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| 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.
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: 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.
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.
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| Barrow and York City Teams before their Match |
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.
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.
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| 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.
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| Southport Away Stand |
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.
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| 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.
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| Newport County's team at Holker Street |
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.
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.
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.
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| 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.
