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.