Hope, Hollywood and heartache - Looking ahead to a fascinating 2021/22 National League season20/8/2021 The fifth tier of English football has long been characterised by the chaotic drama and unparalleled entertainment it provides on a weekly basis, yet rapid influx of heavy investment in recent years - particularly amongst a catalogue of northern sides - has added another interesting dimension to a division that is beginning to feel like an extension of the Football League in many regards (but not others). Though a growing trend, amplified by the scarcely-believable Hollywood takeover of perennial underachievers Wrexham, it remains no guarantee of success and this was emphasised at the back end of May when Sutton won the title, having been misguidedly tipped to struggle.
Three months on and a new campaign dawns. The National League returns against a backdrop of packed grounds, a refreshing and gratefully-received transformation away from the sterile, supporterless placebo which masqueraded as the real thing last year. Ten months of emotionally-fuelled chaos awaits; optimism will dissipate, dreams will be made and hopes will be shattered. There will be rapturous scenes of ecstasy, distraught tears of sheer pain and slammed fists of frustration, the culmination of which will be two teams soaring into the promised land of the Football League. Predicting who, though, is as challenging as ever this season. Logic dictates that the winner will come from the trio of Stockport, Chesterfield and Wrexham, but that doesn't legislate for the sheer unpredictability of a division in which three of the past four winners weren't even involved in the promotion conversation during the summer. Such romanticism seems to be becoming increasingly unattainable, however, when a select few clubs are spending extortionate amounts of money (nothing wrong with that providing they have the capacity to do so), defying the notion of financial effects incurred by the pandemic. Notts County will be desperate not to extend their stay in their fifth tier, as will Dagenham whose owners have reiterated their desire to reach the EFL as quickly as possible. Then there's last season's unlucky beaten play-off finalists Torquay United, looking to go one better this time out under experienced winner Gary Johnson. Bromley should also consider themselves good enough to lock horns with the best at this level, an impressive knack that Halifax and Boreham Wood have also demonstrated over recent seasons. Ultimately, only two teams will be able to fulfil this dream, and one of those will have to do it via the lottery of the play-offs at that. Already a catalogue of potential promotion contenders have been mentioned, and that's before even casting an eye on the two clubs who tumbled unceremoniously out of the Football League at the end of last season, into what they will soon discover is a seemingly-inescapable pit. Grimsby and Southend's grounds are both located in the near vicinity of the seaside, synonymous with happiness, but the mood at those two clubs has been anything but for a sustained period now, resulting in a relegation that will take a long time to heal, yet from which they will nonetheless emerge stronger. Both will have designs on an instant return to the EFL, however history anchors that as an unlikely occurrence, especially as the competition is as fierce as ever and their squads don't appear of the required calibre. Switching focus to the opposite end of the division now, which was a non-event last season due to the removal of relegation stemming from the curtailment of the National League North and South seasons, creating an unusual situation whereby a number of clubs in the fifth tier took their foot off the gas in the knowledge that their status was guaranteed. Amongst the sides that would have been in danger had this not happened are Dover Athletic and King's Lynn Town, both of whom are likely to face another campaign of gritty struggle. Dover's precarious financial situation has long been in the public domain, and a 12 point deduction only intensifies their difficult situation, from which relegation is a likely outcome, yet not necessarily a foregone conclusion such is the unpredictability of National League football. King's Lynn know they need to be much better this time out but will have to do without their best player Sonny Carey, whose transfer to Blackpool intensified the belief that the Linnets will struggle. Indeed, despite many succeeding in the past, every promoted side from the North/South endured a difficult campaign in 2020/21; Altrincham, Weymouth, Wealdstone and King's Lynn all finished in the bottom segment of the division - the latter two in what would have been the traditional bottom four. Nothing in the summer recruitment of any of these teams indicates they should expect anything different, but of course that doesn't legislate for the general spontaneity which exists in football. Moreover, all four will have to fight for their place rather than it being certified as it was last year. Elsewhere, local rivals Woking and Aldershot Town could both be dragged into a battle this year. The Cards were abject at the back end of last season, while the Shots have lost a number of key players throughout the summer. Both have technically been relegated in recent years; Woking in 2017/18 and Aldershot the year after (although they were then reprieved as a result of disciplinary proceedings against Gateshead, who were then demoted in their place), so it isn't inconceivable to think it could happen again. Then there's Maidenhead, a side who always exceed expectations under experienced boss Alan Devonshire but have, as usual, suffered the departure of the most recent off the conveyor belt of talented footballers they always seem to acquire. The likelihood is that the Magpies will work their magic again. Now, it's time to let the action take centre stage. English football's fifth tier, the Vanarama National League, commences tomorrow at 3pm, continuing in an unbroken rhythm until the beginning of June, after which five more sides will have exited the division at either end. The question of which ones remains to be seen, but one thing that can be stated with absolute certainty is that it will be a pulsating, emotionally-fuelled ride.
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