We often talk about how strong the National League is and how tough it is to win promotion to the Football League. The proof of the strength of the National League is that no club promoted from the fifth-tier has been relegated back down in the following season.
If you are curious, that’s 57 clubs that have managed to avoid the drop to the fifth tier in their first campaign back in the Football League.
A comfortable season in League Two for the promoted teams
With four games remaining in the League Two campaign, the two promoted teams, Chesterfield and Bromley, have enjoyed comfortable campaigns. Bromley, who finished third in the National League table last season and came up via the play-offs, are currently in 14th place in the table, well clear of the drop zone.
They are ten points adrift of the playoff spots, so it doesn’t look like they will achieve back-to-back promotions. However, their first aim in their debut Football League campaign would have likely been survival first, and anything else would have been a bonus.
Veteran striker Michael Cheek has continued where he left off last season by topping the scoring charts in the fourth tier by scoring 21 league goals. He hasn’t just been a scorer of goals, though, as he has also produced seven assists.
Last season’s National League champions Chesterfield could go one step better by making the play-offs. They are currently ninth-place in the table, four points adrift of the play-off spots in the fourth-tier. The Spireites may be underdogs for promotion, but at this late stage of the campaign, anything could happen. Back-to-back promotions are definitely not out of the question.
Talking of Promotions
The fact that the likes of Notts County, Stockport and Wrexham have recently been in the fifth-tier and are now challenging for promotion in higher leagues proves the quality of the National League.
Notts County is currently sixth-place in the League Two table, just four points behind the three automatic promotion spots. The Magpies are one of the oldest football clubs in English football. Many would say that they should really be playing at a higher standard.
Getting relegated out of the Football League was no doubt the lowest the club have slipped. However, it now seems the Midlands outfit is on the up and moving in the right direction.
Stockport and Wrexham are even competing for promotion to the Championship. Stockport are currently in fourth place in the table, looking good for the play-offs, but also five points off the automatic promotion spots.
The team they are attempting to catch in second place is Wrexham, who, of course, just a few years ago were residing in the National League. In fact, the Welsh club spent 15 years in the fifth tier before finally winning promotion back to the EFL.
Currently, Wrexham are a point clear of third-place Wycombe Wanderers in the fight for automatic promotion. The Dragons have not played in the English second tier since they finished in 15th place in the old Second Division in 1979.
More clubs should win promotion from the National League
The performances of the clubs coming up from the National League to the Football League in recent years have illustrated the strength of the fifth tier of English football. Some would say that there is no difference between many of the League Two teams and their National League counterparts.
It has also led to a reopening of the discussion on how many teams should win promotion to the Football League from the fifth tier. Many claim that promotion should work the same way as in the league, with two clubs earning automatic promotion and one going up through the play-offs.
It seems unlikely that the promotion system between the fourth and fifth tiers will change anytime soon, as it would take the clubs in League Two to agree to the change. Unfortunately, it would not be in their best interests for more clubs to suffer relegation to the fifth tier.
Clubs have proven they can still win promotion and thrive in the Football League after being promoted from the National League, even without three teams going up each season. That’s likely to continue in the near future, with fifth-tier teams consistently proving they are more than good enough to compete in the Football League.
Should three teams earn promotion to League Two each season from the National League?