A critical week for Sports starts here

By Ian Townsend

Whilst Lowestoft warm up for the play offs, and Wroxham hope to climb to ninth

Hullbridge Sports, rock bottom of Pitching In isthmian North, already know that they will finish in the bottom four- but with three matches this week they still have the chance to grasp a relegation play off place. Sports need to make up a gap of five points to have any chance of survival, and they start tonight, as they host Gorleston. The Greens are already safe and in fine form, having lost only two of their last ten, but Sports will have to find a way past them as three points looks to be a must. They’ve been in terrible form, taking only one point from the last thirty available, but they’ll never have better motivation to get it right!

A Sports win would take them to within three points of third bottom Coggeshall Town, with a match against the Seed Growers to come on Thursday.

At the other end of the table, Lowestoft Town already know that they have a home play off Semi-Final to look forward to- although whether it will be against Heybridge Swifts, Grays Athletic or Felixstowe & Walton United is yet to be decided. The Trawler Boys welcome Brentwood Town this evening and will hope for better form, after only one win from their last six; whilst the visiting Blues will hope to bounce back from their hammering at AFC Sudbury on Saturday.

Finally, had Wroxham been as good in the first few months of the season as they have been in the last few, they’d perhaps have been challenging for a play off place rather than sitting comfortably in mid table. That said, they’ve had a fine first season since promotion and could climb to ninth place if they can defeat Maldon & Tiptree. The Yachtsmen have three defeats from their last ten, the Jammers three wins from the same number, but Peter Taylor’s side have been better on the road than in front of their own fans so won’t be dismayed by the journey. The last meeting between the sides, at the end of January, ended one-one.

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Where next?

A big night at both ends Hanworth Villa and Binfield look to reinforce their play off credentials, whilst Ashford Town hope to jump clear of the bottom four
Can the Gulls keep their title hopes alive? Canvey can still catch the leaders- whilst visitors Aveley need one point to guarantee a top five finish. Elsewhere, Hastings United can mathematically still make the top five, although you may need to be Rishi Sunak’s maths advisor to work out the maths!

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