All roads head North!

By Ian Townsend

It's Play Off Semi Final day for the Pitching In Isthmian North Division, as AFC Sudbury, Grays Athletic, Lowestoft Town and Heybridge Swifts look towards the promised land


The next few days will bring joy and heartache, euphoria and misery- and on Saturday we will find out which of our Pitching In Isthmian North play off qualifiers will be joining Hashtag United in a Premier Division next season.

Before we look ahead to the weekend, however, it's time for us to focus on the Semi-Finals, which happen tonight.

Long-time leaders AFC Sudbury will welcome Grays Athletic. There were nineteen points between the sides at the end of the campaign, and the Yellows have already defeated their visitors twice this season; indeed, Athletic haven't defeated the Yellows since March 2019, when goals from Mitchel Hahn. Aron Gordon and Michael Toner earned them three-two victory. The aggregate this season is five-one, in favour of the hosts.

You can read the programme from tonight's match by heading here.

There is no truth in the rumour that Teletubbies and Nuns get free entry, despite our image from Steve Screech.

The other Semi-Final sees us head east and stop just before we fall into the sea, Lowestoft Town playing host to Heybridge Swifts. The two sides met only ten days previously and that match ended in a four-four draw, so we may be in for a treat- but somebody has to win this one, even if it comes down to the heartbreak of a penalty shootout. Both matches between the sides have ended level this season, although their first meeting was rather less dramatic.

That four-all draw saw Swifts go one-nil, two-one, three-one and four-two up, before goals from Kyle Haylock and Adam Hipperson in the last seven minutes earned the Trawler Boys a point. You can purchase match tickets for tonight by heading here.

The matches both kick off at 7.45 PM, and the outcomes will be decided tonight- here's hoping not via a dreaded penalty shootout.

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Where next?

A Seaside Special Ramsgate and Whitehawk play host to Hythe Town and Beckenham Town as the quartet dream about a place in the Premier- it's Semi-Final time

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