Fair play champions are all winners!

The Evo-Stik Northern Premier League’s FA Respect manager Phil Bradley believes it is no surprise that this season’s best behaved teams have also been among the most successful.

Following the publication of the Evo-Stik NPL’s final fair play tables of the season on Saturday, the Premier Division’s AFC Fylde, Lancaster City in First Division North and Brigg Town in First Division South, are all looking forward to collecting £1000 in prize money for topping their respective 2013-14 divisional tables.

The second and third placed clubs in each division – runners-up Skelmersdale United and Chorley in the top flight, runners-up Farsley AFC and Northwich Victoria in First Division North along with Leek Town and third placed Belper Town in First Division South - will also collect £500 and £250 respectively as their financial reward at the Evo-Stik NPL’s annual awards night in Blackpool in June.

Bradley points to the fact two of the past four winners of the FA’s National Respect and Fair Play Awards, AFC Fylde and Lancaster City, were among the Evo-Stik NPL’s own winners once again as further evidence that Respect brings its own rewards.

Bradley said: "It amazes me that managers cannot see that fair play can only be an asset to a club. Successful managers tell me, in the words of one such manager, that it is a 'no brainer' as less cautions obviously mean less suspensions.

"A club that is strict on discipline is able to run a squad perhaps one or two players lighter than otherwise would be the case and on the same budget. They can therefore bring in better players and less suspensions also means a more settled team.

"It would seem that good discipline starts very easy with clubs taking a zero tolerance policy towards dissent cautions and foul and abusive language dismissals. It is no coincidence that in the Premier Division for example AFC Fylde, Skem and Chorley had just five dissent cautions between them with two of those clubs promoted to the Conference.

"It was a similar story in the First Division South where the three top clubs in the Fair Play tables had just seven dissent cautions between them and two of them finished up in the play-offs. I know that people will say it is easy to be disciplined when you are winning and not so easy when you are at the bottom but it simply happens far too often for that to be the case."

He added: "Hopefully, managers who have yet to support the FA’s Respect Programme will come around to that point of view along with club chairmen who also have an important role to play in discipline."

The Evo-Stik NPL’s final fair tables show that the Coasters, who won the FA’s top national award in 2012, were the only club out of 67 members of the NPL who averaged under one disciplinary point per game played - an amazing record after winning the Doodson Cup and the Lancashire FA Trophy as well as qualifying for and winning the Premier Division’s promotion play-offs.

Lancaster City, the 2011 FA National Respect and Fair Play winners, took back the First Division North accolade having only loaned it to Harrogate Railway last season.

Farsley AFC and Northwich were in the bottom six of last season’s fair play tables and according to Bradley, their marked improvement is more clear evidence that discipline can be improved where there is a will to do so.

Brigg Town and Leek Town, first and second in the 2011-12 First Division South Fair Play table, occupied the same two positions again but this year it proved to Brigg’s turn to pick up the winner's prize.

To view the campaign's final fair play tables click of the 'League Info' tab on the home page, go to 'Downloads' and then click on the 'Inventory' button.