National League prediction time

Who takes the title, who exits out the other end, it's all here

It’s that time of year where the crystal ball makes it’s re-appearance and wait for nine months to either be proved very wrong or very right. What is also great to see is the amount of people making their own across Twitter, we like to put ourselves out there to be shot at!

Tonight I’ve added the National League predictions here on my Barnet blog and those for the North and South will feature on www.footballwriting.co.uk before we get to the weekend kick-off.

So here we go! No doubt it won’t please everyone and I don’t intend to because after all it’s my opinion and I would love it nothing more than to be proved wrong in May, just like Maidenhead Utd have done to me for about the past four years.

Winners for me are my very own Barnet. The target is on their backs and it’ll be interesting to see how they handle the pressure. Of course the Bees can only go one better than last year which would deliver the title.

However, what I will say is this league for 2024/25 is very open. Any number will think they’ve got enough to walk off into the EFL in May, certainly around 12 clubs will believe they can finish in the top seven.

2^nd place to Southend Utd. Backed by a fantastic and patient set of new owners and a sold out Roots Hall being likely for 23 home games they pose the biggest threat to Barnet.

I have Forest Green in 3^rd, the budget to seal an instant return but the question mark being that double relegation. A losing culture is hard to fix, money doesn’t do it, it has to be a collective effort off and on the pitch, anything less and 3^rd could easily be 23^rd.

Oldham Ath and Altrincham take 4^th and 5^th spots. I feel it will be difficult to break both sides down but ultimately won’t score goals by the bundle. That defensive end of the park will be all important if either or the pair of sides want to mount a play-off challenge.

The final two play-off spots go to FC Halifax Town and Solihull Moors, again like the two sides previous they both should also be hard to score against. Whilst Solihull should find the net a little more than those from The Shay over the course of 46 games they should find enough to hang on in there.

Now, they may look like a good set of seven. There is plenty of scope for the next six or seven clubs to shake up that prediction and put a run or two together and gate crash the play-offs.

Rochdale and Hartlepool Utd are the two clubs I have just outside in 8^th and 9^th. Both clubs I feel are still finding their identity and in 12 months’ time I would expect the pair to be in the top seven conversation without a doubt.

In 10^th is Dagenham. A stable footing for Ben Strevens to build upon and the signings this summer should lift them well away from being anywhere close to the bottom four.

The next four could finish in any order depending on who get’s themselves together and notches up more wins than the others. Gateshead in 11^th, York City in 12^th, Aldershot 13^th and Sutton Utd 14^th.

Will Gateshead suffer from the off field uncertainty of whether they can or can’t gain promotion? Can York play the Worthing way but concede less? Have Aldershot got enough goals in them after losing Stokes and Tolaj? A lack of experience to hinder Sutton Utd despite the youthful exuberance?

AFC Fylde and Ebbsfleet hold 15^th and 16^th spots, but like those above the potential and ability to finish higher. The same can be said for 17^th Yeovil Town and 18^th Woking, the latter I expect to stutter until their new investment arrives, the former with the opportunity to take that position as a base and finish comfortably in mid-table.

The last two spots before we get to the dreaded four. This year I’ve tipped Maidenhead to survive in 19^th spot, Dev seems to do it every year so I’ll take the hint and pop them in there. Braintree I’m really unsure about and put them in 20^th spot.

They have recruited well, but almost a brand new side moving to full time, it will be interesting to see how quickly they gel and get going. One or two question marks over their two strikers staying fit enough over the course of a campaign, that to me is key in them finishing higher.

And so to the relegation spots. No bias, ultimately four sides have to finish there so it is what it is. Eastleigh, Wealdstone, Tamworth and Boston Utd. Might be a bit controversial but for me one of the big things appointing a new manager is knowledge of the league.

It’s an unforgiving league, the jury is out for me in that respect for the opening two of those four. The other two, we saw last season how tough it was for the promoted sides to get any momentum, unfortunately I don’t see any different this time around.

So there we go, feel free to disagree, there to be shot at, oh and I didn’t mention the play-off winners, that tag is going with Southend Utd. Let’s see how close we get by the time May comes around……..