All points North!

By Ian Townsend

Our Pitching In Isthmian North Division Play Off Final is tonight! Canvey Island and Brentwood Town have their eyes on the prize.

There's something rather appropriate about second hosting third in a Play Off Final- although given how close the Pitching In Isthmian North promotion race has been this season, guessing who would finish where was difficult even close to the end.

Our hosts tonight, Canvey Island, ended their campaign only two points off the top spot, but if they were disappointed about not gaining automatic promotion they haven't let it show, defeating Grays Athletic, Hashtag United and Felixstowe and Walton United in their last three matches.

Their visitors, Brentwood Town, ended the campaign three points further back, but their place so high up the table came due to phenomenal form in the second half of the season. Indeed, the travelling Blues are the form side in the Division, with nine wins from their last ten.

When the two last met, on January 29th, Town won two-nil at their own Arena, whilst their last trip to the Island saw the Gulls win four-two. That gives us a four-four aggregate, and given the scoring prowess of the two sides that could even be the score tonight, although we'd rather not end up with the lottery of penalties.

The Gulls have scored a colossal one hundred and three league goals this season if you include the three they notched in the Play Off Semi-Final; whilst their visitors have seventy five. Three of the very top goalscorers in the League, not only the Division, will be on show tonight. For the hosts, Matt Price and Evans Kouassi each have thirty one goals in all competitions, including one/two on Tuesday night; whilst Town have Tom Richardson, who has an incredible thirty seven in all competitions. The race for the Golden Boot, which of course focuses on league goals only, is Richardson's to lose, as he has thirty of those strikes in our competition, three ahead of Kouassi.

Both, of course, have experience of North Division success. Kouassi was the hero of Heybridge Swifts' victory in the last final, back on May 5th 2019, where Swifts were denied promotion despite winning on a point-per-game verdict (Matt price was also in that side, along with the Gulls number seven, Elliott Ronto). Richardson was an enormous part of Brightlingsea Regent's title triumph in the 2016-17 campaign, scoring twenty two goals that season.

Whatever the outcome, we're sure it will be a cracker, and we'll have an on-the-whistle report from the match shortly after the end- whatever time that might be!

The very best of luck to both sides. Whatever happens, you've served up fantastic entertainment over a wonderful season. It's just a shame that one of you has to lose.

Follow the Pitching In Isthmian League on Instagram. Head here or search for theisthmianleague on your app. We're also on Facebook and Twitter.

Where next?

Yellows bringing together the community AFC Sudbury launch innovative programme designed to bring Community Support to the community
Curfews and Geordies deliver convincing wins to reach the Final Chertsey Town and Hanwell Town ready for the big stage after Pitching In Isthmian South Central Semi-Final wins

The Pitching In Isthmian Football League newsletter

Keep up-to-date with our exclusive email newsletters.

Subscribe