National League predictions

I haven’t really paid much attention to the rest of the division since our relegation, concentrating on who we sign. But had a look through other teams and forums today and the standard seems to be much higher than last time we were down here. Notts county, Stockport and Wrexham all throwing money at it, and Chesterfield also look to have a strong team. With that in mind, how do people think we’ll do and who do you think will win the league?

I know it’s hard to predict until we sign another striker, but at the minute I think 5th to 7th is what we’ll be looking at, but I think it’ll be a close season with no runaway leader. Sign a notable striker and we could be looking at higher, but with the lights of Madden, Quigley, Mullin down here, we’ll need a good one.

For top spot, I’ve got a feeling Chesterfield will do it, they look to have a lot of strength in depth in attacking areas.

Chesterfield that have Stefan Payne? Not for me

Stockport

Positive and optimistic there is only going to be one team at the top for me, TOWN.

Stockport to win the league with Town going up as play-off winners. I’ve got a feeling we’ll start really well before form drops off through the winter with pressure mounting on Hurst, only to turn things around come the end of the season.

The play-offs will be something else I reckon. I can’t see us finishing higher than 6th or 7th, so that will mean winning 3 games on the trot away from BP.

The first one will go to the wire with Town levelling with a late, late equaliser before going on to nick a win in the depth of extra time.

I don’t know why, but I’ve got this weird feeling we’ll play Wrexham next and we’ll beat them in the most astonishing way possible. It will be 4-3, or maybe even 5-4 to Town with a sense of irony about Town’s winner in the last minute of extra time.

We’ll then continue that trend of late extra time wins in the final, although I think we’ll need to add to our current squad to pull that off. There’s a lad at Woking who I think would complement our team well, we should probably look at him.

Anyway, winning promotion in such a crazy and exhilarating way will almost certainly lead to a surge in demand for season tickets and new shirts. I hope the club has the foresight to invest in extra stock because we’ll only have the likes of Golly on here moaning insufferably if they don’t.

Anyway, that’s just my gut feel. Probably won’t happen.

As an aside, Wednesday night’s lottery numbers will be 3, 16, 27, 34, 36 and 46. Make sure to get your ticket, wouldn’t want you looking back on this hot tip with regret.

Yeah, it’s got “transitional season” written all over it for us. But in tiny writing so that it fits.

Stockport or Torquay for me. Top half for us.

I think if you use the analogy “forming - storming - morning - performing” we’re just forming.

I expect a few disappointments in terms of results for a while as well as some good performances and the odd edgy 1 - 0 Hurst style win while we get to grips with the NL and the stuff that comes with it. If that’s good enough to get us a play off spot then I’d be pretty happy with that all things considered.

I reckon it might take 2/3 seasons for us to get promotion whilst the improved infrastructure kicks in and the squad stabilises.

What I do sense is that even at this early stage PH has more positivity and support from the owners than when he took us up, the squad still needs loads of work but that will happen I’m sure.

“Us fans” also play a role and that’s to manage our expectations and support the team even if things don’t go as we’d expect. That might be hard at times but I believe they all the stake holders in the club being on the same page is the only way we’ll get back and stay there.

7th minimum for us, Stocky to win.

There's usually one unfancied team that are up there each season.

I wonder what odds Sutton were to win the league at the start of last season.

I think the play offs has to be our minimum target. We've done a lot of business early and had a well planned pre-season
Think Wrexham will be close along with Stockport, and Torquay have a man with a good pedigree in this league.

We have to be getting to play offs as a minimum for me. Impossible to predict in all honesty, too many variables..but going on ‘paper’ you’d have to say Stockport, Notts C will be there or thereabouts. Don’t fancy Wrexham to go up myself, nor Torquay.

I wouldn’t be having a wager on it that’s for sure..going to be an interesting season though I reckon. One way or another