It’s been another exciting 12 months in National League circles, with plenty of notable events happening during the year.
With Christmas fast approaching this is a good time to pick our winners for The Ball is Round’s non-league awards 2018.
There are undoubtedly lots of candidates who could come into consideration up and down the country, but we’ve narrowed things down to three top prizes.
Team of the Year – Harrogate Town
Having bounced around the lower reaches of non-league football for many years, it was great to see Harrogate Town win promotion to the National League last May.
A 3-0 play-off final victory over Brackley Town in front of capacity turnout of 3,000 fans saw Town secure promotion from National League North.
There have been ups-and-downs on the pitch during Irving Weaver’s time as owner, but his quest to drive the club up the ladder while remaining financially self-sufficient ultimately came to fruition.
The story might not be over yet, with Town currently third in the National League as they chase a second successive promotion.
Player of the Year – Danny Rowe, AFC Fylde
AFC Fylde striker Danny Rowe finished last season with 28 goals and he has continued firing them home this time around.
His form drew attention from league clubs, with Cheltenham Town having a £175,000 bid rejected by the National League club back in August.
Rowe, who started out at Manchester United, has proved popular with punters using online payment providers for betting on first goalscorer markets throughout 2018.
His 15 goal tally this season has got Fylde in the promotion mix again and they could have a battle on their hands to keep him in the January transfer window.
Fairy Tale of the Year – Brackley Town
Brackley are another club who have spent plenty of time in the lower echelons of the non-league pyramid, but they finally got their day in the sun last May.
Their defeat against Harrogate Town in the play-off final could have dented confidence, but they bounced back in style the following weekend in the FA Trophy Final at Wembley.
National League side Bromley were strongly fancied to defeat their lower-ranked opponents, but Brackley had other ideas. Town bagged a stoppage time equaliser to send the game to extra-time where neither side could find a winner.
They held their nerve during the shoot-out, with Andy Brown calmly slotting home the deciding goal to spark wild celebrations amongst Brackley’s 7,000 fans.
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