Ardley, Cowan And Askey Take The Top Manager Awards

Improvement is the word Woking fans use, and Neal Ardley has given Cardinals fans real optimism for next season.

The manager who specialises in getting his teams into play-off finals could just have promotion intentions next time around after a confident ending to the campaign.

If the season actually started when Ardley took over, Woking would be in a play-off mix – only newly-crowned champions Barnet have lost fewer games since he got down to work.

April started with a draw against Rochdale before wins at Oldham and then against AFC Fylde. Revenge was dished up against Aldershot in the form of a thumping 3-0 win before the month ended with a 2-2 draw at home to Eastleigh.

Woking fans are already counting down the weeks until next season!

So are Brackley Town supporters, but most will be just relieved that there’s no play-offs this time around.

The new National League North champions have suffered years of misery in May - and they’re certainly entitled to summer free from dark clouds.

Gavin Cowan knew there was only one way to ensure there would be no heartache and that was by putting their foot down and going all out for first place.

The Saints had a 100 per cent record through April in a month that also saw them concede just once in five games, scoring 11 goals themselves.

Winning against South Shields, Warrington Town, Oxford City and Leamington, they refused to give up on taking the title.

When the pressure was on they blitzed Farsley Celtic 5-0 on the final day to wrap up a championship not many would have predicted at the start of the season.

John Askey has seen most things in football, but winning promotion after being sat by a phone for six or seven minutes is a new one.

Truro City kept their end of the bargain on a final day which could have seen any of six sides crowned champions. A 5-2 win over St Albans meant they would win the National League South... if Torquay United didn’t score six goals at Hemel Hempstead.

The Gulls had four when the whistle blew at Truro, but their title rivals were delayed and a nervous wait was coming.

In the end, they had done enough and Askey could celebrate with his players after a month which saw them do what seemed unthinkable last summer.

Also winning at Worthing, Hornchurch and Weston-super-Mare in April, their moment to cherish was also a history-maker.

Well done to our three worthy winners!