Monday 25 April 2022

PLAY OFFS LOOMING

As the 2021-2 season staggers to its finale, the 2014–15 season was the eleventh season with the Football Conference, consisting of three divisions and the Conference's thirty-fifth season overall, following a re-design of Non-League football. The Conference covers the top two levels of Non-League football, The Premier is the fifth highest level of the overall pyramid, whilst the Conference North and South exist at the sixth level. 

The top team and the winner of the play-off of the Premier division were promoted to League Two, while the bottom four were relegated to the North or South divisions. The champions of the North and South divisions were promoted to the Premier division, alongside the play-off winners from each division. The bottom three in each of the North and South divisions were relegated to the premier divisions of the Northern Premier, The Isthmian or Southern League.

This day, in 2015, the Non-League Conference had a "Football League Division 5 look about it", going into the final day of the 2014-15 season. Recent ex-League sides, Barnet, Bristol Rovers were both in a chance of the title, earning a place back in the Football League. Bristol Rovers beat Alfreton 7-0 at Rovers' ground in front of a record Conference crowd of 11,085. Barnet however pipped them to first place beating Gateshead 2-0 to grab the title and promotion, thus returning to the Football League after two seasons in the Conference, Three weeks later Rovers won the "Play Off" final at Wembley, beating Grimsby Town on penalties in front of 47,029 people, setting a new crowd record for the Conference. The Pirates returned to the Football League after a single season, their only season outside the Football League, having been admitted in 1920. 

Below the Non-League Conference 2014-15 with Ex-Football League clubs in bold.

1Barnet (C, P)46288109446+4892Promotion to League Two
2Bristol Rovers (O, P)46251657334+3991Qualification to Conference Premier play-offs
3Grimsby Town462511107440+3486
4Eastleigh462410128761+2682
5Forest Green Rovers46221688054+2679
6Macclesfield Town462115106046+1478
7Woking462113127752+2576
8Dover Athletic461911166958+1168
9FC Halifax Town461715146054+666
10Gateshead461715146662+466
11Wrexham461715145652+466
12Chester46196216476−1263
13Torquay United461613176460+461
14Braintree Town46185235657−159
15Lincoln City461610206271−958
16Kidderminster Harriers461512195160−957
17Altrincham46168225473−1956
18Aldershot Town461411215161−1053
19Southport461312214772−2551
20Welling United461112235273−2145
21Alfreton Town (R)46129254990−4145Relegation to National League North or National League South
22Dartford (R)46815234474−3039
23AFC Telford United (R)46109275884−2636
24Nuneaton Town (R)46109273876−3836
Forest Green Rovers gained promotion to the English Football League, which they achieved with victory in the 2017 play offs, having been beaten in the semi-finals in 2015 and in the 2016 Final. Forest Green were then promoted from League Two in 2022 for the first time in their history.
Have I missed a club in the league table above, that has been in the English Football League?
If you dare look at the Football Pyramid, here it is:        




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