Fair play leaders all win again

Named on Tuesday as the EVO-STIK NPL's best behaved sides over the opening month of 2016, the trio will collect inscribed certificates to record their achievements in January at upcoming fixtures.

Each club will also be presented with a bottle of Pol Roger champagne to toast their success in supporting the FA's Respect campaign and the EVO-STIK NPL's own efforts to promote sportsmanship and fair play.

Handed out every month after a totting up of red and yellow cards divided by the number of fixtures played, clubs must play in at least four league fixtures to qualify for the awards. In the event of a tie, the winners are chosen after the marks awarded by referees for behaviour in the technical area are taken into account.

League leaders Blyth Spartans won October's award in the top flight and Tom Wade's side were back on their best behaviour last month, collecting a single caution in four outings to post a disciplinary average of 0.25.

Spartans are currently fifth in the top flight's fair play table with an overall disciplinary average of just 1.31 after 29 games. After also being named as January's Club of the Month winners they are now looking forward to being honoured twice at Croft Park before kicking off against Ramsbottom United on Saturday 13 February with EVO-STIK NPL representative Mark Ogley due to present them with both accolades.

After collecting December's fair play accolade, Rugby Town now top the First Division South fair play table with a disciplinary score of 0.79 from 28 games. They will be presented with a second successive award by EVO-STIK NPL representative John Goddard before hosting Carlton Town at Butlin Road on Saturday 13 February after Dale Belford's side collected a single yellow from four games to post an average of 0.25

Bamber Bridge, fair play kings back in October, collected just two cautions from five outings in January to win the First Division North accolade for the second time this season with a disciplinary score of 0.40. EVO-STIK NPL director Steve Hobson will make the presentation to manager Neil Crowe and his side before they host New Mills at their Sir Tom Finney Stadium on Tuesday 9 February.

* 2015 was another award winning year for the EVO-STIK Northern Premier League after it was named as the best behaved competition in the top levels of Non-League football for the fifth time in six years.

Premier Division play-off winners Curzon Ashton also completed a ‘Respect double’ at the Football Association’s 2015 Fair Play and Respect Awards when they were named as Non-League’s best behaved club to continue the league's monopoly of the individual club accolade.

The Nash's triumph saw an EVO-STIK NPL League club win the FA’s National League System Step 1-4 Respect and Fair Play Club Award for the sixth year in a row since the accolades were launched, John Flanagan's men following in the footsteps of inaugural winners Garforth Town in 2010, Lancaster City in 2011, AFC Fylde in 2012, Nantwich Town in 2013 and Skelmersdale United in 2014.

to view the latest Fair Play table click here:
Fair Play Table January 2016

Follow us: @evostikleague on Twitter | Facebook www.facebook.com/evostikleague | The NPL Facebook Group www.facebook.com/groups/TheNPL/