@adeb going to the Chatham Horsham game so will check out ground (used to live in Horsham). If Horsham get through to final can't go as going to Crawley MK Don's same time.

@dorking-eagle I think there are quite a few factors at play here, and you're right that one of them is affordability. It's also partly nothing new - kids letting off steam at the game, sometimes getting out of hand. I know I was no angel until I grew up a bit, but the racist abuse is totally unacceptable - as is much of the (very) personal abuse aimed at players and amplified by the closeness of fans to the pitch.

Mind you, growing up watching Watford, there was no chance a player could hear any single taunts from fans, even when they got rid of the old dog track.. 😆 

@crawleysth nice one, let us know!

Posted by: @adeb

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@dorking-eagle I think there are quite a few factors at play here, and you're right that one of them is affordability. It's also partly nothing new - kids letting off steam at the game, sometimes getting out of hand. I know I was no angel until I grew up a bit, but the racist abuse is totally unacceptable - as is much of the (very) personal abuse aimed at players and amplified by the closeness of fans to the pitch.

Mind you, growing up watching Watford, there was no chance a player could hear any single taunts from fans, even when they got rid of the old dog track.. 😆 

Quite. I remember when Dan Lincoln was at DW he mentioned in an interview about the homophobia he had to put up with. I guess in non-league with fans usually changing ends, the goalie usually has to endure non stop flak from opposition fans and as you say with the closeness of the pitch, the brain dead childish abuse is unavoidable and must be awful to endure

The 4 play off finalists are

Totton and Salisbury 

Chatham and Enfield

Heartbreak on penalties for Horsham 

Unrelated, Leatherhead won their playoff on pens tonight

@dorking-eagle Gutted for Horsham. Pleased for Leatherhead - think they have potential to go higher tbh.

I'll take Salisbury and Chatham please, I think.

Agree that Leatherhead shouldn't be in step 4, was very dodgy when they were relegated on a better PPG than Merthyr from the Southern League.

Deffo Salisbury and Chatham please!

Posted by: @adeb

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@dorking-eagle Chatham - approach with caution. Got a bit of a reputation for annoying youth - bit like Solihull apparently. Terrible area too although the ground looks like it's in a nice spot.

You were right to warn me about Chatham. I don't recommend going there as an away fan at the moment.

Chatham were not really set up for big away following (over 300). Bar had no ale on tap and they had to wheel bottle Newcastle Brown and bottles from the home stand at least three times as beer ran out. only 3 porter loos and no covered terrace apart from 35 seats. Worse things coach stopped right outside ground, but they made fans walk the long way round the fenced, unlit park through one gate. The game did not finish until 10.30, so we had to walk over an unlit park with no path to the sole gate to find it had been locked, so had to climb over a five foot fence!

 Horsham had by far the better chances and their keeper, Beeney saved them a couple of times.

Chatham were not an attractive side to watch making lots of tackles to stop Horsham play and had at least seven of their players booked. Big physical side relying on long balls.

@crawleysth Yeah was so disappointed for Horsham. Good club, doing things the right way imo. Plus it's a short drive too. Oh well, maybe we should be rooting for Enfield Town and their art deco stand..

Apparently Enfield had a huge yoof contingent at their play off too, and their announcer was repeatedly going nuts because of teens throwing copies amounts of pyro all through the match!

Here we go then, the last 3 places left in the NLS:

Monday 3pm - The WINNER of Totton v Salisbury

Monday 3pm - The WINNER of Chatham v Enfield

Monday 3pm - The LOSER of Worthing v Braintree

Enfield and Braintree  won, so will play Enfield and Worthing next year. Presumably Oxford City will go to NLN now.  

Salisbury just won on penalties so they complete the line up.

Very happy with Salisbury, new tick for me, also prefer Worthing from an awayday point of view. Enfield been there before in the Bostik league, and it's a running track but it's not the end of the world.

Torquay and Truro the standout trips of course!