What did the lower English competitions offer us this weekend? A thrilling title fight and the travails of traditional clubs

It’s the national break period and that means only one thing. Suspension of the club scene. If you want to watch club football, your eyes must be on the lower leagues.

The lower league competitions played in England undoubtedly have their charms. Even though you are watching a third or fourth league game, you may be able to see a full stadium and a breathtaking atmosphere. In short, England is alive with football at every level.

A thrilling battle for the fifth league title

Notts County and Wrexham. These are the two clubs that absolutely dominate the top five. Both teams have scored a hundred or more goals, both have received almost identical goals and both are within touching distance of the century mark after almost forty rounds.

The footballers of both clubs managed their Saturday matches sovereignly. Notts County gave Scunthorpe no chance and Wrexham managed to beat the York footballers.

Wrexham is a club owned by famous owner Ryan Reynolds and recently managed to embarrass Sheffield United in the FA Cup. The Welsh side have a game in hand over their opponents and if they successfully manage it, they will pass the hundred points mark with six rounds to go in the league.

Notts County are still close behind with a loss of three points. There is a gap of more than twenty points between the two clubs and the third placed team and a thirty goal deficit in the number of goals scored.

Traditional clubs in the third league

If you look back at the table of the third highest league, you will see a lot of clubs that we used to follow in the first league. Unfortunately, also due to financial problems, these clubs couldn’t compete with their more famous rivals and now they are trying to revive their lost glory in the lower competitions.

Portsmouth is one such club that needs to fight to secure a place in the relegation play-offs, having lost an important two points in Saturday’s game against Port Vale.

Derby County are also struggling, having won only once in their last five games and coming away with zero points in their last two. They are now in sixth place. That still ensures a place in the relegation battle, but Derby have Peterborough breathing down their necks.

Bolton Wanderers hold a similar record, taking all three points last month. Together with Derby County they have the same points tally and are separated only by a score.

The second team in the table, Sheffield Wednesday, has committed a major blunder. They failed to play against last-placed Forest Green. Sheffield footballers could go to the first position in case of a win, where Plymouth will remain.

The leading pair continues to breathe on the back of Ipswich Town.

Bradford City

One of the most interesting clubs to watch in League Four. Bradford are interesting because ten years ago they made a sensational run to the League Cup final.

On that journey, they knocked out Aston Villa and Arsenal, for example. In the final, they lost to another sensational entrant, Swansea.

Now the club’s footballers participate in the fourth league, where they continue to hold the last relegation position for the play-offs. Here they remain despite the fact that their Saturday match was postponed. Mansfield failed to take advantage of the postponement and only drew their match.

Leyton Orient remain top of the table despite Saturday’s draw. Northampton took advantage of the hesitation of the leading team and at least reduced the gap to the first position to five points.

The duel for the first position will still be very exciting, as Leyton Orient footballers seem to have lost their form and failed to win in the last four matches.

Source: Transfermarkt, EFL