DANCING, dabbing, knee-slides and nicking fans’ pints – this year’s Marathonbet Non-League Challenge has seen it all.
The competition to find lower league football‘s greatest goal celebration is reaching an epic climax as the bookie looks to award a £10,000 cash prize to a very deserving club.
For months, Marathonbet has been scouring the nation for goal celebrations worth shouting about and some 40 sides all threw their hat in the ring.
Those entries have now been whittled down to a shortlist of ten thanks to the help of Arsenal and England duo Ray Parlour and Nigel Winterburn.
Aldershot Town, Basingstoke Town, Brackley Town, Corby Town, Gainsborough Trinity, Forest Green Rovers, Macclesfield Town, Needham Market, Salford City and St Albans all made the final shortlist.
They now need your votes to help them win the cash prize and NLC title, but who are you going to vote for?
Corby Town’s Jason Lee got chins wagging when his side found the net against Mickleover Sports. But it wasn’t their goal that caught the eye. While the rest of the squad were celebrating with fans, cheeky Lee quenched his thirst by picking up a supporter’s pint of beer and taking a few gulps. Cheers!
There were also funny shenanigans up north at Salford City. It all started when Ammies striker Michael Phenix hit the headlines last year after losing his phone at a Manchester Christmas market and being reunited with it by game-for-a-laugh policemen.
Cops sent a series of hilarious selfies to the Salford City WhatsApp group to prove who they were before eventually tracking down Phenix and giving his phone back.
Fast-forward a few weeks and the Salford boys paid tribute to their mobile phone drama against Worcester City.
Phenix found the net and celebrated in the best way possible: by whipping out an imaginary mobile phone and getting all the lads together for a brilliant selfie!
And don’t forget the likes of Gainsborough Trinity’s Nathan Jarman, who celebrated the arrival of his newborn baby by sticking a ball under his top and sucking his thumb like a youngster.
Check out a host of other brilliant finalists and pick your favourite by visiting the NLC website.
Your vote matters. The winning club can do what they want with the £10,000 cash prize and it might fund stadium improvements or that new striker they desperately need.
As well as the cash, the winning team will bag a friendly home match against a team of Premier League Legends including Emile Heskey, Chris Sutton, Sol Campbell, Danny Gabbidon, Ray Parlour and Nigel Winterburn.
What’s best, the club keeps 90% of the gate receipts to fill their coffers even more while 10% goes to Prostate Cancer UK.
Last year it was National League South side Wealdstone FC who ran away with the NLC title. Club ambassador The Wealdstone Raider won the hearts of the nation by re-enacting Paul Gascoigne’s brilliant Dentist Chair celebration from Euro 1996. His effort made regional and national press and earned Wealdstone a huge £10,000 prize and a memorable home match against former Premier League pros.
It could be your team next.
Watch the final 10 celebrations shortlisted and vote for your favourite by visiting nlc.marathonbet.co.uk/vote
Voting closes on April 30th.
