James Top of the Class

The Worcester Evening News' annual Ray Mercer Trophy award has a new leader at the midway point of the football season - Hereford United's Tony James.

The young defender is now ahead of Stourport Swifts' Asa Charlton having played twenty six games and gaining an average Evening News rating on 7.38 marks per match. James is widely regarded as Hereford's most under rated player and his solid displays in defence have boosted his rating as he rarely puts a foot wrong.

Second-placed Charlton has 7.32 marks, whilst his Stourport team mate Simon Marsh is on 7.20. Hereford's goalkeeper Matt Baker has 6.96 marks, in fourth place in the ratings. All players from Kidderminster Harriers, Hereford United, Worcester City, Evesham United and Stourport Swifts qualify after they have played sixteen games.

In other news today Confguide.com reported that the controversial plans for the Nationwide Conference championship to be decided by an end-of-season play-off scheme have been dropped.

Although it had been widely assumed that this was the case following rejection of the scheme by the FA and Nationwide League, we've never seen an announcement from the Nationwide Conference on the issue.

A query to the Conference office has confirmed that the play-offs will NOT go ahead. However, the early finish to the season (which allowed time for the extra matches) remains in place

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