All over bar the shouting ... or maybe not

The dust is starting to settle on the issues of promotion and relegation in the EvoStik League Division 1 North. The championship goes to AFC Fylde with a couple of games to spare, so unless we meet them in a cup, the plan to take a trip to Lytham and its Good Beer Guide pubs and use Fylde's free bus to get to the game will not be put into action.

The breezy Kellamergh Park, home of AFC Fylde

Relegation issues may have been determined off the field. The League have determined that Woodley Sports will be relegated, due to ground grading and security of tenure issues. That means only one remaining relegation place, occupied by Cammell Laird, too far behind on points to escape. Woodley can appeal to the FA, and I am convinced that the committees that decide these things have chicken for lunch, to consult the entrails for their meeting, so it is worth making sure to resolve the issue on points.

Keeping warm at Durham

There was also news on Thursday that Durham City had requested to take one of the two relegation places, courtesy of the Wakefield Express, reported as a possible life line from relegation for Wakefield. There was some confusion, with sources from Durham denying this, and the report being removed. However, it resurfaced on Friday on the Express' sister papers, the Harrogate Advertiser and Ripon Gazette, as a potential reprieve for Harrogate Railway Athletic, and quoting from an e-mail sent by the League to member clubs. Finally, the news was confirmed on the Durham City website.

This could therefore mean Cammell Laird, Wakefield and Harrogate Railway Athletic all avoiding relegation. So, those trips to Gallaghers Pub and Barber Shop in Birkenhead, Blind Jack's in Knaresborough, and the various establishments of Ossett could still be on the itinerary next season.

I am not entirely surprised by Durham's decision, as they are looking to return to the Northern League, with the much reduced travelling this would entail. When I started watching football in the early nineties, the Northern League had just joined the Pyramid, having previously refused to do so, as they felt their standard was sufficient to feed directly to the Conference when it was founded in 1979. Durham's resignation leaves only Whitby Town of the former Northern League clubs still in the EvoStik League (with Blyth Spartans and Gateshead having reached Conference North). The travelling will always be a problem for clubs in the North East, Durham's nearest club in the division was Harrogate Railway Athletic, 67 miles away. Changing the Division 1 split from north / south to east / west has been suggested, although this cannot change how distant they are from the bulk of the other cubs, swapping trips to Prescot with those to Grantham.

There is likely to be no candidate for promotion from the Northern League again this year, so you have to wonder at the tidy mind of the FA worrying that there are 14 leagues at step 5 feeding to 12 places at step 4, and planning disruptive changes to rectify the situation, when 2 of those leagues (the South West has the same problem) rarely feed to the next level.

This was all put to one side for the visit of Wakefield - on the principle of making sure on points, one from this game would put Prescot's safety from relegation beyond even mathematical doubt.

Steven Tames

The weather has not been as bad this season as last, so this was the first evening game since the clocks went forward, so the first to start in daylight. The evening light producing some shots with a clear sense of movement, although I was able to get the same effect under the lights.

Freddie Potter

It was a scrappy physical game, particularly in the second half. Cables' Stuart McMullen, fortunately one of our calmest players, collected an elbow in the eye when the referee's back was turned, and then received a punch to the same eye, for which the offending Wakefield player was instantly shown a red card.

Stuart McMullen

The end result was a 1-1 draw, which, leaving aside off field events elsewhere, was useful for both clubs, putting Wakefield 3 points ahead of Harrogate Railway Athletic with a far superior goal difference. The rest of the pictures from the game can be seen here.