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National League South promotion race shows non-league at its best
Blogs

National League South promotion race shows non-league at its best

10/02/25 19:30

Four points separate six clubs...

The National League South, England's sixth tier, is a hotbed of unpredictable football. With 48 clubs vying for promotion, the Southern division has already drawn over 400,000 spectators this season. A thrilling six-plus team race for the single automatic promotion spot dominates the headlines, with only a handful of points separating the contenders.

First and sixth are currently separated by four points, with Boreham Wood, Maidstone, Torquay, and Eastbourne all on 55 points. With most teams having played around 30 games, it is uncommon for a title race to be so closely competed in February, especially when the other National League divisions aren’t as tight. Here’s a quick look at the seven outfits currently occupying the promotion/playoff spots and what they’re about this campaign.

Dorking Wanderers (1st) - 59 points

Dorking and Marc White’s story is one of the best to come out of non-league football in the 21st century. Founded in 1999 the club rose from the 17th tier of English football all the way to the National League. After a first-ever relegation last season bouncing straight back was important, if a club fails to do so they can find themselves stuck in the sixth tier for years. So far they are on track to claim the single promotion spot with 17 wins from 32 games. Forwards Alfie Rutherford, Jason Prior and Charlie Carter are all having fruitful goalscoring seasons, highlighted by Dorking’s 66 goals this season - a league high.

Worthing (2nd) - 58 points

Last year’s playoff final losers, Worthing have finished in the top four in both of their seasons since joining the league from the Isthmian Premier in 2022. A third straight playoff appearance looks on the cards with a lot on the line. Joining Dorking on 17 wins Worthing have only lost five games and with games in hand could go eight points clear if they win all three. Perhaps the most deserved champions after two years of coming so close, Worthing’s success has been a long time coming with the Rebels currently on an 11-game unbeaten run dating back to November. The naturally gifted Danny Cashman has continued to churn out performances this season. The recent addition of Liam Nash, one of the deadliest strikers in the league, is also a brilliant signing and could finally be Worthing’s Ollie Pearce replacement after his 43-goal season earned him a move to National League high fliers York City.

Boreham Wood (3rd) - 55 points

A nine-year stay in the National League finally came to an end for Boreham Wood in unexpected fashion. In those nine years, the Wood almost reached the Football League via the playoffs on three occasions, including the 22/23 season when an extra-time Notts County goal was all that stopped them from reaching Wembley. Similarly to Dorking, Boreham will be hoping for an immediate return to the National League and Kwesi Appiah’s goals might be what takes them there. The league's top scorer has 20 goals in 24 games this season, an absurd return from the former Ghana international.

Maidstone United (4th) - 55 points

Maidstone’s first season back in the NLS ended in a fourth-placed finish, exactly where they are again this year. The Stones boast the best defence in the league, conceding 26 goals in 31 games and keeping 14 clean sheets. Andre Alexis Jr. has been a mainstay in goal with centre-half Temi Eweka a key player in front of him. Recent fame from their FA Cup win over Ipswich Town has brought crowds of over 2000 at every game, even reaching 3000 for the Stones' recent clash with Torquay.

Torquay United (5th) - 55 points

20 years ago Torquay were in League One playing against Brentford, Bournemouth, Luton and Sheffield Wednesday. Despite operating in the Football League for most of their existence, the Gulls now find themselves in their 11th season outside of the EFL and their second consecutive in the sixth division. After shockingly finishing 18th last year, Torquay have bounced back to give themselves a good chance of going up this campaign. Using their South West connections, Torquay managed to pick up Cody Cooke and Jordan Young from Bath and Yeovil, with the pair having strong goalscoring seasons for the Gulls.

Eastbourne Borough (6th) - 55 points

The final club on 55 points, Eastbourne have spent an incredible 14 seasons in the league only qualifying for the playoffs once in that time. The Sports have finished between 17th and 19th on six occasions so this season has given fans a lot more to cheer about. Eastbourne have the ninth-lowest goal tally in a league of 24, meaning that they have relied on summer signings Moussa Diarra and Joe Wright to keep things tight at the back. In 2021, Eastbourne were sat in third place and gearing for promotion when the season was cancelled and have seemingly not had much luck for over a decade. Perhaps this season is finally when that changes.

Truro City (7th) - 53 points

Truro City rounds up a slightly South Coast dominant list as the last team in the playoffs. Two points ahead of Weston-super-Mare in eighth the Tinners have had a shock season after a long period of struggle in Cornwall which left them homeless for over a decade having to travel as far as Gloucester to play ‘home games’. After bouncing between the sixth and seventh tiers, finishing 16th last season, Truro have been in and around the playoffs all year long. Now finally at their own ground again, performances from Jaze Kabia and Tyler Harvey have carried Truro all season, with the latter player scoring 16 goals already. The recent addition of EFL striker Luke Jephcott on loan should also boost the Tinner’s outside chances of reaching the heights of the non-league.

What the future potentially holds for the National League

The National League South being so competitive is brilliant evidence for promoting the 3-up 3-down promotion rule within the National League, which looks likelier to happen each day. Clubs in the sixth tier are often cruelly denied entry to the National League despite having incredible seasons due to the harsh reality of the playoffs. Take King’s Lynn Town as an example, who finished second in the 22/23 National League North season with 93 points and 84 goals scored, just two points behind Fylde at the top and nine points ahead of Chester in third. The Linnets would go on to be knocked out by sixth-placed Kidderminster Harriers, who earned 69 points all season, 24 less than King’s Lynn.

Non-league football has seen a surge in popularity in recent years, especially with younger generations, and having a tightly competed, high-quality league on showcase is perfect to continue growing the lower ends of the football pyramid. The sixth tier boasts six clubs averaging over 2000 spectators this season, with Scunthorpe and Torquay United both attracting average crowds of 3500-4000. English grassroots football is truly unique and is hopefully set to continue blossoming for years to come.

Benji Kosartiyer
Journalist
James McLeish

Writer

English League One
09/02/25 20:00
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