A Cup- and Premier- Saturday

Emirates FA Cup

We have something of a grudge match at Aveley, where the- these days National League South- Millers welcome our very own Hornchurch. It isn’t long since the two sides were meeting in our Play Off Final- the third of three meetings last season, each won by Aveley- and there is no doubt that our high-flying Urchins would very much welcome some revenge. With six successive wins under their belts, and undefeated in all competitions this season, Hornchurch will travel with confidence- but Aveley will once again be no pushovers. They’ve had a fine start to their first Step Two campaign, sit in third place, and haven’t yet lost a home match.

Billericay Town also face National League South opponents, the Blues welcoming St Albans City- supporters are asked to bring a tin to donate to the local food bank. City bring a five match unbeaten run to New Lodge, and have won their last four; whilst Town have lost only once in all competitions this season, and have scored ten goals in the previous two rounds.

Carshalton Athletic welcome Cray Valley PM in the Steve McKimm derby, the Robins boss from last season bringing his Millers to Colston Avenue. Both sides have started the campaign in superb fashion, the hosts losing for the first time this season on Monday night when a single goal gave Hashtag United three points; whilst the visitors are unbeaten in all competitions and full of confidence. The two sides meet again in a weeks time in the FA Trophy, so a draw could mean three matches between them in a week!

Chesham United of Pitching In Southern Premier South are the hosts for Margate. United sit second in the table, and have lost only once- Winchester City ending a nine match unbeaten run last Saturday. Gate saw a four match unbeaten run come to an end at canvey Island last weekend, and followed that with Kent Cup defeat at Hythe Town in midweek.

Dover Athletic of National League South, conquerors of Hastings United in the last round, are hosts for Haringey Borough. Athletic followed that United match with a draw at leaders Bath City, so perhaps have turned a corner, but are still sitting second bottom in their table. Borough, coincidentally, are also second bottom in our Premier Division, but their Cup form has been quite the opposite of their league form, and they have already knocked out Dulwich Hamlet and Athletic’s National League South rivals Tonbridge Angels.

Halesowen Town play host to our very own Enfield Town. Halesowen have had a fine start to the campaign, and sit in third place In Pitching In Southern Premier Central having lost only once this season- although that was in their last match, against Bromsgrove Sporting in midweek. Rather coincidentally our Towners also lost their first match of the season in their last fixture, so both sides will be looking to bounce back.

Horsham, newly strengthened, welcome Pitching In Isthmian South Central side Hanworth Villa. The Hornets have already defeated two South Central sides to reach this stage- both after replays- and are six matches unbeaten; whilst the Villains have finally found their feet after a tricky start to the season and travel to Sussex on the back of a three match winning streak.

Lewes, who got back to winning ways against Hastings United in midweek, welcome National League South side Hampton & Richmond Borough to the Dripping Pan. The Beavers needed a last-gasp goal to defeat South Central side Southall in the last round (to give them credit, it was a beauty!) And have had a rather underwhelming start to the season so far, their best run- three unbeaten matches- coming to an end against Yeovil Town last weekend.

Worthing and Whitehawk give us a Sussex seaside derby at Woodside Road. The Mackerel Men have thrived since leaving us for National League South, making the Play Offs in their first season and currently sitting in fifth place- but they did come unstuck last weekend, hit for four at Maidstone United. The Hawks will relish the occasion, and are unbeaten since the opening day of the campaign. If they avoid defeat this weekend, that unbeaten run will move into double figures.

Premier

We have only four Pitching In Isthmian Premier matches this weekend, as the majority of our clubs will be in FA Cup action.

Cheshunt and Dulwich Hamlet’s women’s sides met in our Reposs Isthmian Cup in midweek, the side in pink and blue scoring nine, but we suspect that this match will be much closer! Both sides have had rather inconsistent starts to the season, which means that the Ambers find themselves in seventeenth place at kick off, Hamlet one place higher, and both sides have so far delivered only two league victories. Cheshunt have become the experts at narrow defeats, having lost five matches across all competitions this season- each of them by a single goal, four of them by one goal to nil. Hamlet were narrowly defeated by Hornchurch in midweek, but will be perhaps boosted by the fact that, when the two sides met in National League South last season, the South Londoners won on both occasions.

Bottom side Concord Rangers are having a terrible time. The Beachboys have lost every League match so far, conceding nineteen goals in the process, were also knocked out of the FA Cup by North Division Wroxham, and have gone two hundred and seventy four minutes without scoring. Their visitors, Folkestone Invicta, have gone five matches in all competitions without a win, but have actually been better on the road than at home so far this season, and are six matches unbeaten on their travels.

Kingstonian welcome Cray Wanderers to Imperial Fields, both sides in need of points. The K’s have one victory from their league campaign so far, and that was on August 19th, a run which has seen them slip to twentieth. Wands are two places and two points better off at start of play, but- defeat at Ramsgate in a cup replay aside- have begun to look more like the side which reached the Play Off Semi-Final last season. Cray won both encounters between the sides last season.

Potters Bar Town are finally finding form, and take a four match unbeaten run across League and County Cup into their match with Bognor Regis Town. The Scholars drew three-three with Folkestone Invicta in midweek, Brandon Adams with a hat trick, and they held on for a point despite playing the last half an hour with full back Prosper Keto in goal after a red card for Preston Edwards. The travelling Rocks got back to winning ways last weekend, defeating Kingstonian, and they know how it feels to win at the Lantern Stadium, as they did it as recently as March. Mind you, they did lose to the Scholars at Nyewood Lane at the start of the previous campaign.

Image: James Boyes.

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