managed to achieve the golden target of 60 on the final day of the campaign with a 3-1 win over Newport County. This has been a creditable effort considering how young the squad are.

Outside of the league, the stand out cup performance was Barrow’s 4-1 win over Witton Albion with Adam Boyes scoring 4 goals after the Bluebirds initially going 1-0 down.

The high point of the season on the fans' performance was definately in Barrow's 3-0 over financial strugglers Darlington who had been plummeted into administration earlier that week.

The Bluebirds' fans held up a banner: Football clubs are for life, not just business. This became a mark of solidarity between the two sets of fans that will be remembered by both for a very long time.

The Bad

There’s always one soul destroying moment for any team in the football season and for Barrow it was the 2-1 defeat to Rotherham in the FA Cup 1st Round. Paul Rutherford scored to put the Bluebirds, but two late goals from Lewis Garbban, one which was deemed that Guy Branston had returned from an offside position in the build up.

The team played their socks off and were cruelly robbed in the end. I spoke to defender Gavin Skelton after the match and he was extremely disappointed:



Another cruel twist of fate came in Barrow’s away match at AFC Telford United when they lost 1-0 to a ghost goal that didn’t cross the goal line. There were some hammerings like the 5-1 defeat to Luton Town that hurt, but with an injury hit squad and the inability to fill the bench, it’s times like this when a team can do nothing but just grin and bear it.

For me, there were opportunities missed in the local away matches to Southport and Stockport which were both winnable games that resulted in defeat.

Barrow warming up ahead of their match with Stockport County
There were some controversial refereeing decisions in the Stockport match, but it was disappointing particulary at Southport to see them lose when taking the lead and controlling the game. 

The Ugly

Now for the sharp intake of breath as we move on to the ugly – and there have been a few real ugly moments. The season’s grabbing headline was the departure of Darren Sheridan.

After four years as a joint manager at the club and working alongside Dave Bayliss for all of that time, it seemed strange to only have the one manager at the club after a lengthy spell.

It seemed sad that the partnership had to end in such an abrupt manner after the team had steadily progressed each campaign under the joint bosses. 

I think why this subject has made the “ugly” category is the unresolved nature of the situation with no explanation of why Sheridan was suspended or mutually left the club. I guess for fans it will be a great mystery that we will never probably ever solve….

On the pitch, there were some disappointing performances and defeats, with a 5-2 defeat away at Grimsby being the most memorable.

A low point was getting knocked out of the FA Trophy in the early rounds against Wealdstone in a performance that was so disappointing, the managers went on the bus to apologise to the away fans. 

The defeat was made even worse with the horrible injury that goalkeeper Danny Hurst sustained in the match and was out for the next two months. This was truly a missed opportunity to progress deep into the FA Trophy competition. 

What will be in the forefront of the fans' minds for now is that after the dream run of 7 games undefeated in January and February and just 4 points off the play-off positions, Barrow went into freefall at the end of the season. The horrible turning point came on a wet and windy Tuesday evening match when they lost 1-0 to Bath City.

This started a run of 7 consecutive losses, 7 games without a single goal scored for Barrow and included a humiliating 7-0 thrashing away at Mansfield Town.

Perhaps it was mid-table syndrome that upset Barrow's rhythm right at the end, but they managed to end the season on a positive note with draws against Southport, Kettering and win over Newport. 

Moving forward, it seems that big changes are coming at Holker Street. Dave Bayliss told me in my post-match interview after their defeat to Cambridge United.  


Barrow v Cambridge: Dave Bayliss Interview by amyscarisbrick

Since the interview, Barrow have released five players from the team: Phil Bolland, Paul Smith, Kelvin Lomax, Andy Nicholas and Cliff Moyo. Contracts have been offered or already secured for the majority of the squad. This clearly shows that Barrow are in need of defenders with four being released this season.

The show must go on!

Barrow fans must take heart on what has overall been a very successful season. The Bluebirds have safely secured another season in the Conference Premier and were not involved in the relegation dogfight to stay up, which is a vast improvement from last season.

Another positive to bear in mind was the squad were young and inexperienced and performed well throughout the season as a whole, especially against the big teams.

There needs to be changes to the squad and there will probably be a reliance on loan players again next season, but this is the best league performance we have seen in the Bayliss/Sheridan era. 

Overall, this season had some very high points and some very low points, there was no happy medium in between. Let’s see if there’s the same amount of drama as we head into the new season…
@amyscarisbrick 

Contact the author: ascarisbrick@uclan.ac.uk

Monday 30 April 2012

Blue Square Bet Premier Season 2011/2012 Awards

The Fans' "Team of the year" York City ready for their match against Barrow

As promised, here are what you the Blue Square Bet Premier fans think are the highlights of the Conference Premier season 2011/2012. 

There was an overall feeling in the survey that it was incredibly hard to choose who were the best players and teams and what were the best matches and goals scored. Here are the top 3 results from each category and the ones that were mentioned but missed out on the top spots

Team of the Season:

1) York City

A surprise result that York City came out on top of Fleetwood Town, but not surprising if you examine the success they have had this season. Finishing 4th in the league and securing a play-off spot, then beating Mansfield to reach the play-off finals at Wembley against Luton Town. Then to top it all off by winning the FA Trophy at Wembley by beating Newport County 2-0 made this a memorable season for the fans. 

2) Fleetwood Town

The Cod Army had a superb season by winning the Blue Square Bet Premier title and gaining automatic promotion to the football league for the first time in their history. They fought off the competition of Wrexham who pushed them all season long and racked up an impressive 103 points in the league to win the title. Also had a successful run in the FA Cup, reaching the Third Round where they played an historic tie against Fylde Coast rivals Blackpool.

3) Wrexham

Fantastic home form from the Welsh side meant they were real contenders this season. Finishing second in the league was highly respectable despite not gaining promotion automatically or through the play-offs as their fans may feel they deserved. They will be hot favourites to lift next season's conference premier title.

Player of the Season:

1) Jamie Vardy - Fleetwood Town

No surprise that Jamie Vardy came out as player of the season as the Blue Square Bet Premier's Top Scorer of the season with 31 goals. Since joining Fleetwood he has been an unstoppable goal machine and attracted attention from Premier League and Championship clubs. 

It seemed at most matches there were scouts that were watching his performances and he has just become the first Conference player to be signed for £1 million with his move to Championship side Leicester City. Almost every time I checked Fleetwood Town's results, Vardy would be on the score sheet. 


2) Scott Kerr - York City
Many York City players were nominated for the top spots but fans think that midfielder Scott Kerr was the team's best player. He received York City's Clubman of the year award and was nominated because of his consistency, hard work and determination throughout the season.


3) Matty Blair - York City 

Strong and solid performances from York's midfielder meant he had a fantastic season and was heavily involved in helping York gain cup and league success this campaign. He scored the crucial goal that put York City through to the play-off final by beating Mansfield Town in the sem-finals.

Match of the Season:

1) York 3-0 Luton

2) Southport 0-6 Fleetwood

3) Fleetwood 6-2 Ebbsfleet United

Goal of the Season:

1) Jason Walker - York City against Grimsby Town

This was the most overwhelming winner out of the categories and by far was the fans' favourite goal of the season. This beautiful overhead volley was scored by Jason Walker 


Here is the magnificent goal itself:



2) Alan Marriott - Mansfield Town against Wrexham

Yes its a bit of a freak goal but it's always nice to see a Goalkeeper score from inside his own area! This stunner reminds me a lot of Tim Howard's goal for Everton scored against Bolton Wanderers earlier on this season in the Premier League. Fans agreed this was a memorable goal and sympathy most go to Wrexham's keeper... who couldn't really do much to stop the bounce of the ball .




3) Jamie Vardy - Fleetwood Town against Ebbsfleet United    


This stunning goal came 3rd in the fans' survey and his 25th goal of the season was a stunning lob from the centre circle. This is the type of goal that has got him noticed by many football league and even premier league clubs who all wanted to sign Vardy throughout the second half of the season:

 

Result of the Season

1) York City 3-0 Luton Town
Even though the match was all the way back in August, this turned out to be significant as the two teams now face each other in the play off final to try and earn promotion to the football league. York City won with two goals from Ashley Chambers and a goal from Jason Walker and this moved City from 6th to 5th in the league, while Luton dropped from 1st to 6th in the league by losing away to York.

2) Barrow 4-0 Fleetwood Town

A massive victory for the Bluebirds back in August at the start of the season with a hat-trick from Andy Cook and an own goal scored by former Barrow defender Paul Edwards. It was a stunning performance where Barrow completely outplayed Fleetwood in every area on the pitch and was the start of several giant killing performances that were pulled off at the Furness Building Society Stadium this season.

3) Stockport 3-4 Darlington
Back in October, it was a competitive match between Stockport who were just adjusting to life in the Conference following relegation from League Two and BSBP strugglers Darlington. It was reportedly an end to end game which was clinched by Darlington after Greg Taylor's 84 minute goal.

Defensive Performance of the Season: 

1) Fleetwood Town
 
Fans have voted for the Cod Army as having the best defensive record in the league. With 16 clean sheets in the league, a solid defence is what helped Fleetwood to success and winning the BSBP title.

2) Wrexham

On paper, Wrexham had the best defensive performance throughout the season and managed to keep 21 clean sheets. They narrowly lost out to Fleetwood in this fans' survey and the Cod Army probably just had the edge by making it that little be more difficult for teams to try and score past them.

3) Cambridge United

With an impressive 16 league clean sheets this season, United created a defence that was hard to break down for many teams in the BSBP. This allowed the team to have a late surge and climb to a credible 9th position in the league.


 
Special thanks to everyone who took part in the survey and thankyou for visiting again. 

@amyscarisbrick

Contact the author: ascarisbrick@uclan.ac.uk