Log onto www.thenonleaguefootballpaper.com THE NON-LEAGUE PAPER, Sunday, September 8, 2019 7

Adam VIRGOTHE VOICE OF THE NATIONAL LEAGUE TABLE, IT SEEMS, IS UPSIDE DOWN ...BUT WATCH OUT FOR LONG, HARD SLOG AHEAD: Chesterfi eld’s Mike Fondop in action THE BIG GUNS BELOW against Barrow HE NATIONAL League gets carried away, but when you put points madder and madder every year. on the board early, when they do have When you look at the league ta- a bad run, they’ve got points in the bag ble today – particularly the top and they can go for games a bit without five – we’ve all clearly predicted worrying. Tthe wrong things! When I was at Brighton, we got Let’s be brutally honest – Halifax, promoted to the Championship and had Woking, Maidenhead and Stockport the lowest budget. We went away to West County – you could argue if they stayed Ham and won. Away to Sheffield United up it would be a successful season. and won. We had that real togetherness Bromley we expect to be strong this and that’s what Halifax and Woking have year. Neil Smith is a really good manager clearly got. – and a really nice person to speak to – Those two teams can’t turn up and but they can’t play the, ‘Fifty points first expect one or two players to win it for and then we’ll see how we go from there’. them, like Danny Rowe can at Fylde. If When you can get quick points on the they don’t play well as a team then they board you can build from that. At the will fall away. other end of the scale there is Chester- Of course that doesn’t mean they field who haven’t been able to buy a win don’t have key players. I wrote about in the first nine games. Then Fylde have Woking signing Dave Tarpey and how started slowly, Wrexham have, Harro- it’s vitally important someone like him gate have. hits the ground running. He certainly It’s only early September. Woking had has and they’ve got Jake Hyde doing well a good start a couple of years ago and up front and scoring. You need goals ended up being relegat- early on and Woking have ed. Tranmere Rovers got the balance right. had a slow start the same Kane Ferdinand is a season. They ended up solid player at this level, getting promoted but Manny Parry and Ben they were never going to Gerring are a solid de- be able to catch Maccles- fensive partnership and field. they’ve also got Moussa There are always one Diarra at the back. or two teams who start I spoke to their man- off quite fast. But to ager Alan Dowson before have FC Halifax Town their Watford FA Cup and Woking first and game last season. He is second coming into the just so enthusiastic and weekend, is just testa- EXPECTANCY: Neil Smith that comes across on the ment to them and their players. managers. Both clubs have a great goal differ- Pete Wild only really took over at ence already and the runs they’ve both Halifax just before the season kicked-off. been on has seem them pick up points. He had a spell at Oldham where they Woking have beaten Fylde, they’ve won beat Fulham in the FA Cup but it was a at Chesterfield. They’ve probably picked late appointment for the Shaymen after up extra points than they would have Jamie Fullarton decided to leave. expected when they looked at the month What an opening it has been for the of August before it started. MIND THE GAP, SHERI! young boss. They’ve just beaten Solihull There are so many new sides and FOR CHESTERFIELD to win the have lost. But it’s a worrying start. People will say there’s lots of and Chesterfield – there are some teams squads in the National League where it league title now would almost be a Like many, I really felt they had a games to go and there is. You can who start well and you wonder if this can take teams a while to get going. It’s miracle. good chance of taking hold of this go on decent runs like they did last is going to be there one big chance of a huge opportunity to take points from I’m not saying they can’t get title race by the scruff of the neck year – but in that time you’re already promotion. them and get a good start. promoted through the play-offs but early on. hoping for other teams to drop Matty Kosylo’s move to Fylde in the You know Barnet will come good, already they are well off the pace Ahead of the weekend they were points. summer is a big loss and you wonder I’d expect Harrogate to be better and and haven’t even managed to win a 17 points behind FC Halifax Town So I can’t see them winning the how they will cope. But so far they have Eastleigh’s results haven’t reflected how game after nine attempts. and Woking. So that already means league now. Play-offs, yes. But John done very well. well they’ve played. Manager John Sheridan won’t winning six games on top of them. will know they need to get results Liam McAlinden is on fire in front Wrexham have just gone to the polar need telling that it’s not good I know they’re only nine points off now. The goals they’ve conceded of goal in a team that are top scorers in opposite of last season – can’t score and enough and they need to turn it the play-offs but really it’s a good have been poor so we’ll wait and the first nine games. I like Liam Nolan can’t keep clean sheets. around quick. enough squad to be competing see. in midfield, he’s a tidy player, and the Look, if it’s the current top seven Yes, there are draws in that open- for the championship. They’re a They brought in good players over experience of Nathan Clarke at the back. come the end of the season I’ll eat my ing sequence where they could have long way back at this stage of the the summer but, so far, they’re just They’ve got a decent spine. hat. But I’ll enjoy seeing how it plays won and draws where they could season. not performing. I know neither side will be getting out. ADAM VIRGO IS THE PUNDIT FOR BT SPORT’S COVERAGE OF THE NATIONAL LEAGUE