20 Aug 2018 by Bill Waterson

Saturday 18th August saw the fifth set of Vanarama National League fixtures, and once again there were some high-scoring matches, clocking in at nearly four goals a game. Chorley left it late to clinch victory over Hereford, with a 90th minute goal settling the battle of the top two. Boston United took advantage of Hereford’s slip-up to move into second and continue their impressive start to the season. AFC Telford United, still unbeaten, moved into third after another high-scoring match at Spennymoor, the Shropshire side running out 3-2 winners. In another game between high-flying teams, Bradford (Park Avenue) shared the points with Stockport County, and both remain in the play-off spots. The final spot is held by Leamington, who were held at home by a Guiseley side picking up their second away point in five days.

At the bottom of the table, Southport clicked into gear, dispatching Nuneaton Borough at Liberty Way by 4 goals to 1. Nuneaton take the place of their conquerors at the foot of the table. FC United of Manchester drop back into the relegation places through no fault of their own after their match at Chester became the second consecutive game to be called off there, following flood damage earlier in the week, meaning Chester have not been able to kick a ball in anger since the previous weekend's 8-1 drubbing at Blyth.

York’s mixed start to the season saw them held at home by Curzon Ashton, and although they are only one place outside the play-offs, this result saw the first managerial casualty of the season, as the Minstermen dispensed with the services of Martin Gray and his assistant Sean Gregan. They are joined on seven points by Alfreton Town, who beat Blyth Spartans 3-1 at the Impact Arena, and Curzon Ashton.

Kidderminster, a game behind due to their postponement at Chester and having drawn their first three matches, got their first win on the board with a 5-2 triumph over our next opponents Darlington; and FA Trophy holders Brackley also scored five to put their indifferent start behind them with a 5-1 win against Ashton United.

Alfreton Town 3 Blyth Spartans 1

Altrincham 0 Boston United 2

Ashton United 1 Brackley Town 5

Bradford (Park Avenue) 1 Stockport County 1

Chester v FC United of Manchester POSTPONED

Chorley 1 Hereford 0

Kidderminster Harriers 5 Darlington 2

Leamington 2 Guiseley 2

Nuneaton Borough 1 Southport 4

Spennymoor Town 2 Telford United 3

York City 1 Curzon Ashton 1

The scoring charts saw Tom Denton of Alfreton Town grab his fourth of the season to join Jordan Hulme and Matthew Stenson on that mark, still trailing Reece Styche on five. There are now 10 players on three goals, and 10 on two goals including our own Josh Hancock.

The average attendance across the five matches on Saturday dropped below 1,000 for the first time this season, with the largest crowd (2,192) at York, and just over 1,500 at both Chorley and Kidderminster. The only other gate over 1,000 was at The J.Davidson. The NLN lowest crowd of the season so far was the 180 at Ashton United for the Brackley game. Our average gate in the three games to date is just under the league average of 1,300 at 1,272. We are currently the 10th best supported team in the league.