Should we have won the title?

[ncfcog]

At home this season we did enough to win the title. Nobody can complain about taking 50 points from 22 games. It’s better than Stockport's home record and on a par with Wrexham who have 51 points.

We will finish 5th because of points dropped away from home. We have won 8 and lost 8 from 21 games. You’ve got to win half your away games to stand any chance of winning the title like Wrexham and Stockport have done.

I would agree we’ve gifted Halifax or Solihull 3rd place because we threw away the lead against Halifax.

There are some key away games where we should ideally have picked up more points. The two draws against Weymouth and Wealdstone. Then defeats to Eastleigh, Aldershot, Alrincham. Picking a point in two games against Bromley.

It’s really fine margins. That’s why if we don’t go up it doesn’t need the baby throwing out with the bath water. We just need to get over inconsistency away from home against lesser sides. Once we do we will be ready to take our place back in the football league.

We could argue we got points we maybe shouldn't have as well, Grimsby away, Wrexham away, Wealdstone at home etc. It ebbs and flows, the only games I'm still really miffed are the Halifax away defeat and home defeat to Woking.

[MAD_MAGPIE]

We could argue we got points we maybe shouldn't have as well, Grimsby away, Wrexham away, Wealdstone at home etc. It ebbs and flows, the only games I'm still really miffed are the Halifax away defeat and home defeat to Woking.

There is an element of swings and roundabouts but those two games you point out are the complete stand out ones and surprise's as to how we took zero points from those games. I still believe we could have obtained more points away from home collectively from Weymouth, Wealdstone, Eastleigh, and Aldershot. All of those sides are 17th in the table or below and only 2 points from 12 is what has cost us 3rd place and a chance of challenging for the title. We should have been getting 9 points from those games.

Wrexham and Stockport both beat Weymouth, Wealdstone, Eastleigh and Aldershot away.

However like you say win against ten man Halifax and beat Woking at home and that would have been another 6 points.

So there is 11 points dropped and that is why Stockport and Wrexham are challenging for the title on the last day and we are not 3rd at least or pushing them all the way for the title on the last day.

It's all part of the journey and it's something to be learned from for next season. We can still play our game but we have to be better at it away from home against the lower table teams like Eastleigh, Aldershot, Wealdstone and Weymouth.