Linnets' Fans' Forum

I asked AI what it thought would be the final standings in the National League North - with a special focus on King's Lynn. I'm posting it here as it will be interesting to see if it gets any of it correct.

Here's my best estimate for the final National League North table from where things stand on 25 March 2026.

I'm treating this as a forecast, not a prediction with certainty. I've based it mainly on the current standings, games in hand, overall points-per-game, second-half form, and for King's Lynn specifically the difficulty of the six remaining fixtures. The current table has Fylde on 85 from 39 and South Shields on 84 from 39, with Kidderminster third on 69 from 38; King's Lynn are 16th on 49 from 40.

My projected final table

1.  Fylde - 99
2.  South Shields - 98
3.  Kidderminster Harriers - 83
4.  Macclesfield - 80
5.  Merthyr Town - 75
6.  Darlington - 74
7.  Scarborough Athletic - 71
8.  AFC Telford United - 69
9.  Marine - 68
10. Buxton - 67
11. Spennymoor Town - 67
12. Chester - 66
13. Radcliffe - 66
14. King's Lynn Town - 60
15. Southport - 58
16. Chorley - 58
17. Curzon Ashton - 54
18. Worksop Town - 54
19. Hereford - 51
20. Bedford Town - 50
21. Oxford City - 49
22. Alfreton Town - 45
23. Peterborough Sports - 43
24. Leamington - 27

Why I've nudged King's Lynn up to 14th rather than 16th: their recent trend is better than their full-season position suggests. In the second-half table they rank 3rd, behind only South Shields and Fylde, while their overall place is still 16th.

What I think happens with King's Lynn

King's Lynn's remaining league matches are:

* Spennymoor Town (H)
* Peterborough Sports (A)
* Bedford Town (H)
* Kidderminster Harriers (A)
* Chorley (H)
* Chester (A)

That run-in is pretty decent. Of those six opponents, only Kidderminster are currently in the top four; Peterborough, Bedford and Chorley are all below King's Lynn in the table, and Spennymoor/Chester are in the crowded mid-table pack.

My match-by-match lean for King's Lynn is:

* vs Spennymoor: draw
* at Peterborough Sports: win
* vs Bedford Town: win
* at Kidderminster: loss
* vs Chorley: win
* at Chester: draw

That gives them 11 points from 18, finishing on about 60 points. That is enough, in my view, to lift them into the 14th-15th range, and I've settled on 14th.

Why I'm reasonably positive on King's Lynn

Their recent spell is strong. The club's own previews/reports show this sequence around the turn under Paul Caddis:

* beat Marine 1-0
* drew Scarborough 1-1
* lost Fylde 4-1
* beat South Shields 3-0
* drew Curzon Ashton 0-0
* beat Leamington 5-2

That is 11 points from the last six, including a huge win over one of the title contenders and a big away win at Leamington. The second-half table also backs up the idea that King's Lynn are much better now than their season-long totals say.

A few extra reads on the league finish

At the top, I'd still slightly favour Fylde over South Shields because Fylde's overall points-per-game is marginally better and they are already one point ahead, even though Shields' second-half trend is stronger.

For the play-off spots, I think the current top seven mostly holds, with AFC Telford just missing out and Marine probably running out of ground despite having games in hand.

At the bottom, Leamington look gone, and I think Peterborough Sports and Alfreton are the other two most likely to drop. The fourth relegation place is the hardest call, but I'd currently leave Oxford City just above it because their present total is already better than Peterborough/Alfreton and the teams directly above them are not pulling away fast enough.

My bottom line on King's Lynn: I do not think they get dragged back into real trouble. I think they finish the season in decent nick, somewhere around 14th, and probably end it with a feeling of "if only Caddis had arrived a bit earlier."

This is interesting and I hope it happens. Its been a long season of ups and downs.

Thank you for your efforts on this and also the transport options on away days. Cheers

Quote from: daleh on March 25, 2026, 01:36:43 PMThank you for your efforts on this and also the transport options on away days. Cheers

Always nice to know others are interested and reading - thank you.

There will be another 2 away day coaches this season (so I've been told) - Kidderminster Harriers FC & Chester FC - I'll be doing my normal away day posts for those once the coach tickets go on sale.

Not sure I need to do one for Peterborough Sports on Good Friday - but I can do if anyone wants me to.