NFA Collapse Means Changes to the Premiership!

by Paul Price

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Season 10 in the Lineker game world looms, and with yet more quality joining the SPFA, the Premiership really does get harder by the season. With the collapse of the NFA, teams who were in the football association have had to relocate, with an agreement with the moderaters suggesting that ex-NFA teams must be entered into a tier that is equal to the one they were in previously. This means that excellent teams Liverpool XI FC and CUJimmyFC have entered the SPFA Premiership without any need for promotion battles in any of the Championships. With nine teams inside the top 20 in the game world, it once again goes to show the quality of sides in the SPFA.

At the top of the league it's going to take an amazing effort to knock FC Tensixty off their perch. The excellent achievement of winning the Premiership by 15 points last term is no mean feat and with no changes in personnel you can understand why they are 3/1 favourites to retain their crown.After signing an - albeit cheap - replacement for superb centre back Mamadou Sakho, Emerson Park F.C. will be there or thereabouts in the forthcoming season. Although fans will be asking for replacements for the departed Marcelo and Javi Martinez, manager Cornish has come out and expressed his confidence in current youth team players Parra and Beltran, insisting they will be able to make the step up to the senior team.

After finishing a disappointing - by their standards - seventh, The Tangerine Candyfloss have dipped into the contract wage auctions to sign 23 year old Brazilian midfielder Anderson Andrade. Rob Barker's only signing is clinical in front of goal and excellent on the ball, making him a good acquisition for the new season.Dan Taylor however, has made some serious changes during pre season, spending just over £5m on new signings whilst bringing in £4m in selling players. Their biggest signing was left back Emerson, joining for £1.6m from Atletico Beer Barrel's feeder club Yaktopian Yaks. The Yaks have become an integral part of the Beer Barrel's success, supplying no fewer than five of their current first team squad, including another pre season acquisition in Andrea Inserra, who joined for £700k.

With two NFA members joining the SPFA Premiership, there is now 22 teams in the league, meaning eight sides will be relegated this season compared to the usual six.Although defying the odds last season, once again The 22 Legged Groove Machine are one of the favourites to be playing Championship football next year. After failing in his attempt to sign a new centre back and right winger, manager Price had not made a single signing and fans are said to be concerned about their chances for survival. John McDermott's promoted sides F.C. Phoenix and Aye Ready FC are also among the favourites for the drop, despite both spending money in a bid to keep their sides up. F.C. Phoenix spent close to £400k on centre back Pietro Accardi - one of the victims of Atletico Beer Barrel's pre season exodus - and full back Vasilis Torosidis, whereas Aye Ready spent £500k on four new signings including another ex-Yak in winger Leandro. Manager Steven Scott was angry with the loss of goalkeeper Ben Amos after he joined Smithy FC at the end of his contract wage auction, meaning he had to delve into the market for a replacement. Although signing Jorge Machado for £100k, fans are concerned that he isn't a worthy replacement. Another team set to struggle is Greenking FC. After narrowly surviving last year, and without any major transfer activity - the club are reportedly in debt - many believe they are heading out of the top tier. Steve Green did pull of a transfer coup though, signing midfielder Baris Ozbek for just £1 when his value is said to be around the £200k mark. They have also signed centre back Xandao for a fee thought to be in the region of £70k after his contract with Chugsford Hotspur expired.

The Quest For Season 10 Promotion

by Paul Price

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As ever in the SPFA Championships, there is a lot of quality and competition for promotion is always high. The Neville Southall Championship sees Greenwich FC as the side many believe will gain promotion this season. After narrowly missing out in last seasons playoff final, they will be looking to go one better this term and get themselves into the big time for the first time. Although not making any changes whatsoever during the off season, keeping prolific striker Darren Bent is a good deal in itself. Despite wanting to leave for the Premiership, manager Chris Bishop has convinced him to stay, insisting that they have a great chance of getting there themselves this year.Next up is Huyton FC. Another side who lost in last seasons playoffs hoping for that little bit extra this season. Manager 'Old Griswold' has improved his attacking options by signing winger come forward Issia Dia from fellow SPFA team Mutt Ring Racers. The fee being £1.1mAnother side expected to do well is F.C. United of Elliot. This being their first season in the SPFA - transferring from the now collapsed NFA - they have decided to spend big in their quest for glory. After signing free agent goalkeeper Mariusz Piotrowski for £184,000, they then broke the bank to sign centre back Bastian Da Costa for a fee thought to be in the region of £3.5m.It would however, take a fool to bet against recently relegated sides Flexford FC and Turnbullham Hotspurs after both sides dipped into the transfer market over the last week. The most notable signing being versatile Tomas Costa, joining Flexford for £220,000.

The Ivan Zamorano Championship is a little less difficult to predict, with Gooners FC the clear runaway favourites. Despite already having an excellent side capable of a promotion charge, they have recently signed strong striker Marcos Silva for a rather cheap £250,000. Mixing pace with strength, their partnership of Silva and James Vaughan is likely to be a deadly one.Not too far behind Gooners is Anfield Rovers. After getting relegated last season manager Jac Wileman will be hoping his side can bounce straight back up, although worries of money troubles have lead them to bringing in only one player, winger Matthieu Camara. Wileman will also be disappointed with losing young striker Papi Sibeko in the wage auctions, although fans believe they can mount a title challenge despite having a possible weak link in 40 year old goalkeeper Federico Villar.Other contenders in this Championship are Hornstulls Eagles, XTRA_TIME and the side that always seem to be there or thereabouts China Red F.C.

Finally the ever difficult John McDermott Championship, proving to be harder to predict by the season. You could back any team from around ten challengers, including the ever improving Yaktopian Yaks or the solid WGC Athletic.Among the strong favourites though, you have to look at another of SPFA newcomers Lilywhite Army FC. After a fairly successful season in the NFA, Lilywhite Army have decided against making any real changes, concentrating more on youth than signing senior players. After losing their last eight games and being confirmed as relegated on the final day of last season, FC Ballaghkeen will be wanting to put all that behind them as they bid for a quick return. Manger Michael O'Connor has showed his intent with the £2m signing of excellent striker Ranchid El Akchaoui, coupled with two wingers in Kim Heung-Keun and Antonello Rizzo who joined for just over £300,000 combined.Thought to be up around the top once again come the end of the season is Adam Pycroft's Py United. After spending just over £1m on seven new signings they will be a force to be reckoned with in the Championship. The two most notable signings were wingers Christian Ruiz Diaz and Reimond Manco who join United for around £250,000 each.Other contenders here are Wessex Wyverns, Surreal Rangers and Psycho All-Stars.

Financial Special

by Paul Price & Dan Taylor

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In addition to the SPFA Times, here's a short piece from our financial sister paper about the state of Lineker's economy, a few frugal tips, and the upcoming SPFA season odds!

Seasons of complaining that the 'market' is dead seem to have been ended with a number of high profile, high cost acquisitions with Mariscal being just one example. Some scoffed at the price, but more were shocked that any team outside the known financial juggernauts had around 5m to spend on just one player. It's also been a hectic wage auction week too with a few high cost players going for well above asking wage - Pjanic anyone? Market Value for a number of players have shot up in the past few weeks, whilst others have stayed down and in some cases are still less than Acquisition Fee.

The Financial Times headed to BBC Headquarters to pick the brains of respected Economist Andrew Marr, who's response was: "Who the hell are you and how did you get into my dressing room?!" Hmm... so another avenue was explored...common sense. A bit of SI based research shows that average bank balances have risen nearly 100% in the past 4 seasons, suggesting clubs are 25% richer each year. But why? Well, most teams now have stadiums ample for catering to their supporter needs so spare cash is being spent purely on players, and perhaps most significantly, people are now getting commercial level 4. For a 4 star club this is around 25k a DAY extra! It's no longer a luxury skill to learn, but one that's necessary for long term survival.

And the effect on the transfer market? Well, MVs have only shot up for the most desirable players - those of perceived high quality, low(ish) wage and most importantly for seniors usually somewhere between the ages of 22 and 26. But is it worth paying over the odds for that special player? Financially speaking it may surprise you that it is...

Let's say your dream player is coming up in a wage auction...he's 24, has a 400k AF and asking wages of 5k. Do you offer to buy him privately for over MV at 1.4m or wait to snaffle him at wage auctions time for the less princely AF of 350k, but maybe on wages as high as 20k? Either way if you kept them for the full 2 seasons the combined cost in terms of fees and wages is virtually the same. BUT come time to sell after those 2 years and that 26 year old player still only on wages of 5k and hopefully now world class and world famous suddenly looks a much more appetising transfer prospect (even with an expected wage rise), so the real value comes in knowing that you will make much more profit from the sell on, justifying the initial outlay. If you do decide to keep him then the wage difference matters even more the longer you keep.

So don't despair at all these inflated prices, if you can afford it it's worth thinking about for some players, but if you can't afford it then there are plenty of bargains available for any player approaching 30 who you can likely keep for 5 seasons and have the bonus of probably not needing to use a lock. Certainly some of the most successful teams seem to have a combination of prime transfer targets and 'golden oldies'.

With the season up and running here's some of the odds available from Lineker's own bookie PiddlePower.com.

Last years runaway Prem title holders are the bookies favourite at 3-1, but with no-one ever retaining the title can Tensixty buck the trend? The usual suspects of Viking, Emerson Park, Tangerine and ABB are all thought of as challengers and are priced at 4-1, but with shrewd money being thrown on newcomers Samba their price has shortened to 10/3 second favourites. Of the dark horses Parkside, Hotspur, Watts, Mutt Ring and Liverpool are all getting some interest and look to be worth a flutter at 5-1. At the other end of the table perennial yo-yo club Aye Ready may have a tough season ahead, but with Fernandinho there is always a hope. White Riots are another name lauded around and despite some astute pre-season rebuilding Edible Flowers would want to be safe before the last day this time round.

The Championships look as tight as ever and the odds reflect that. Greenwich and Huyton can't be split in their league with both short 9/4s for promotion and Eliot coming in third favourite at 4-1. In Zamorano it's expected that Gooners can put last season drama out of their mind and go one better. Will the experience help? Odds on 7/4 says yes though Hornstull and Anfield Rovers may take umbrage at that! The McDermott champs could be the toughest yet with no clear favourite and bookies hedging their bets with Lilywhite, Ballaghkeen, Surreal, Wessex and Py all good shouts at 10/3. WGC may be the highest ranked, but the smart money says that inactivity could be a promotion problem.

John McDermott Championship Season 9 Awards

by Paul Price

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Golden Boot Award:

The golden boot award for the most prolific player goes to Enrico Casu who managed an excellent tally of 26 goals in 30 games for his side WGC Athletic. In second place was the impressive Rachid El AkChaoui of Enterprise who managed 21 goals in his 30 games. In third place was Py United's former striker Nicolas Bendtner, who scored an amazing 20 times in the 24 games he played in before making a £1.75m move to SAC United.

Golden Glove Award:

Two goalkeepers managed clean sheets in half of their games, with Josh Lambo from Surreal Rangers and F.C. Phoenix's Ben Foster both keeping 15 clean sheets in the 30 games that they played.

Most Fouls Made:

There seems to be a trend setting here, as the top three foulers of the season are all... yes, fullbacks. First up is Filip Lacroix of WGC Athletic with 63 fouls, then Alex Sandro Vieira of Red Devils United and Thiago Carleto from Psycho All-Stars both having been whistled against 60 times during the season.

Most Bruised Player:

The most wounded award here goes to winger Matthieu Camara who unsurprisingly is currently injured. The WGC Athletic winger was fouled 86 times. Second up is Red Devils United player Henry Gimenez with 81 fouls against followed by team mate Keith Brady with 75.

The Un-social Award:

The player with the most reds was Matias Fritzler who plays for Red Devils United. A typical defensive midfielder some may say, with a total of three red cards. Second place goes to Thiago Carleto who plys his trade at the aptly named Psycho All-Stars.

MVP:

Aye Ready FC's stunning midfield maestro Fernandinho wins this award with an average rating of 7.35 from a total of 26 league games. Second place goes to Enterprise fullback Luiz who managed 7.31. Close behind with 7.30 was Nicolas Bendtner. One can only imagine what he would have achieved if he hadn't have been transferred midway through the season.

LVP:

Kelrick Elite had a particularly bad time in this award with Giorgos Dimas coming second with an average of 6.27 and Patrick Kooistra not far behind with 6.28. They were both beaten to the top by Andres Lira of FC Hyborian who had an average of 6.26.

Neville Southall Championship Season 9 Awards

by Paul Price

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Golden Boot Award:

It was Greenwich FC's English striker Darren Bent with the most goals scored, netting a total of 22 goals in 26 appearances. Next up was Rodrigo Palacio of Watts Wanderers with 18 in 25. Thirdly comes Alvaro Vargas of champions FC Hotspur. Sources close to the club say that manager Shane Derby turned down a reported £3m offer for the striker, and after scoring a total of 13 goals this season, it is easy to see why.

Golden Glove Award:

Joint winners of this award are Inaki Ruiz Gomez and Kasper Jansen of Ashton Reds FC and Greenwich FC respectively. Both stoppers managed to keep 11 clean sheets helping their sides to a top 6 finish.

Most Fouls Made:

Tony Elliott of Ashton Gate FC took this award with 60 fouls committed in 24 games. Next up was Diego Santos of Athletico Wombwell with 57 in 23 and Bruno Colaco of FC Hotspur with 57 in 21. Yes, once again they were all fullbacks.

Most Bruised Player:

The most fouled player this season was creative midfielder Popo of Hasar United, being crunched 77 times over the season. After Popo three players came a joint second with 68 fouls against. These were Chukwuma Akabueze also of Hasar United, Moussa Kone from FC Hotspur and Watts Wanderers' winger Nicolas Cabrera.

The Un-social Award:

Only two players saw red twice this season in a somewhat sporting league. The two players were Diego Santos form Athletico Wombwell and The retiring Tulio who currently plays for Harold Hill fc.

MVP:

The top two most valuable players of the season both come from league runners up Watts Wanderers. In first place is winger Nicolas Cabrera with an average of 7.41, with team mate Brek Shea finishing second with 7.38.

LVP:
Spurs FC defender Albert Menendez was the leagues least valuable player with a shocking average of just 6.22. Second and not far behind was Harold Hill fc midfielder Jared Jeffrey with 6.29. It would not be surprising if both players were kicked out this pre season, especially with Menendez actually making an acceptance thank you speech :S.

Ivan Zamorano Championship Awards Season 9

by Paul Price

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Golden Boot Award:

Despite finishing in the bottom half of the table, it was CSKA Widnes striker Felipe Caicedo who walks home with the golden boot, scoring 22 of the teams 39 Championship goals. In second place was Anthony Modeste who currently plays for Old Boys Tolworth scoring 19 goals. Lastly was arguably the most accomplished striker around in Phillip Stamp. Stamp scored 16 goals for champions Samba FC and will be looking for much of the same in the Premiership next season.

Golden Glove Award:

This seasons winner of the golden glove surprisingly has no club, after Samba FC manager Zar decided - due to him about to turn 39 - not to renew his £16,000 contract. Despite his advancing years he still managed 18 clean sheets in 30 league appearances. In second place was Gooners FC keeper Roberto Junior Fernandez with 15 in 30 games.

Most Fouls Made:

The top fouler in this Championship this season was Mark Davies who currently plays for Ewerton FC. Secondly was Enrique Corrales from 1 for sorrow 2 for joy although he only picked up nine yellow cards for his sins.

Most Bruised Player:

The most fouled player of the season was Samba FC's excellent winger Ricardo Quaresma, being sinned against a total of 94 times over the course of the season. Gooners FC's £1.4m signing Adel Taarabt came in second place being fouled 89 times.

The Un-social Award:

Three players take this award this season with two reds each, although Pablo Bazan of Real FC manager the feat in just 19 games whereas the other two - Andres Mosquera of HotShot Rovers and Felipe Caicedo of CSKA Widnes - managed theirs in 25 and 29 games respectively.

MVP:

The top two player with the highest average rating this season both came from league winners Samba FC. First of all was left back Aleksandar Kolarov with 7.44 followed very closely by Esteban Granero with 7.40. They were followed by Gooners FC midfielder Adel Taarabt with an average of 7.37.

LVP:

The player at the front of the dole queue tomorrow morning is Younes Abidal who plays for HotShot Rovers, surely not for much longer. Next in the queue will be John Rozema from Ewerton FC just 0.01 behind Abidal with an average of 6.21.

Premiership Line-Up Decided!

by Paul Price

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The Neville Southall Championship saw pre season favourites FC Hotspur win the league and take that one automatic promotion spot. It was close though, with Andy Watts' Watts Wanderers pushing all the way to the finish, ending just three points behind the eventual winners. With superb striker Alvaro Vargas leading the attack, Hotspur are sure to be a force next season in the Premiership.Joining Watts Wanderers in the Neville Southall Playoffs were Greenwich FC, Huyton FC and Harwickster THFC.Greenwich FC made it into the final after beating Harwickster THFC 2-1 with devastating striker Darren Bent scoring a brace. The other Semi Final was a little closer however, with Huyton FC and Watts Wanderers needing penalties to decide the final outcome. After Moralez and Ramirez missed for Huyton, it was up to Dimitri Payet to score the winning penalty to send his side through to the Final.After an amazingly tight Final, it was Watts Wanderers who lifted the playoffs trophy, beating Greenwich FC 2-1. Two early goals from superb midfielder Igor Burzanovic proved a killer blow to Greenwich's ambitions and a 60th minute goal from Darren Bent was nothing other than a consolation.

Samba FC finished top of the Ivan Zamorano Championship by an amazing 15 points. Over the 30 games that they played, they dropped just 15 points and scored 61 goals in the process. With the majority of goals coming from the wings, it's one thing for their opponents to know what's coming, but it's a completely different challenge to stop it. Again another promoted side that will be a major force in the Premiership and could even qualify for the Gold Cup in their first season.Finishing second - and one of the only teams to beat the rampant Samba - were last seasons relegated Gooners FC. They signalled their intent on a quick return with the signing of midfield playmaker Adel Taarabt and manager Coggins was rewarded with some excellent performances from his investment.The other sides to make the Playoffs were Hornstulls Eagles, England and China Red F.C. The Semi Finals saw England beat Hornstulls Eagles 2-1 after extra time with Michael Carrick scoring the opener and winning the man of the match award. Joining them in the Final was Gooners FC, after beating China Red F.C., the final score also 2-1.The Final ended with England being promoted into the Premiership after beating Gooners 2-0. Coggins will be disappointed with his sides finishing after having 10 shots in total and one particular clear cut chance. It was England's day though with Ishmael Miller opening the scoring in the 20th minute, with Kevin Nolan finishing the Gooners off shortly after.

Taking the John McDermott Championship crown was Dan Steven's Enterprise. After losing just three games they tipped 2nd place F.C. Phoenix by seven points. Pre season signing Samir Nasri proved to be a big hit, although it was striker Rachid Al Akchaoui who outshone his £1.6m colleague scoring 21 goals and assisting another 14.F.C. Phoenix entered the playoffs as favourites, although Aye Ready FC were not far behind. After some excellent early season form, they started to drop off a bit as the season wore on, although with a lot of quality throughout their squad, they entered the playoffs as serious contenders.Completing the John McDermott Championship line-up was Psycho All-Stars and Py United.The first Semi saw F.C. Phoenix come out on top against Psycho All-Stars in a tight game that could have gone either way. Despite having a total of twelve shots, the All-Stars could only manage one on target, which proved to be their downfall as striker Ched Evans scored the only goal in the 32nd minute. In the second Semi, Aye Ready FC seemed to be cruising when they went in 3-0 up at the break through goals from Aaron, Fernandinho and Naismith. The second half saw Py United grab two goals back and with nine minutes left they piled on the pressure, but Aye Ready held on for the win.The first half of the Final proved to be somewhat of a stalemate, with two equally matched teams cancelling each other out meaning not much goal action was to be seen. The breakthrough did finally come though when, in the 74th minute, Ched Evans headed the ball in, deflecting off the post. After the goal, Phoenix were in control of the match and added a second in the final minute of the game to send the fans into raptures. It was Raffaele Palladino who found himself unmarked in the six yard box to complete a 2-0 win and a Premiership spot for F.C. Phoenix.

Due to Dan Stevens leaving the SPFA for the CFA, he has therefore gave up his promotion spot. The next best placed team in the league will be taking his place. This would be F.C. Phoenix, but because they are already promoted due to winning the playoffs, the team they defeated - Aye Ready FC - have also gained promotion to the Premiership.

SPFA Premiership Awards - Season 9

by Paul Price

Golden Boot Award:

Once again it was Emerson Park F.C. striker Pato who takes home the golden boot with a quite amazing total of 38 goals in 37 games. Rumours suggest Pato has asked manager Josh Cornish for a pay rise just to pay for his new personal trophy cabinet. Second up and always thereabouts was FC Tensixty's Bojan with 27 in 38, with Viking Raiders' attacking midfielder Toni Kroos in third place with 21 in 38.

Golden Glove Award:

Although eventually getting relegated it was FC Ballghkeen's stopper Matteo Pini, along with Parkside Renegades' Joe Hart who take this award with 16 clean sheets a piece. The glove has been split into two due to the league not anticipating joint winners. Although not confirmed, sources close to the league say Pini requested the half with the thumb and index finger.

Most Fouls Made:

Inter Reisha's fullback Hugo took this rather unwanted award, committing eleven more fouls than second place Matias Perez of Viking Raiders - also a fullback - finishing the season with 98 and 87 fouls respectively. Thirdly - you guessed it, another fullback - was Tensixty's Diogo with 85 fouls, although he played in three games less than Hugo and Perez.

Most Bruised Player:

For the second season running it was Parkside Renegades' Andrea Carraciolo who finished up the most bruised and scarred player of the season. Being fouled a total of 115 times, he just keeps coming back for more. Second up was winger Andres Guardado of Emerson Park F.C. who was downed a total of 106 times.

The Un-social Award:

Braynner Garcia of Anfield Rovers picked up a record four red cards, despite only playing 15 games. That was because he was suspended for the rest. Once the award was announced, before his name could be read out he was seen sneaking out the back door and hasn't been since. A total of five players finished the season with two reds, including Jonathan Adami of Blue Brigade FC and another Anfield Rovers right back Mathias Corujo.

MVP:

No surprises who the most valuable player of the season was. After scoring more goals than games played and achieving an average rating of 7.47 it was the exceptional Brazilian striker Pato. Joint second was Adam Ljajic of Viking Raiders and Raul Albiol of Parkside Renegades with an average rating of 7.35.

LVP:

The 'award' that usually sees the winners out of the club through the back door. Mark Benson will be looking at midfielder Alex Maranhao and his shoddy average rating of 6.29 from 15 games and wondering if he really should be paying him £8,000 a day in wages. In second place was Gardar Gunlaugsson who used to ply his trade at Greenking FC. Manager Green obviously recognised that his average of 6.30 wasn't good enough for Premiership football and decided to release him. The third player who will be watching his back during pre season will be FC Ballaghkeen striker Robson Pereira after accumulating an average of 6.35.

Tensixty Walk It!

by Paul Price, SPFA Times Chief Football Reporter.

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So season 9 of the Lineker Gameworld comes to a close and it's Daz Hargreaves' FC Tensixty who take the honour of winning the extremely difficult SPFA Premiership. In a league that boasts four top ten sides, Tensixty won the league comfortably, with last seasons winners Emerson Park F.C. their closest challengers a full 15 points behind. The key to the great success Hargreaves has achieved this season is to be put down to the sides excellent team effort, with everyone from the goalkeeper Hugo Lloris to the 40 goal partnership of Bojan and Maxim Choupo-Moting contributing consistently to the cause. Although finishing behind only one side, fans of Emerson Park will be blaming their sides lack of a title challenge on the sale of two of their stars. Erik Noorlander and Mamadou Sakho both departed the club in the first half of the season, and although the club received a total of £7m from the transfers, fans will be wondering why no replacements were signed. The final Gold Cup place goes to Atletico Beer Barrel, who actually won the competition this season after an agonisingly close game against Firefly Athletic. After missing out on the league title for two seasons running now Dan Taylor is said to be shaking up his squad during pre season and signing some fresh faces, which could mean an end to Philippe Mexes' six season stint at the club.

The Tangerine Candyfloss will be disappointed with their finishing position, their lowest ever in the Premiership since joining the SPFA. Despite pre season signings they struggled to keep up with the front runners. Beating Rob Barker's side to the three Silver Cup spots are Kev Kennedy's Mutt Ring Racers, Harry Woods' Parkside Renegades and Mark Benson's Viking Raiders.One of the stars of the Racers' campaign was striker Nilmar, who Kennedy has since placed on the transfer list. Although his best years are behind him, Nilmar will still be an excellent signing for most teams.

All the last day excitement this season was to be seen at the foot of the table, with no fewer than seven teams not knowing their fate at the start of play. The greatest achievement was to come from Kevin Morsley's White Riots, who at one point were deep in the relegation zone with just three games to play. They then went on to take seven points from those three games - all against fellow relegation rivals - and finish an unlikely tenth. With manager Matt Bennett on holiday, Blue Brigade FC were left in the hands of his assistant for their remaining eight games. Although only taking nine points from those fixtures, it was enough to see his side safe for another season in the top flight. With no remaining fixtures to play on the final day, Edible Flowers were forced to sit and watch everything unfold around them. Luckily for Phil Anderson FC Ballaghkeen went on an eight match losing streak and finished just one point behind the Flowers. Anderson will be looking for some new faces in pre season and has wasted no time in selling off some of his dead-weight.Also surviving on the final day was Steve Greens Greenking FC. Although looking fairly safe at the start of the day with three games to play, they finished up in 13th position after gaining just one point from those three games.After narrowly surviving the drop in the previous campaign, it was to be an unfortunately different ending this time around for Turnbullham Hotspurs. Many had them down as the favourites for survival, but it wasn't to be after gaining just six points from their final five games.