Some interesting last day results in the Ryman Premier League regarding our more local rivals that will affect us one way or another next season.
Bognor blew the chance of automatic promotion by failing to beat lowly Met Police at home. Havant will now get the automatic promotion spot.
At the other end of the table, Folkestone dramatically escaped relegation by winning at bottom club Grays today having beaten Tonbridge on Monday...and ending Tonbridge's play-off chances.
And Burgess Hill also dodged relegation today with a last minute winner against Mertsham.
The creation of Conference South and North 12 years ago diluted the strength of the Southern, Northern and Isthmian leagues' premier divisions thus making the step up from the regional divisions not so hard as it used to be. Plenty of you will recall Town struggling to adapt after promotion in 91-92.
Burgess Hill and Folkestone ran away with Ryman South the last two seasons - losing maybe half a dozen games between them. By miles the best sides in the league.
And Burgess Hill in two Premier seasons have first escaped relegation due to off pitch problems at Farnborough seeing them reprieved and today needing a 90th minute winner at home to Merstham to keep them up while Folkestone needed two wins right at the end to retain their Premier place. The Ryman Premier has clearly beefed up and the gap in standard has widened back to what it once was.
When we take our place in the Premier next season there will be plenty of hard graft ahead!
