The Isthmian Premier League playoffs start this week with a place in the National South up for grabs. We look at the four teams who booked their place in the end of season showdown.
The contenders
Billericay Town have been the most consistent team throughout the season. The league runners up entered the top three in matchday seven and stayed there. Missing out on the title by a goal, the Blues are guaranteed home advantage in the playoffs.
Dartford made up the trio of teams with a chance of winning the division on the final day. A club equalling record of 21 games unbeaten which included ten victories in a row propelled the Darts up the table after languishing in 15th back in October. On Good Friday they increased their lead at the top to two points, but then saw the lead wiped out on Easter Monday.
Cray Valley Paper Mills recorded their highest ever league finish in their debut Isthmian Premier campaign. The best of the promoted teams, the Millers have occupied a playoff spot since mid-October and deserve a shot at could be an impressive second consecutive promotion.
Dover Athletic grabbed the final spot with a winner takes all showdown against Chichester City on the last game. Failure to cement a playoff spot would have been disastrous for Dover considering they were the early front runners to win the league. The Whites were top from October to the New Year then they lost form for a couple of months. The Whites had a strong enough finish to the campaign to hold on to the last playoff spot.
Who has hit form at the right time?
Whilst Billericay Town and Dartford have had their eyes on the prize of winning the league, Dover Athletic have been focussing on just booking a place in the playoffs. Cray Valley Paper Mills have had more time to prepare and could afford to rest players on the weekend.
Prior the the Millers losing on the final day, Steve McKimm’s side had won five on the bounce. Over the last six games they have acrrued the same number of points as runners up Billericay Town. Meanwhile, Dover Athletic regained their form towards the end of the campaign and are fourth over the final six games. The Darts lost a bit of momentum and are seventh. However, over the last eight fixtures only two points seperate the four playoff contenders.
Team | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points | GD |
Billericay Town | 6 | 0 | 2 | 18 | +12 |
Cray Valley (PM) | 6 | 0 | 2 | 18 | +7 |
Dartford | 5 | 2 | 1 | 17 | +7 |
Dover Athletic | 5 | 1 | 2 | 16 | +4 |
How have the playoff contenders fared against each other?
Billericay Town are guaranteed home advantage and have picked up seven points on their own patch by beating Dartford and Cray Valley Paper Mills. The only points dropped were against Dover Athletic.
The Darts host Cray Valley Paper Mills in the semi-final and both sides could end up playing home and away over the playoff campaign. Dartford also have seven home points drawing with the Millers, but picked up one win on the road having lost heavily to both Billericay Town and Dover Athletic.
Cray Valley Paper Mills lost their season’s opener at home against Dartford and picked up just one victory versus the playoff contenders. That was a home win over Dover Athletic, but they drew a total of three out of six matches against the playoff contenders.
Dover Athletic will have to travel in the semi-final and potentially the final. On the road, the Whites failed to beat any of the playoff sides picking up a point at Billericay Town.
Team | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points | GD |
Billericay Town | 3 | 2 | 1 | 11 | +2 |
Dartford | 3 | 1 | 2 | 10 | -1 |
Cray Valley (PM) | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 | -1 |
Dover Athletic | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 |
Has any team had previous playoff success?
Lee Noble scored the only goal of the final in 2012 when the Darts beat local rivals Welling United in their first ever playoff campaign to gain promotion to the National League. Since then Dartford lost to Weymouth on penalties in 2020 to be denied a National League place too. The Darts went out in the semi final in 2017, 2018 and 2023 and the quarter final in 2022.
Dover Athletic’s solitary playoff winning campaign also resulted in a Kent derby win when they beat Ebbsfleet United 4-2 to reach the National League in 2014. Like the Darts they have also had five failed attempts, including one chance to make it to the Football League nine years ago. On that occasion they lost the semi final, which was also their fate in the 2007 Isthmian Division One South and 2010 National South. They have been twice losing finalists as well, in 2006 they were beaten by Tonbridge Angels in the Isthmian Division One South and in 2013 by Salisbury City in the National South.
Billericay Town have reached one final in their two playoff campaigns losing to Bromley on penalties in the 2007 Isthmian Premier final. Whilst Cray Valley Paper Mills have appeared once losing the Isthmian Division One South East semi final three years ago.
Does your final league position give you a better chance of winning?
It goes without saying that the better teams will finish higher in the league and therefore should have the better chance. One factor that helps is having good recent form, then there’s the player’s physical and mental states, manager’s decisions and even good fortune to consider. Historically there is less chance of winning if you finish fifth. Six league runners up have won the playoffs and the same number of third place teams have triumphed as well. Fourth is just one win behind, whilst Cheshunt are the only fifth place team to win promotion.
Position | Winners |
2nd | 6 |
3rd | 6 |
4th | 5 |
5th | 1 |
Does home advantage count?
In recent years the away side in the final has won promotion. The last four playoff campaigns has seen Enfield Town, Aveley, Cheshunt and Tonbridge Angels go up with the latter three playing the semi-final away as well. However that has only really become a recent trend. Overall, since the restructuring of non league and when playoffs were introduced, the Isthmian Premier has had 11 finals won by the home side versus seven away. In total half of the 18 winners played both playoff matches at home.
Season | Position | Team | Semi final venue | Final venue |
23/24 | 3rd | Enfield Town | Home | Away |
22/23 | 4th | Aveley | Away | Away |
21/22 | 5th | Cheshunt | Away | Away |
18/19 | 4th | Tonbridge Angels | Away | Away |
17/18 | 2nd | Dulwich Hamlet | Home | Home |
16/17 | 2nd | Bognor Regis Town | Home | Home |
15/16 | 3rd | East Thurrock United | Home | Home |
14/15 | 3rd | Margate | Home | Away |
13/14 | 4th | Lowestoft Town | Away | Home |
12/13 | 4th | Concord Rangers | Away | Away |
11/12 | 2nd | AFC Hornchurch | Home | Home |
10/11 | 2nd | Tonbridge Angels | Home | Home |
09/10 | 4th | Boreham Wood | Away | Home |
08/09 | 2nd | Staines Town | Home | Home |
07/08 | 3rd | AFC Wimbledon | Home | Away |
06/07 | 2nd | Bromley | Home | Home |
05/06 | 3rd | Fisher Athletic | Home | Home |
04/05 | 3rd | Eastleigh | Home | Home |