As is usually the case with the National League, the fifth tier of English football produced a highly dramatic and entertaining campaign in season 2024/25. In fact, during the campaign, 1,358 goals were scored in the 552 games played in England’s fifth-tier.
Who thrived and who crumbled under the weight of expectations in the National League in the campaign?
The race for the automatic promotion spot
At the top of the table, two former EFL clubs duked it out for the one automatic spot, eventually leading Barnet to beat York City to top spot, and a place in the EFL. Their promotion push was aided by the 18 goals of striker Callum Stead.
Unsurprisingly, as they finished the season as champions, the Bees scored the most goals and also had the best defensive record in the National League.
They will return to League Two for the first time since they suffered relegation in the 2017/18 season.
The Bees won the title by just six points in the end, finishing with an impressive points tally of 102, compared to York’s 96. Unfortunately for the Yorkshire outfit suffered a 3-0 defeat against Oldham Athletic in the play-off semi-finals.
York failed to win promotion despite their striker Ollie Pearce enjoying a highly prolific campaign, scoring 31 goals and finishing the season as the league’s top goalscorer.
The 29-year-old’s eye for goal was impressive, especially as the season was his debut campaign in the National League, having previously been prolific in the National League South for Worthing and Bognor Regis.
Who claimed the second promotion spot?
The race for the play-off spots was slightly closer than the title race. In the end, York City was joined by Forest Green, Rochdale, Oldham Athletic, FC Halifax Town and Southend United in the all-important end-of-season tussle.
The play-offs begin with eliminators, as Oldham Athletic hammered FC Halifax Town 4-0 and Southend United dispatched Rochdale in a thrilling 4-3 encounter.
Oldham also breezed through the play-off semi-final, this time hammering league runners-up 3-0 to book their place at Wembley for the final.
The other semi-final between Forest Green and Southend United was a slightly closer affair. The game finished 1-1 after 90 minutes, and 2-2 following extra time. In the end, the contest was settled by a penalty shootout, which was won 4-2 by Southend.
The play-off final always looked set to be dramatic, and it didn’t disappoint. The two teams were inseparable at full-time, with the game finishing 1-1 after 90 minutes. Extra time produced more thrills and spills, as both sides scored a second goal.
@officialoafc Who’s still reliving 1 June? #oafc ♬ suara asli – DIKZzx
However, a 112th-minute goal from Oldham’s Kian Harratt was enough to give the north west outfit a 3-2 win and see them return to the EFL after just three seasons in the fifth-tier of the English game.
Which teams suffered relegation to the sixth tier?
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As some clubs thrived and looked to secure promotion to the Football League, others were simply not good enough to remain in the fifth tier.
The first club to suffer relegation was Ebbsfleet United. The Fleet’s latest stint in the fifth-tier lasted just two seasons. In season 2023/24, they finished 19th and avoided relegation by two points.
However, the 2024/25 season saw Ebbsfleet win just three of their 46 games in the fifth tier, claiming a woeful 22 points. To put it into perspective, they finished 31 points adrift of safety.
Another team seemingly out of their depth in the National League was AFC Fylde, who finished in 23rd place in the table, claiming just 40 points. The north west outfit’s main issue was conceding too many goals, as only Ebbsfleet conceded more than their tally of 85. Fylde suffered relegation despite midfielder Nick Haughton scoring 19 goals. They will be playing in the National League North next season.
Maidenhead and Dagenham Redbridge put up slightly more of a fight against relegation. The pair finished in 22nd and 21st place, respectively, just a point adrift of safety. Both teams finished the campaign in decent form, but it wasn’t enough to escape the spectre of the drop.
Maidenhead have dropped back down to the National League South after just one season in the fifth tier. Dagenham and Redbridge have dropped out of English football’s fifth-tier for the first time since 2000 when they won promotion from the Isthmian Premier.
It is a sad state of affairs for the club that played EFL football from 2007 until relegation in 2016, with the highlight being playing League One football in season 2010/11.