As the 2024-25 National League South title race enters its final furlong, the identity of the eventual winner may not be revealed until the final day.
With five games to go, Torquay United manager Paul Wotton is predicting that the season could go down to the last five minutes of the final game. Nevertheless, Wotton has never mentioned the 'p' word, or the 'c' word over the course of the campaign. I'll let you make your own mind up what those two words are, but I'll give you a hint that it's a policy that Wotton's former boss Paul Sturrock followed during the 2001-02 season during his first spell as Plymouth Argyle manager, which, incidentally, ended very successfully for the Pilgrims.
Wotton has always made it clear that he never looks further ahead than the next game, and a policy of only controlling what he has control over is probably a sensible one at this moment in time. Nevertheless, with a trip to Hemel Hempstead Town on the final day of the season for United, Wotton's prediction of the campaign being decided in its last five minutes would be keeping with the Gulls' history, which includes several 'final-day deciders' in the South East of England.
The only one of the Gulls' fellow promotion contenders that they still to have face are Truro City, who they travel to on Good Friday; the same day that league leaders Worthing travel to Eastbourne Borough. The league had been seen as Worthing's to lose, and - in addition to Eastbourne - they still have to face Truro City (away) and Dorking Wanderers (home). They also have the lowest goal difference of the top eight, which could yet prove to be an achilles heel for them.
Eastbourne and Truro are managed by Adam Murray and John Askey, who both have experience of winning promotions from National League North, Murray with AFC Fylde (2022-23) and Askey with York City (2021-22), and should they achieve another one with the South, it would represent an historic feat. For Askey, it would represent a treble for him, as he also has a promotion from the National League with Macclesfield Town (2017-18) to his name.
As far as the race for the play-offs goes, Weston Super Mare are very much a team to keep an eye on, even though they currently sit outside the top seven. If they can maintain the form that has seen them win five out of their last nine, they look set to be part of the shake-up.
For all of those interested, be it a vested one or a casual one, the best advice I can give is to 'strap yourself in and enjoy the ride!'
