An important night at both ends

The battle for a play off place intensifies this evening, as fifth place Raynes Park Vale welcome Met Police, whilst sixth place Westfield are on the road to Badshot Lea.

Vale are two points clear of Westfield having played one match more, and anything less than victory over the boys in blue could allow the Woking side to displace them in the top five. Vale are seven unbeaten, and have only lost three times at home this season, whilst Met are nine without a win, so the form guide says home win, but the visitors aren’t yet safe from relegation and will be fighting hard to avoid defeat. Vale won the first encounter between the sides this season by the only goal of the game.

Westfield have a game in hand over both fifth place Raynes Park Vale and fourth place Southall- who play tomorrow- and will apply real pressure, and perhaps climb into the top five, if they can win at Badshot Lea. Field have only one defeat from ten, and were victorious at second place Marlow at the weekend; whilst the Baggies are five without a win, perhaps because of their recent hectic schedule as much as anything else, but have had a fine first Isthmian season and are quite comfortable in mid table. Victory could lift them into the top ten.

When the sides met in February, each had to settle for a point in a one-one draw.

Second place Marlow travel to Hartley Wintney looking for three points which will help them keep hold of that second spot- and keep hold of home advantage in the Play Offs. They haven’t yet made mathematically certain of a play off spot, but they are almost there, and it would take something rather unlikely and unexpected to deny them. They have developed a slight inconsistency of late, however, with six wins and four defeats from their last ten, and will hope to put that right during their last three matches of the regular season. Their hosts are comfortable in tenth place, but have lost their form rather dramatically of late, and have only one win in ten.

Second bottom Binfield will hope to continue their great escape as they welcome bottom side Corinthian-Casuals. The Moles have closed to within four points of third bottom Chipstead and still have two games in hand, and they will really put the Chips under pressure if they can win once more. A run which has seen them lose only one of five has come at just the right time, whilst their visitors hang on to their Isthmian status by their fingernails, and even then by applying mathematics which would probably confound even Einstein. They’d have to win all four of their remaining matches to reach Chipstead’s points total, and are twenty nine goals worse off- so would probably struggle even if they suddenly announced that they’d signed Harry Kane on loan last month and were about to throw him into the fray. A twenty eight season Isthmian run is about to come to an end.

Hanworth Villa welcome Ashford Town to Rectory Meadow. The Villains are four without a win- although three of those were draws- and are comfortable in eighth place, whilst the travelling Tangerines aren’t yet comfortable, although wins in their last two have lifted them to seventeenth and opened up a seven point gap between themselves and second bottom Binfield. Another win would do them a world of good- and they’ll want revenge for the five-three defeat they suffered against the Villains at Christmas, two last minute goals giving Villa three points.

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