Countdown to play-offs (From York Press)

Countdown to Blue Square Bet Premier play-offs

10:17am Saturday 7th April 2012 in Diary By Dave Flett, Sports reporter

YORK City tackle league leaders Fleetwood this afternoon as one of seven sides realistically fighting for three remaining Blue Square Bet Premier play-off spots.

With runaway top two Fleetwood and Wrexham unable to be caught, City and six other teams look to be contesting the crucial third, fourth and fifth places in the table, currently occupied by Mansfield, Gary Mills’ men and Southport respectively.

Luton, Kidderminster, Grimsby and Gateshead are also still in the hunt with three weeks left of the regulation season but an analysis of the contenders’ run-ins looks favourable for the Minstermen.

From the current third to ninth-placed teams, City are the only side who will not meet any of their direct rivals for a play-off position between now and the end of the league campaign on April 28.

City will, however, face four of the nine teams who have seemingly nothing left to play for, travelling to the likes of Alfreton, Cambridge and Braintree – all harbouring neither relegation concerns or promotion aspirations – before entertaining a similarly-placed Forest Green on April 28.

Other teams to fall into the same category are Barrow, Ebbsfleet and Tamworth, while doomed duo Bath and Kettering are already resigned to their fate.

On paper, form team Mansfield appear to have the easiest programme with bottom-five outfits Kettering, Stockport and Hayes providing the opposition in their next three matches.

But, with all three scrapping to survive, such fixtures are sometimes best avoided at this time of the year.

Kidderminster look to have the toughest fixtures, travelling to Southport today and then ending the campaign with a trip to Luton and a home match against Mansfield but, if Steve Burr’s side can clinch victories in that hat-trick of six-pointers, a top-five place should be theirs for the taking.

In reality, Grimsby are perhaps presented with the hardest run-in with all five of their final matches likely to have something riding on them for both teams – trips to struggling Darlington and Telford interspersed with home clashes against Gateshead and Southport, as well as a journey to Wrexham.

Other than Luton, the Mariners are also enduring the worst current run of form from the seven promotion hopefuls. But if the Blundell Park club can stay in touch until the final day of the season, a home match against Southport could prove of great significance on the same afternoon as Kidderminster play host to Mansfield and Luton travel to Fleetwood.

Time will tell whether the poor goal differences of dark horses Gateshead and Southport proves costly come the last weekend of the month.

• Crunch play-off games: Today – Southport v Kidderminster; Apr 9 – Grimsby v Gateshead; Apr 21 – Luton v Kidderminster; Apr 28 – Grimsby v Southport, Kidderminster v Mansfield; TBA – Gateshead v Luton.

Mansfield

Third place, played 41
74 points, goal diff +28

Remaining fixtures:

Today - Kettering (A)
Apr 9 - Stockport (H)
Apr 14 - Hayes (A)
Apr 20 - Wrexham (H)
Apr 28 - Kidderminster (A)

York city

Fourth place, played 40
70 points, goal diff +32

Remaining fixtures:

Today - Fleetwood (H)
Apr 9 - Alfreton (A)
Apr 14 - Newport (H)
Apr 17 - Cambridge (A)
Apr 21 - Braintree (A)
Apr 28 - Forest Green (H)

Southport

Fifth place, played 41
70 points, goal diff +3

Remaining fixtures:

Today - Kidderminster (H)
Apr 9 - Barrow (A)
Apr 14 - Tamworth (A)
Apr 21 - Ebbsfleet (H)
Apr 28 - Grimsby (A)

Luton town

Sixth place, played 39
67 points, goal diff +30

Remaining fixtures:

Today - Braintree (A);
Apr 9 - Hayes (H);
Apr 14 - Alfreton (A);
Apr 17 - Ebbsfleet (H);
Apr 21 - Kidderminster (H);
Apr 28 - Fleetwood (A); TBA - Gateshead (A)

Kidderminster

Seventh place, played 41
67 points, goal diff +16

Remaining fixtures:

Today - Southport (A)
Apr 9 - Newport (H)
Apr 14 - Kettering (H)
Apr 21 - Luton (A)
Apr 28 - Mansfield (H)

Grimsby Town

Eighth place, played 41
64 points, goal diff +18

Remaining fixtures:

Today - Darlington (A)
Apr 9 - Gateshead (H)
Apr 14 - Wrexham (A)
Apr 21 - Telford (A)
Apr 28 - Southport (H)

Gateshead

Ninth place, played 40
64 points, goal diff +5

Remaining fixtures:

Today - Barrow (H)
Apr 9 - Grimsby (A)
Apr 14 - Forest Green (H)
Apr 21 - Bath (A)
Apr 28 - Telford (H)
TBA - Luton (H)