AS Westbury United march towards the end of their league season, it looks ever more likely that they will finish in a potential promotion position. But it is not as simple as finishing in the top two places in the league to guarantee promotion as it is elsewhere up the pyramid, reports club Chairman, Greg Coulson.
The National League System (NLS) is a pyramid with the Vanarama National League (Step 1) at its tip, it flows down with two Step 2 Leagues (Vanarama North and South), four Step 3 Leagues, eight Step 4 Leagues and 16 Step 5 Leagues. Step 5 is where Westbury currently ply their trade, in the Hellenic League Premier Division.
Every team who finishes top of their Step 5 league will gain automatic promotion. The bottom two teams from each Step 4 league will be relegated. Due to vacancies higher up the NLS, ten of the 2nd placed teams from Step 5 will also be promoted automatically, this will be the ten with the best points per game (PPG) average over the season. The remaining six 2nd placed teams will playoff against a team that finishes 3rd bottom of Step 4. The two 3rd bottom teams at Step 4 with the best PPG gain a reprieve from relegation.
In summary, the 1st placed team and the ten 2nd placed teams with the best PPG get automatic promotion. The remaining six 2nd place teams will enter a playoff with the six 3rd bottom teams at Step 4 with the worst PPG. The playoff would take place at the Step 4 teams’ ground on Saturday 30th April.
As you can see Westbury have still got a lot of work to do, they currently sit 11th in the PPG listings at Step 5 so every single game still counts as the more points they achieve the more likely they are to get automatic promotion.
Westbury United would love you to come down the ground and support them for these remaining games, as they try to make history in becoming the first Westbury United team to be promoted to Step 4.
United are also in the semi-final of the Wiltshire FA Premier Shield, which will take place on March 22nd at the Gerard Buxton Sports Ground at Royal Wootten Basset, kick off at 7.45pm.
Photo of Greg from last issue’s feature
