A Pitching In Isthmian South East Non League Day

Leaders Ramsgate, four points clear at the top, will look to extend their lead- and also extend their unbeaten run to ten matches- as strugglers Haywards Heath Town come to call. The Rams are very much displaying promotion form, whilst their visitors find themselves four points from safety and really needing to bring something home from their trip to the Kent seaside. Heath have gone eleven matches without a win, and lost two-one to the Rams back in August.

Burgess Hill Town, one point above the bottom four. Chatham Town, four points behind the leaders. There would be no shortage of excitement even if it weren’t Non League Day, but add in ‘Pay What You Want’ entry, a hog roast, ice cream and craft beer tents, and you have a perfect Saturday afternoon.

Thinking only about the football, the Hillians are desperate for points. With two wins and five defeats from their last seven matches, they need to put a consistent run together- and another defeat might see them drop into the bottom four once more. The Chats have only three wins from their last ten matches, and have not had a great deal of luck on the road, but they seemed to have finally beaten that curse when scoring four at Chichester City last Saturday. This will be their fourth match in a row against a Sussex side.

Sheppey United, who start the weekend in seventh place, have a four point margin to make up between themselves and the play off places despite only losing two of their last ten. The Ites- impressive against another of the promotion candidates, Sevenoaks Town, last time out- welcome a side who are just as desperate for the points, Beckenham Town. Becks are having a fine season and sit in third place, six points ahead of sixth place and six points behind leaders Ramsgate. They seem to be over a recent blip and have seven points from their last nine.
When the two sides last met, way back in August, Town won by two goals to one.
For Non League Day, Sheppey are letting in season ticket holders from other clubs for half price- an offer which they are also making available to Blue Light Card holders.

Whitehawk are selling their fine poster collection for charity, but will be far more focused on the visit of the side one place and two points behind them, Cray Valley PM. Both sides are in good form, the Hawks with one defeat from ten, their visitors six unbeaten- and having won five of them. Their meeting in August ended in a two-two draw, but with the chasing pack still in contention both sides will be focused on three points this time around.

Ashford United, three points behind the Millers in the chase for fifth place, are on the road to Sussex to take on East Grinstead Town. The Nuts and Bolts have only lost one of their last nine, whilst the hosting Wasps have five defeats from their last six, only victory over Hythe Town putting a splodge of green amongst the red in the form table. With only three points between Grinstead and the bottom four, a win is rather crucial for both sides.

Sevenoaks Town and Hythe Town put their play off ambitions on the line this weekend. Oaks are five points away from fifth place, whilst the Cannons are one place and two points further back, and you’d have to think that, with only six games to go, neither can afford to lose- and a draw might not be enough, either. Oaks have gone three without a win and have lost their last two- at absolutely the wrong time to lose form; whilst Hythe are having a similar problem, one win from five.

Oaks have announced that entry will be just five pounds, with two pounds for concessions and Under 18’s for free.

Chichester City, ten points away from fifth place after a run of four consecutive defeats, will probably have to put their promotion ambitions away for another season. Hosts Corinthian have entirely different problems, without a win since January 20th and fifteen points from safety. Another defeat would see the Hoops with only a relegation play off place to chase- and even that rather dubious promised land is eleven points away.

Littlehampton Town play host to another side in relegation danger, VCD Athletic. The Golds are on a poor run, only one win from ten, and find themselves only six points above the bottom four; whilst Vickers, who got back to winning ways with victory over Lancing last weekend, are only a point behind Burgess Hill Town- and aware that another win could even take them as high as thirteenth.

Lancing find themselves only two points clear of the bottom four, and after only one win in their last six the Lancers would dearly welcome another three points as Three Bridges come to call. Bridges would hardly consider themselves safe, either, but they are three points ahead of their hosts with a significantly better goal difference, and they did finally pick up an away win the last time they hit the road, at Corinthian. That was their only win in the last five matches- but they did defeat the Lancers three-nil when the two sides last met, way back in August.

In celebration of Non League Day there will be no fixed prices for admission on Saturday, simply ‘Pay What You Can.’ Under 16’s won’t have to pay at all.

Finally, a derby match as second bottom Faversham Town roll out the white carpet for fourteenth place Sittingbourne. Faversham should give a home debut to ‘The Beast,’ and eleven points from safety will need him to hot the ground running; whilst the Brickies have only a two point cushion between themselves and the bottom four despite a fine run of one defeat from ten. The Lilywhites have won three and lost two of their last five.

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