Big Non-League play-off night. Marlow & Slough go out
A big night in the play-offs tonight. Firstly in the Ryman North Division:
Maldon & Tiptree 5 Haringey Borough 4
(Att: 412)
Thurrock 1 AFC Hornchurch 0 (481)
Maldon & Tiptree will now host Thurrock on Sunday afternoon for a place in the Premier Division
All the Southern League semi-finals were played tonight:
Premier Division:
Leamington 1 Slough Town 0 (1,032)
Merthyr T 1 Hitchin T 1 aet (1,453)
(Hitchin won 4-1 on penalties)
Leamington will host Hitchin in the Final next Monday afternoon for a place in the National League North or South.
Central Division:
Barton Rovers 2 Marlow 0 (319)
Farnborough 4 Egham T 0 (523)
Farnborough's team included Jamie Cureton, Dennis Oli & Scott Donnelly
Farnborough will now host Barton Rovers next Monday for a place in the Premier Division
South & West Division:
Salisbury 2 Evesham 1 (1,395)
Tiverton Town 3 Taunton Town 1 (934)
Salisbury will host Tiverton next Monday for a place in the Premier Division
Comments
Which game did you go to?
Didn't I'm sorry to say but following the matches keenly.
A shame for Marlow and Slough, but they've both had great seasons.
Still think having a play off game decided by penalties is a pathetic way for one teams season to end and the others to go on. Merthyr finished ahead of Hitchin over 46 games but lost out in a single penalty shootout. That's always seemed unfair to me.
If there's one thing all of us on here could probably agree on it's that football really isn't fair sometimes.
Maybe penalties are unfair but the play-offs are a bit of a lottery anyway. Although some people despise the system it does keep interest going until the end of the season.
When you get down to Step 5 in Non-League there are no play-offs - just the champions are promoted. Unusually the Hellenic League this season went to the last game of the season with Bracknell & Thame slugging it out for the top spot. In the Spartan South Midlands League recently the champions have almost been crowned by February, making the rest of the season very flat.
Whatever the merits of either system it's important to keep interest going right until the end of the season, especially with so many other events competing for people's attention (& money).
I like the idea of the playoffs. At least a game of football is involved. I also like the current system rather than giving the top ranked side a single home tie or a bye to the final as in some other sports. Two legs creates an interest too.
I just don't get a penalty shoot out to decide a fixture when there is a definitive winner already decided over a much longer period.
There's definitely an argument for awarding the tie to the highest ranked side in the event of a draw after extra time
Plays-offs are the only way to keep the season interesting for 50% of the teams in the league.
Our season would have been over months ago if the top 4 went up automatically.
Removing penalties and having the highest ranked team go up is fairer, but it's not as good for neutrals watching it on the telly is it?
Would be a terrible idea. You'd have teams playing for a draw from the start
Plays offs are an acceptable way of sorting out promotion agreed. But they have to be played on a home and away basis for a semi final, I dont like the way the non league ones are set up.
I'm heading to Champion Hill this evening for the Dulwich Hamlet v Enfield Town semi-final. Should be a cracker
Plenty of teams pay for a draw as it is.
@bluntphil don't forget your Momentum pin badges and stick on beard
Hitchin were absolutely battered in the game and held on for pens.
Dulwich Hamlet 4 - 2 Enfield Town
As expected, a cracking game. Enfield made a couple of crucial defensive errors in the first half which made the difference.
Final at Bogner Regis Town on Monday
Spare a thought for the Glassboys, who play Spennymoor on Saturday for a place in the Conference North (or South - possibly - depending on how they sort these things out these days...)
Oops - I see @Last_Quarter has already mentioned this on another thread.
I want Spennymoor to get through.
@bluntphil - what a finish for the Dulwich third goal.