A final day to remember for Yeovil fans, as a 3-1 win away in Dover meant the Glovers finished on 95 points, their highest points tally since the infamous 2002-03 season! Let’s see how the rest of the league got on in their final day clashes, with the final playoff spot up for grabs!
One team that came out poorly in that playoff clash was Hampton & Richmond Borough. They started the day inside the playoff spots, but a thumping 5-1 defeat away at an already-confirmed playoff side, Maidstone, meant they would have to wait another year to compete for a spot in the National League. Another team that were already confirmed for the playoffs were Worthing, who booked their spot in the playoff semi-finals with a 4-2 win at home to Weston-super-mare, ending their regular season on 104 goals.
Two more fixtures involving playoff sides, with one coming on the south coast – W*ymouth had their final day of the season spoiled by playoff-chasing Farnborough, who found themselves down to 10-men shortly after half-time, but that wouldn’t stop them from coming from behind to win 2-1. Ultimately, their win wasn’t enough, as Aveley defeated Bath City in front of a club-record crowd to confirm their place in the post-season. A 2-3 classic was played out at Braintree Town, who were defeated by 9-man Eastbourne Borough with a 91st minute winner by Imran Uche, while the final playoff side to feature saw Chelmsford City and Chippenham Town play out a 1-1 draw.
Torquay United celebrated their survival with a stonking 5-0 win over relegated side Havant & Waterlooville, with Austen Booth’s 35 yard screamer helping cap off a turbulent season for the Gulls. Tonbridge Angels and St Albans City played out a 2-2 draw to close out their seasons, while Truro’s busy end to the season finished with a 2-1 defeat away to Dartford. It was a good end to the season, including the preservation of their fantastic home form, for Slough Town, as they drew 1-1 with a resurgent Welling United, and in the final game of the season, and what proved to be Rob Dray’s final game as Taunton Town manager, they drew 0-0 with Hemel Hempstead in Bobby Wilkinson’s first game in charge.
National League South results – in full
Aveley 2-0 Bath City
Braintree Town 2-3 Eastbourne Borough
Chippenham Town 1-1 Chelmsford City
Dartford 2-1 Truro City
Maidstone United 5-1 Hampton & Richmond Borough
Slough Town 1-1 Welling United
Taunton Town 0-0 Hemel Hempstead Town
Tonbridge Angels 2-2 St Albans City
Torquay United 5-0 Havant & Waterlooville
W*ymouth 1-2 Farnborough
Worthing 4-2 Weston-super-mare
National League South table (look at that gold!)
Final tables from across the leagues 📊
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— The National League (@TheVanaramaNL) April 20, 2024