This weekend looked like being significant and it didn't disappoint.
In the Premier League, Leicester took another massive stride towards the title after thrashing Swansea 4-0 meaning
Tottenham simply must beat West Brom on Monday to stay in with a chance. Defeat would leave them eight points adrift with three games to go, a deficit which a team of seasoned winners would find hard to overcome let alone one which hasn't won the title for 55 years.
A disappointing 0-0 draw at Sunderland saw
Arsenal slip to fourth and with the Foxes winning, their already slim chances of finishing top are now over.
The biggest success story of the weekend for our top flight clubs was
Crystal Palace winning their FA Cup semi-final against
Watford. They will now face Manchester United in a repeat of the 1990 final in just under four weeks.
In the Championship, the only news of note was not positive as
Charlton Athletic finally lost their long struggle against relegation as Brighton beat them 2-1 at The Valley.
They could well be swapping places with near neighbours
Millwall who are now pretty much guaranteed a League One play-off place following their 3-1 win at Bury. That result still leaves them with a mathematical chance of an automatic promotion spot but they'll have to win their last two to even think about it.
With
Dagenham & Redbridge already relegated, the main news to come out League Two was
AFC Wimbledon winning the derby against
Leyton Orient. The slender 1-0 win has given the Dons a very strong chance of making the play-offs while at the same time condemning the O's to finish in midtable.
In the National League, with
Bromley having secured a very creditable midtable finish and
Welling United sadly relegated, the focus is now very much on
Boreham Wood and their fight to stay up. With two wins on the bounce, including a crucial win over fellow strugglers Guiseley on Saturday, the Wood have put their fate in their own hands. However, they are only one point clear of the bottom three and travel to Welling for a derby on the final day - it will be tense.
Congratulations are due to
Sutton United who claimed the National League South crown with a 2-0 win over Chelmsford on Saturday. I'm staggered it's taken them so long given they haven't lost a league game since early November. They now return to the fifth tier for the first time since 2000.
Elsewhere in the division,
Dartford can still make the play-offs if midweek results go their way and they beat St Albans City in their final game. St Albans are still fighting hard to avoid relegation and are in decent form so will be no pushovers.
Like Sutton, there was also title joy for
Hampton & Richmond Borough in the Isthmian League Premier Division but they put their fans through it. They needed to draw with
Enfield Town to finish top but their Middlesex rivals also needed a win to nick the final play-off berth from
Dulwich Hamlet if the south Londoners slipped up at struggling Needham Market.
Elsewhere, second-placed Bognor Regis could steal top spot if they beat
Hendon and achieved a four-goal swing in the process. They duly won 4-0 but an Enfield goal did not materialise and the title headed to the Beveree. Dulwich did come unstuck at Needham Market but had enough points to scrape over the line. They now face Bognor in Sussex on Thursday night in the one legged semi-final.
In the Isthmian League Division 1 North, three of the four play-off places went to local clubs with
Thurrock,
Cray Wanderers and
AFC Hornchurch all making it. In the parallel Division 1 South,
Corinthian Casuals were well on course for a play-off place until Friday when they controversially had three points deducted for fielding an ineligible player way back in January. They won their final game but so did the teams above them and they cruelly missed out.
Egham Town were one of the surprise packages of the Southern League Division 1 Central season and went into the final week as contenders for top spot. Sadly it didn't quite work out for them and they finished third - still a massive achievement for a club not long out of the Combined Counties League and averaging attendances of 102. They welcome St Ives Town on Tuesday for their one legged play-off semi-final.
In the ninth and tenth tier, there are still a few issues to be settled. A title win should be a formality for
Edgware Town in the Spartan South Midlands League Division 1. Three local clubs can all win the Combined Counties League Division 1 title and should all get promoted - good luck to
Abbey Rangers,
Bedfont & Feltham and
CB Hounslow United.
In other news I had planned to take in one of Saturday's big games but ended up babysitting. Not to be defeated I made my first trip to see my local non-league side.
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| The Linford Christie Stadium plays host to some Middlesex County League football |
Kensington Dragons play in the Middlesex County League, part of the 11th tier of English football. The day's opponents were
AFC Wembley and an even game ensued at the Linford Christie Stadium - a multisport venue (i.e. there was a running track and athletics facilities) sandwiched between Hammersmith Hospital and Wormwood Scrubs.
With my three-year-old happily playing with some of the players' kids in the long jump sand pit, I was afforded plenty of time to watch the action.
To be fair, there wasn't much but the pitch was heavy and the grass long so passing was tough. The hosts eventually won 2-1 with a late goal. Sadly I missed it as I was retrieving a ball from an earlier wayward shot, something I did four or five times.
Overall, I'm a bit of a fan of this league as long-term readers will know. Over the next month, as most leagues finish, this one will keep going a bit longer and I'll add its games to the map.
For the eagle-eyed among you, this week's piece runs through until next Monday as we have another Bank Holiday with several big games taking place.
Lastly, our friends at '
Two Men In Search Of The Beautiful Game' have paid a visit to Isthmian League club AFC Hornchurch -
find out how they got on.
It's going to be another defining week - enjoy it!
