The real thing

Almost 20,000 people watched Wigan join Sunderland with the big boys on Sunday. Latics chairman Dave Whelan says he may have to "look at spending £10m to £25m" to keep the club in the top flight. That will be a darn sight more than Mick McCarthy will spend.

That leaves Ipswich to the play-off's (again) with West Ham their opponents. Preston who hammered Derby on Sunday meet again. All four have reason's to back them. Ipswich are by far the most accomplished team, yet we know it is not about that. I would not back against the Hammers. They could easily turn it on for 3 games but can Pardew get the best out of them? Preston are unfancied but were the form team until the last couple of games. I go for Derby at 9/4. They won 12 games away from home and that will hold them in good stead and no one knows the play-off's like George Burley.

Brighton and Crewe did magnificently well to survive another season in the Championship. Brighton's win at Rotherham was the catalyst and Crewe who had relegation written all over them went and beat Coventry to send Gillingham and their chairman back down to where they belong.

In League One Brentford will play Sheffield Wednesday in the battle of the long ball while Tranmere and Hartlepool are two of the best footballing sides in the division. There will be huge support for Wednesday in their efforts to get back on the road to success but Tranmere start as favourites but Mad Dog Martin Allens' Bees at 3/1 are my tip.

Allen is being linked with the vacant Millwall job and was quoted as saying: "My only focus is on Brentford. Predictably because of the success I've had this season my name has been thrown into the ring by the papers, the same way it has been done with the Watford and Portsmouth jobs. I don't know where people come up with these ideas. I was even linked with the job at Real Madrid a few months ago!"

Franchise FC's crucial win at home to play-off favourites Tranmere meant that Danny Wilson's side get another chance to play in League One next season. Torquay were the team that suffered as Oldham won on the last day too. Torquay under Leroy Rosenoir drop after just one season in League One.

In the 4th, come on it is the 4th really, Southend had the heartache of missing out on automatic promotion after failing to win at Grimsby on the last day. The 3rd place team tend to trip up in the play-off's but I fancy them at 9/4.

An old favourite of the N&R FL are Macclesfield and they are really tough to beat. They take on Lincoln who make it three years in the play-offs on the trot. The Shrimpers take on in form Northampton.

Cambridge and Kidderminster will be replaced by Paul Fairclough's Barnet and either Stevenage or Carlisle who meet at Stoke's Brittania Stadium on Saturday night.

Further down the pyramid, a few things have taken my eye. My parents local team Eastbourne Borough play Altrincham on Sunday in the final of the Conference North / South play-off.

Grays Athletic and old league club Southport are already there. I note pre-season favourites Hornchurch (who I actually saw this season) ended up 17th after their financial problems and a 10 point administration deduction. James Bird's Weston-Super-Mare finished 11th.

South London boys Fisher Atletic won the Southern East division to win promotion to the Southern Premier League.

Remember Yeading? Well, they pissed the Isthmian Premier League. They will appear in next season's Conference South. We followed Slough too and they finished 13th. In Division 1, a lot of people follow the fortunes of AFC Wimbledon and they continued their move up the divisions. 3,000 regulary watched the Dons at Kingsmeadow as they stormed to the Isthmian Division 1 title.

Road to Cardiff boys Salisbury City finished 12th in the Isthmian Premier whilst in the Western Premier League Odd Down finished 13th whilst Backwell Utd ended 9th. Our other Road to Cardiff team Frome finished 3rd.

And finally after winning Div 2 last year the Albany Northern League Div 1 champions were our old favourites Dunston Federation Brewery.