Good morning everyone! We’re just about to the end of the month and, in this case, almost the end of the season. That means we need to have a rundown of the lower leagues in the English football pyramid.
We know a few things already: Lincoln and Cardiff are going up, and Rotherham, Port Vale and Northampton are going down.
The playoff race is very exciting. There are six teams competing for four places. The big question is whether or not Luton Town can find their way in the top six after spending most of this season midtable (a disaster after having already faced back-to-back relegations). Your hoddler-in-chief will also be keeping a close eye on Bradford City, who seem to be a little inconsistent in their results.
And don’t forget about Leyton Orient on the other side. A year ago they were pushing for the Championship. Today it’s about survival.
Can Harrogate Town complete the great escape? They’ve won their last two straight games to bring themselves on level with Crawley Town and just one point back of Newport County and Tranmere. Remember: Only the bottom two sides are relegated to the National League.
They’ve got a hell of a game to close out the season though. They’ll be hosting Barnet, who are still within a shot of the playoffs. Crawley Town also have a tough one against Salford who are playing for an easier playoff route. Who knows, maybe relegation will come down to goal differential.
It was heartbreak for Rochdale last weekend, who thought they were going up with a goal in the 90+5th minute against York City. Well, after some pandemonium, York City scored the promotion-clinching goal in the 90+12th minute.
So now Rochdale, who are second place at 106 points, now have to go through the playoffs to gain promotion to League Two. That seems pretty cruel, especially when you look at some of the teams in the league above this one. We have this conversation every year about expanding the promotion/relegation between League Two and the National League, but it isn’t happening.
Otherwise another fun story is Scunthorpe, who dropped out of the Football League a couple years ago.
Champions: York City (108 Pts)
Fitzie’s track of the day: Dancing in the Club (MJ Lenderman Version), by This Is Lorelei
The Ringer: “Tottenham’s Relegation Would Be Shocking. It Now Seems Inevitable.”
Alasdair Gold: “What Bentancur did to Kinsky and Xavi Simons’ crucial conversation with De Zerbi after his injury”
BBC: “Spurs’ Simons to miss rest of season and World Cup”
The Telegraph: “FA claims ‘no proof’ that heading causes long-term brain damage”