A titanic top two Trawler-tastic tussle!

Lowestoft Town remain unbeaten but saw their one hundred percent record come to an end at Hullbridge Sports last weekend. They’ve perhaps the toughest possible opponents as they look to get back to winning ways, as Grays Athletic come to call. The visitors, six points behind with a game in hand, have won their last four league matches and defeated another of the promotion favourites, Felixstowe and Walton United, last time out. Sam Bantick has found the net in each of those victories, and has seven for the season- whilst Anointed Chukwu has done the same, and is up to eight.

Felixstowe’s attempt to get back to winning ways comes with a Hashtag United shaped obstacle. The Seasiders were unbeaten in the league until their visit to Parkside, whilst their visitors also have only one defeat this season and are only a point behind. That Tags defeat came on the opening day, so their unbeaten run is at six matches. Last season saw Athletic do the double over United.

Stowmarket Town have been in superb form, up to fourth and also with only one defeat this season. Nine games without defeat in all competitions, they welcome a Great Wakering Rovers side who have yet to find any consistency but have looked good in patches, particularly in their wins over Maldon & Tiptree and Coggeshall Town earlier this month. Stow took six points from Rovers last season- but the visitors did triumph in the FA Trophy, albeit after a penalty shootout.

Heybridge Swifts lost their first league game last weekend, but our fifth place side quickly bounced back to defeat Witham Town in midweek. Tilbury are the visitors to Scraley Road, the Dockers having won three of their last four in all competitions- their best run since early August. Swifts are sharing out the goals, with ten different scorers this season- Andy Fennell leading the way on nine.

AFC Sudbury added Aveley goalkeeper David Hughes to their squad prior to their trip to Basildon United, but the Bees have also been busy in the transfer market. The Yellows remain unbeaten and, although they start in sixth place, have three games in hand to make up the nine point gap between themselves and the leaders. The Bees are fifteenth, and have lost their last three matches, so will be hopeful of a return to form. Both of last season’s matches went the way of the Yellows, with a five-nil aggregate.

We start the day with only one point between third and eighth, and Brentwood Town would hope to overturn that deficit as they entertain Witham Town. The Blues have won their last four, whilst their visitors have seen their form go in the opposite direction, without a win from their last five matches in all competitions. The Blues took all six points from their visitors last season.

Bury Town, in ninth, could climb as high as third with victory over Hullbridge Sports. The Ram Meadow faithful have seen their side lose two of their last three, whilst Sports have gone four matches without a win, but did become the first side to take a point from our leaders last weekend.

East Thurrock United have gone five league matches without defeat and seem to have found their North Division mojo. They welcome Gorleston, who got their first win of the campaign last Saturday but followed that with midweek defeat against Stowmarket Town.

New Salamis welcome Wroxham to Coles Park. The hosts are on their worst run of the season so far, four games without a win in League, Velocity Cup and Trophy, whilst their visitors have been magnificent in the FA Trophy and less convincing in the league. A three match unbeaten run came to an end last time out, and the Yachtsmen will hope to start another one.

Coggeshall Town and Maldon & Tiptree are both desperate for points. The hosts have only three- from three draws- whilst the visitors don’t have a single point on the board and sit rock bottom. You’d have to expect Maldon’s form to pick up soon- they were, after all, expected to be challenging at the other end- but the Seed Growers will want to delay any Jammers revival a little longer. The Jammers took four points from their encounters last season, winning the last one- in March- by three goals to two.

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