The Blue Square South season finale didn't disappoint as Hampton & Richmond pushed AFC Wimbledon all the way for top spot, but the Dons secured automatic promotion, while Thurrock failed to avoid the drop.
AFC Wimbledon will be plying their trade in the Blue Square Premier next season following a 3-0 win over St Albans.
The Dons were pushed all the way for the title by Hampton & Richmond, but Kennedy Adjei put them in the driving seat after opening the scoring in the 48th minute at Kingsmeadow.
Sam Hatton made it 2-0 on the 68-minute mark and Jason Goodliffe struck late on to make sure manager Terry Brown lifted the Blue Square South crown.
Hampton & Richmond launched an all-out attack in a 3-0 win over Maidenhead - in the hope that the Dons would drop points. Alan Devonshire's men only managed to finish as runners-up though through a Lawrence Yaku brace and a strike from Marcello Fernandes.
A 2-2 draw with Havant and Waterlooville was enough to see Eastleigh secure third spot, while Hayes and Yeading grabbed fourth place after easing past Bognor Regis Town 3-1.
Chelmsford routed Weston-S-Mare 4-1 to ensure their spot in the final play-off place at Melbourne Stadium.
Spencer Knight kicked off proceedings for the Clarets in the 22nd minute, before Dave Rainford doubled their advantage just four minutes later.
Midfielder Darren Mullings managed to pull a goal back for the visitors with 20 minutes still to play, but Lawrie Dudfield struck just before the full-time whistle and Craig Rand bungled the ball into the back of his own net to make it 4-1 to the hosts.
At the opposite end of the table, Thurrock have joined relegated duo Bognor Regis Town and Fisher Athletic out the Blue Square South, despite battling to a spirited 2-0 win over Bath City.
Che Stadhart and Tchokounte Malik struck in the opening phases of the second half, but it was not enough to save the Fleet from the dreaded drop.
If Dorchester failed to win, they would have traded places with Thurrock, but two early strikes from Jamie Gleeson and Tom Mitchell cancelled out Warren McBean's second-minute penalty for Bromley.
Results in full:
AFC Wimbledon 3-0 St Albans
Team Bath 2-2 Bishops Stortford
Chelmsford 4-1 Weston-S-Mare
Dorchester 2-1 Bromley
Havant and W 2-2 Eastleigh
Hayes & Yeading 3-1 Bognor Regis Town
Maidenhead Utd 0-3 Hampton & Richmond
Thurrock 2-0 Bath City
Welling 0-2 Newport County
Worcester 0-0 Basingstoke
Posted: Saturday , April 25, 2009
Well done Newport County. Looking forward to a Welsh derby next season... MORE >>
By gvred on Fri, 12th March 10
| BlueSq South Standings | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Newport County | 85 |
| 2 | Chelmsford | 61 |
| 3 | Braintree Town | 58 |
| 4 | Staines Town | 57 |
| 5 | Bath City | 56 |
| 6 | Eastleigh | 53 |
| 7 | Dover | 53 |
| 8 | St Albans | 51 |
| 9 | Thurrock | 50 |
| 10 | Welling United | 50 |
| Full standings | ||
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