National League September Review: Boreham Wood Pull Clear As Barrow And Altrincham Find Their Feet

The National League Table At The End Of September

Boreham Wood’s lead is now seven points. Behind them, the picture is considerably tighter.

Only four points separate second-placed Harrogate from Hornchurch in tenth. Southend and Altrincham are level on 21 points, with The Shrimpers ahead on goal difference.

Everyone has now played 11 league matches. This review includes Halifax’s match against Hartlepool on 1 September, so those clubs played seven times during the month; the other 22 played six.

Boreham Wood Are Still The Benchmark

September has done nothing to loosen Boreham Wood’s grip on first place.

Luke Garrard’s side followed their 13-point August with 16 points from six September matches.

They beat Carlisle, drew at Eastleigh and then won against Scunthorpe, Harrogate, Solihull and Kidderminster.

The 4–1 victory over Harrogate was the statement result. Wood were facing one of their closest challengers and finished the afternoon with an emphatic win.

Just as importantly, they kept going afterwards. A 3–0 victory at Solihull and a 3–1 win over Kidderminster closed the month.

Matt Rush’s injury might have taken some of the momentum away. Instead, Jay Bird scored five September goals and loan signing Ben Whitfield made an immediate impact.

Nine wins, two draws and no defeats after 11 matches. The rest of the division is still trying to catch them.

Southend United: Plenty Of Goals, But A Frustrating Finish

The Shrimpers have moved from seventh to third. That is the encouraging part.

The month began with a superb comeback against Yeovil. Two goals down at Roots Hall, Southend hit back through Darren Oldaker, Leon Chambers-Parillon and Promise Omochere to win 3–2.

Carlisle brought more drama, but a different ending.

Chambers-Parillon’s equaliser and Kieran McAdam’s stoppage-time goal looked to have secured an away victory. Carlisle then scored even later to leave Southend with a 2–2 draw.

A 3–1 home win over Tamworth followed before The Shrimpers produced one of the most extraordinary first halves of the season at Gateshead.

Six goals before the interval. A Sam Austin hat-trick, two from Harry Cardwell and another from McAdam. Southend eventually won 6–1.

That was the high point. The final two games were rather more frustrating.

Barrow won 4–2 at Roots Hall, before Southend travelled to Eastleigh and led through Omochere’s header from Ryan Colclough’s cross.

The lead lasted until the 89th minute, when Temi Eweka headed in Josh Lundstram’s delivery to make it 1–1.

Eleven points and 17 goals from six games is a productive month. Nobody in the division scored more September goals.

But Southend also conceded 11 and finished the month without a clean sheet. The late goals at Carlisle and Eastleigh leave a feeling that there were more points available.

The support remained excellent. September’s three Roots Hall attendances were 8,246 against Yeovil, 7,328 against Tamworth and 8,781 against Barrow. Another 616 Shrimpers travelled to Eastleigh, where the total crowd was 2,199.

Barrow Are September’s Surprise Package

Last month, Barrow appeared in our section on clubs needing September to be better.

They certainly answered that challenge.

Four wins, one draw and 13 points have lifted Adam Murray’s side from 23rd to 12th.

A 3–0 win against Sutton gave them their first league victory. They later beat Aldershot 1–0, Southend 4–2 and Scunthorpe 3–0 to finish with three consecutive wins.

Winning at Roots Hall was the result that made the rest of the league take notice.

But the improvement has not simply been about scoring. Barrow conceded only five September goals and kept three clean sheets, with Ben Winterbottom and the defence giving them a much stronger platform.

From two points in August to 13 in September. That is a proper response.

Altrincham Find A Winning Rhythm

Altrincham’s September contains one result that looks completely out of place.

They lost 5–1 at Woking.

They won every other match.

Neil Gibson’s side began by beating Eastleigh, then responded to the Woking defeat with victories over Hartlepool, Fylde, Hornchurch and Gateshead.

Fifteen points from 18 available is the second-best return of the month.

Tom Crawford and Aidan Barlow were among the players helping Alty find their rhythm, and the reward is fourth place overall.

Their recovery after that heavy defeat is one of September’s strongest stories.

Worthing Finish September Unbeaten

Boreham Wood were not the only side to get through the month without losing.

Worthing collected three wins and three draws to move from 14th to eighth.

After sharing the points with Fylde and Barrow, they beat Hornchurch, Hartlepool and Halifax before drawing at Yeovil.

Twelve points is a strong return. More importantly, there was no afternoon on which they came away empty-handed.

Elsewhere In The Division

Harrogate And Fylde Keep The Pressure On

Harrogate won four September matches and finish second. Their defeats came against Fylde and Boreham Wood, but Bailey Hobson’s four goals helped keep the points coming.

Fylde took ten points. Luca Thomas scored five times, including doubles against Worthing and Yeovil, while a 2–1 win at Harrogate showed their ability to hurt a direct rival.

The August High-Flyers Find It Tougher

Sutton went from 12 August points to five in September. Their dramatic 3–3 draw with Forest Green showed plenty of spirit, but they finished with a 2–0 defeat at Tamworth.

Hornchurch collected six points after taking 12 in August. Four defeats and only three September goals checked their progress, although wins over Scunthorpe and Aldershot kept them tenth overall.

Yeovil’s unbeaten start ended at Southend. A 4–1 defeat against Fylde followed, but wins over Solihull and Kidderminster helped them finish the month sixth.

Some Strong Results, Some Missed Opportunities

Aldershot and Kidderminster each collected ten points. Aldershot’s 5–1 win against Tamworth stood out, while Kidderminster won 4–1 at Wealdstone despite Alex MacDonald’s early dismissal.

Halifax took 11 points from their seven matches and kept three clean sheets. Forest Green collected nine, but will look back at the lead they lost in that draw at Sutton.

Woking scored five against both Altrincham and Carlisle. John Marquis enjoyed an excellent month, but eight points and a closing 4–2 defeat against Solihull showed the inconsistency around those big wins.

Boston’s 3–1 victory at Forest Green and Wealdstone’s 4–0 win over Gateshead were their standout results. Boston finished with six September points, Wealdstone with seven.

Carlisle and Eastleigh each took five points. Carlisle ended with a 2–0 win at Fylde, while Eastleigh’s late equaliser against Southend preserved their unbeaten home start.

Tamworth finished September with a much-needed 2–0 win against Sutton in front of 1,063, including 131 away supporters. Scunthorpe’s 4–1 victory against Hartlepool was followed by a 3–0 defeat at Barrow.

Solihull took seven points after a pointless August and closed with victory at Woking. Hartlepool and Gateshead had the toughest months, collecting three points and one respectively.

September By The Numbers

September again produced just over three goals per match.

Southend were the highest scorers with 17. At the other end, Boreham Wood, Barrow, Halifax and Kidderminster each conceded only five.

Barrow, Halifax and Kidderminster shared the best clean-sheet return with three apiece.

Players Who Shone

Ben Whitfield — Barrow / Boreham Wood

A player who made his move count immediately.

Whitfield scored once for Barrow before joining Boreham Wood on loan. He then scored five in four September league appearances for his new club.

Those goals included the winner against Scunthorpe, a volley against Harrogate, two at Solihull and another against Kidderminster.

Six September goals across two clubs, and a major contribution to the leaders’ excellent month.

John Marquis — Woking

Whitfield did not have the September scoring lead to himself.

Marquis also scored six, including two against Altrincham and a hat-trick at Carlisle.

Woking’s results were inconsistent. Their main striker’s finishing gave them plenty to celebrate.

Jay Bird — Boreham Wood

With Matt Rush unavailable, Wood needed others to step forward.

Bird scored five September goals, including two against Kidderminster in the final game of the month.

Luca Thomas — AFC Fylde

Another player to finish September with five league goals.

His doubles against Worthing and Yeovil, followed by a goal at Harrogate, helped keep Fylde among the leading clubs.

Leon Chambers-Parillon — Southend United

Four goals in four different matches tells part of the story.

Chambers-Parillon scored against Yeovil, Carlisle, Tamworth and Barrow, while his direct running continued to give Southend another route into dangerous areas.

Ben Winterbottom — Barrow

Barrow’s revival needed a stronger defensive base.

Winterbottom helped provide it, keeping three clean sheets during a month in which his side conceded only five goals.

The Shrimpers-online National League Team Of The Month

Our September XI is based on National League performances from 1–30 September, with a 4–2–3–1 formation chosen for this month’s selection.

The XI brings together Barrow’s defensive improvement, Boreham Wood’s consistency, Altrincham’s resurgence and some of September’s strongest attacking performers.

Luke Garrard takes the manager’s place after leading Wood through another unbeaten month.

Those Who Just Missed Out

Jack Wint — Kidderminster Harriers: three clean sheets and a penalty save against Boreham Wood made him a strong contender in goal.

True Grant — Halifax Town: another goalkeeper with three clean sheets, achieved during Halifax’s seven-match month.

Jay Bird — Boreham Wood: five goals made the forward positions particularly difficult to choose.

Luca Thomas — AFC Fylde: five goals, including two doubles, gave him an excellent case.

Sam Austin — Southend United: four September goals, including that memorable first-half hat-trick at Gateshead.

Rekeem Harper — Barrow: three goals during a month that transformed Barrow’s early-season fortunes.

Aidan Barlow — Altrincham: his creative contribution helped Alty win five of their six September matches.

The Shrimpers-online September Awards

Villains Of The Month

Referee Watch

August was our baseline. September gives us a fuller set of appointments and disciplinary incidents to follow.

The match records currently contain 280 yellow cards and 13 player dismissals across September’s fixtures. These are recorded totals; they are not a guarantee that every disciplinary incident is present.

Andrew Miller has the highest recorded yellow-card total with 15 across three matches. Harry Wager follows with 14, while Lewis Smith and Scott Jackson each have 13 from three appointments.

That tells us who issued the most recorded cautions. It does not tell us who refereed best.

Sass’s second yellow at Sutton, MacDonald’s dismissal at Wealdstone and Eastleigh’s unsuccessful handball appeals against Ben Goodliffe were among the incidents attracting attention.

We are keeping the Referee of the Month award unassigned until there is enough consistent evidence about the decisions themselves. As we said in August, card totals alone are not a fair way to choose a winner.

Biggest Results Of September

All National League Results — September 2026

Those Who Need October To Be Better

Gateshead

One point from six September games, two goals scored and 17 conceded.

Gateshead finish the month bottom. October needs to bring a response quickly.

Hartlepool United

A 1–0 win against Woking was their only September victory.

They lost the other six matches and scored only four goals across the month. Finding a more dependable attacking return is becoming important.

Sutton United And Hornchurch

Both clubs made excellent August starts. Neither could maintain that pace through September.

Sutton took five points and Hornchurch six. Their early work has kept them in the upper half, but October needs to restore some momentum.

Solihull Moors

Seven points is a clear improvement on August’s five defeats.

The win at Woking gives them something to build on. They are still 23rd, however, and cannot afford for the improvement to stop there.

Player Of The Season So Far

Club Of The Season So Far