Bostik Predictions- The Final Outcome: Premier Division

As you will hopefully have noticed, during the last month we’ve been publishing supporter previews of the forthcoming season. Every preview has included a predicted top five- but we haven’t only been asking the supporters involved to predict who will win the title and finish in the playoff positions, we’ve been asking them to forecast the entire division. The results of those predictions have been worked into a league table- so eyes down, look in, and here are the results of the Premier Division jury!

Bookmakers aren’t known for being charitable. On that basis, there must be a good reason why they’ve made last season’s North Division champions AFC Hornchurch 11/2 favourites. You, however, don’t agree, placing the Urchins firmly in mid table. The bookies go on to favour Margate, Kingstonian, then Bognor, Whitehawk and Dorking Wanderers. You are more sympathetic to their views here, but you also have other clubs riding high who get rather longer odds.

We had an enormous battle for your predicted first place, and indeed it came down to the very last supporter to choose the winner. Once those votes were added, you had decided that the Rocks of Bognor Regis Town, promoted only two seasons ago and now back with us once more, will take the title- with Folkestone Invicta just behind them. Rocks fans might be given a little more confidence from this, as looking at social media at the moment they are far less convinced of success than the rest of you! Invicta fans never seem to move beyond cautious optimism, but the predicted second place for their side is undoubtedly due to some magnificent performances during the last campaign.
You place Margate in third, just ahead of Tonbridge Angels- who seem to have strengthened impressively over the summer and might just be worth a flutter at 25/1. Kingstonian come in fifth in our table, whilst Dorking Wanderers are sixth; two sides who, again, look remarkably strong as the phoney football comes to an end and the real stuff begins again.

At the wrong end of the table, you predict the demise of Potters Bar Town, Harlow Town and Haringey Borough. Fans of the Scholars will remember that they were predicted to finish very close to the wrong end of the North Division last season, and will undoubtedly take heart from that, whilst the Hawks will hope that their replacements for Jared Small and Alex Read will turn out to be just as good. Borough boss Tom Loizou has been talking very positively about his squad as they approach their first Premier Division season, and anyone who watched them last season will know that they will be afraid of no-one.

Thanks again to all those supporters who took part in the predictions this year. Approximately 70% of our clubs were represented, which is superb, and a substantial increase on last year. But remember, this is just for fun. Please don’t hold grudges against those who felt your side would struggle, and please don’t go out and bet your house on any of the predicted outcomes actually coming true!