.
There's still a lot of matches to play but for now, Ilkeston, Hebburn and Stockton are in a battle for the final playoff place:
Ilkeston    P25, Points 42
Hebburn   P24, Points 39
Stockton   P23, Points 36

Hebburn have a chance to draw level on points with Ilkeston when they play Morpeth at home on Tuesday night (14th Jan)
Stockton play Lancaster on Wednesday night (15thJan)



At the other end of the table, the battle to avoid relegation is hotting up with Leek now pulling away and looking too good to go down.
In my opinion Blyth, Prescot and Bamber will be relegated with either Mickleover or Basford. 

Basford have a really tough 5 final matches against Ashton (H), Morpeth (A), Hyde (H), Worksop (A) and Hebburn (H) final match.
If it goes to the final game then Mickleover have the easier looking game : at home to Prescot Cables.



 

I had us getting 10 points from:

• Stockton Home - Win (52)
• Blyth Away - Win (55)
• Prescott Home - Win (58)
• Gainsborough Away - Draw (59)

and we got 3, so 7 points behind my play-off schedule.After 2 very disappointing performances against Blyth and Prescott, I’m more encouraged after the Gainsborough game.You’d have to think we need at least 6 wins from our last 8 games:

• Lancaster Home - Win (62)
• Stockton Away - Loss (62)
• Warrington Home - Draw (63)
• Hebburn Away - Loss (63)
• FC United Home - Win (66)
• Macclesfield Away - Loss (66)
• Matlock Home - Draw (67)
• Bamber Bridge Away - Win (70)

And yet, if you look at Stockton’s schedule, you’d have to say they’ve got some very tough games left...

• Ashton (A)
• Ilkeston (H)
• FC United (A)
• Worksop (H)
• Prescott (A)
• Morpeth (H)
• Hebburn (A)
• Hyde (H)

As John has said, we’re not quite getting the rub of the green at the moment, but that will change, and there’s no reason we can’t put a run together of 4 or 5 wins. It’s a long shot of course, but while there’s hope ...

.
Warrington Rylands manager Neil Reynolds insists his side will refuse to give up on their hopes of a play-off spot until it becomes mathematically impossible.  

The Blues were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Gainsborough Trinity on Saturday - a result which extended their winless run in the league to five matches. Ben Hardcastle had fired Reynolds' side ahead with four minutes gone, only for Gainsborough top scorer Dec Howe to earn his side a point 12 minutes later with his 29th goal of the season in all competitions. While admitting his side should've put the game to bed, former FC United of Manchester boss Reynolds was keen to take the positives ahead of a crucial sequence of upcoming fixtures.
Photo credit: Darren Murphy 
"It was a brilliant game between two really good sides, and how we haven't won the game has escaped me," he said post-match. "They had a chance right at the end and [Luke Pilling] has needed to make an unbelievable, world-class save. "We should've been out of sight before then. Some of the football and the movement was exceptional, and I'm proud of the lads. "We knew we had to be on our mettle. When we went away to Gainsborough [earlier in the season], we didn't get our passing game right and weren't that expansive. We looked a bit tired, but today we were fresh.

Photo credit: Darren Murphy
 "All in all, it was a really positive day. You can see by the way that we were clapped off the pitch, everybody knows how well Warrington Rylands played against a really good Gainsborough side." Saturday's results across the Northern Premier League's top division only served to intensify an already-dramatic race for the top five. Stockton Town, current occupiers of the final play-off spot, conceded late in their game against relegation-threatened Basford United and were forced to settle for a point at home. And like Warrington Rylands, another of the sides chasing the top five, Ilkeston Town, conceded a 96th minute leveller at home to Prescot Cables.

Photo credit: Darren Murphy 
Those results mean Stockton remain five points clear of the chasing pack but have played a game more than sixth-placed Ilkeston, who visit Gainsborough on Tuesday evening. Rylands are not back in action until a trip to basement side Blyth Spartans on Saturday 15 March and Reynolds - who has overseen a rapid improvement in form since taking over the club in late September - says the break comes at an opportune time for his side ahead of the final eight games of the season. "We're going to look forward to having a week off," the Blues boss added.
Photo credit: Darren Murphy "The lads have worked so hard, so we'll look forward to having a mini winter break. We'll prepare right for the last eight games, and it's going to be exciting. "We're not giving up anything until it's mathematically impossible. That's not me putting pressure on the lads - they want that pressure themselves. "It looks like we're going to need a miracle really, but we aren't giving up."
  

kevilsonlad wrote:

Really honestly guys i dont want the play offs , i never thought i would hear myself saying this . Well the play offs yeah but promotion NO WAY it would kill the club off as in we cant afford it . I would rather stay at this level building what we have or rather what Nally has built . I have never had so much respect for an owner than Nally . So it's big no for promotion from me ., in fact it would worry me even if we got relegation if it meant the club survives for the future . Am being negative i think not quite the opposite i am thinking there will be futrue of a football club in this town , thats the most important thing to me ...

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I too would rather stay at this level for the same reasons but you have to strive to finish as high as possible or what's the point of competing. 

I was thinking about if a team won promotion but declined to go up. I think if that happened the team would be relegated instead.
 

Matchman wrote:

kevilsonlad wrote:

Really honestly guys i dont want the play offs , i never thought i would hear myself saying this . Well the play offs yeah but promotion NO WAY it would kill the club off as in we cant afford it . I would rather stay at this level building what we have or rather what Nally has built . I have never had so much respect for an owner than Nally . So it's big no for promotion from me ., in fact it would worry me even if we got relegation if it meant the club survives for the future . Am being negative i think not quite the opposite i am thinking there will be futrue of a football club in this town , thats the most important thing to me ...

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I too would rather stay at this level for the same reasons but you have to strive to finish as high as possible or what's the point of competing. 

I was thinking about if a team won promotion but declined to go up. I think if that happened the team would be relegated instead.
 

agreed about still trying to get high as possible but its fine line between going up and maybe getting slaughtered in playing and money wise or being a mid table team until you are ready for a big push ... Its a massive balancing act what with  the players and the financial well being of the club ......My god who`d be a owner , not me 

Missed the Stockton game but from the highlights it looked like another game where we didn't get the rub of the green and another game we could easily have won. Play-off hopes almost certainly gone now but it doesn't stop you trying to win football matches. Maybe our luck's about to change and Stockton's luck is about to change the other way. Could we win our next 3 ...

Warrington (H)
Hebburn (A)
FC United (H)

and Stockton lose their next 3 ...

FC United (A)
Worksop (H)
Prescott (A)

Ashton haven't won in a while but I think they've got slightly easier fixtures ...

Hebburn (H)
Basford (A)
Gainsborough (H)

Last edited by Trowell Nicky (27/3/2025 1:53 PM)