A South East and Trophy Bank Holiday weekend

AFC Croydon Athletic start the weekend with a home Trophy tie against South East opposition, Sevenoaks Town making the trip. The Rams lost their first two competitive matches of the campaign, but seem to be finding their feet having won the last two- including a win over these opponents only a week and a half ago; whilst Oaks have picked up only one point from their first three League fixtures and departed the FA Cup at the first hurdle. Athletic have won the last four meetings between the sides. Athletic are then home again on Monday, Cray Valley PM making the trip. The Millers have started their League campaign with three successive draws, and left the FA Cup at the hands of Greenwich Borough last weekend. 

Ashford United travel to Crowborough Athletic in the Trophy on Saturday, and you can find the preview of that below. Monday also sees them on the road, taking a trip to Sittingbourne. The Brickies have had an unbeaten start to their League campaign, and start the weekend in second place in the table, and they remain in the FA Cup, too. Both meetings between the sides last season ended in home wins. 

Broadbridge Heath are back in League action on Monday, having departed the Trophy at Preliminary Round stage. They host a Sussex derby, Peacehaven and Telscombe heading inland and hoping to quickly banish the memories of their hammering at the hands of Eastbourne Town on Tuesday. The Bears remain unbeaten in the League. 

Cray Valley PM will travel to face a buoyant Erith Town side in the Trophy on Saturday, the Dockers having won their last three home matches in League and Cup without conceding a goal, whilst scoring nine. Add in a seven-three Cup win on the road on opening day and they’ve had as perfect a start to the campaign as they could ever have hoped for, so the Millers, who have started their season with three consecutive draws and a Cup defeat, may have to be at their best. 

The Millers then travel to take on Croydon Athletic on Monday- preview above. 

Crowborough Athletic will want to quickly put their midweek defeat behind them as they welcome Ashford United in the FA Trophy. The Crows have one win from three in the League, but have also delivered two thumping Cup wins so will be fairly happy with their start to the campaign; whilst the Nuts and Bolts have lost two of their first three matches in League and Cup and will expect improvement. The Crows did the double over United in the League last season. 

Monday sees the Crows return to the League, where they travel to take on leaders Hastings United. They had a fabulous record against Hastings last season, defeating them three times in League and Velocity Cup, so Hastings will be looking for revenge. 

Deal Town start the weekend with a trip to Binfield in the Trophy. Neither team has had a particularly positive start to the campaign and both await their first League win, but the Moles have started with four consecutive defeats whilst their visitors at least have two knockout wins to their name- although they do hit the road with three straight defeats behind them. Town then host Herne Bay in a Kentish seaside special on Monday, Bay having finally got to play a League match in midweek- a three-nil win in Sheppey. Deal have emerged victorious from the last three meetings between the sides. 

Eastbourne Town host Bedfont Sports in the Trophy. Whilst Sports were losing narrowly to Hendon in midweek Town were hitting Peacehaven & Telscombe for five, by far their best performance of the season. Sports four competitive matches this season have brought only one win and two defeats, but they’ve been competitive in every match and will expect to be so once more. Town are then home again on Monday, facing a Steyning Town side who have lost every League match so far but who look rather better than their results and will be hoping for a little luck and some points to arrive shortly. 

Erith Town start the weekend with the Trophy visit of Cray Valley PM. The Dockers go into the match having won their last three home matches in League and Cup without conceding a goal, whilst scoring nine. Add in a seven-three Cup win on the road on opening day and they’ve had as perfect a start to the campaign as they could ever have hoped for, so the Millers, who have started their season with three consecutive draws and a Cup defeat, may have to be at their best. They then host Punjab United on Monday- preview below. 

Faversham Town, unbeaten in all competitions, will hope that run continues as they travel to Flackwell Heath of Pitching In Southern Division One Central. Heath will be no pushovers; they’ve played three competitive matches so far this season and won them all, the last two to nil. The Lilywhites are then back at home in the League on Monday, Sheppey United making the trip. The Ites have lost their last two League matches, and weren’t particularly successful against Town last season, losing both home and away. 

Hastings United take on Hendon in the Trophy on Saturday. Hendon have had a fine start to their campaign, with five wins in a row in League and Cup and a one hundred percent record in all competitions. They head to the Sussex to visit a side who have also started well in Pitching In Isthmian South East, topping the table after a perfect start- although they did lose in the Cup against South Central opposition. The sides were relegated from our top flight together in 24-25, and fans from London will remember a nine-nil win, whilst Sussex based supporters will have wiped that from their memories and recall only the two-nil return match victory! 

Hastings then host Crowborough Athletic on Monday- details above. 

Herne Bay travel to Kingstonian in the Trophy. Bay finally got underway in the League in midweek, their first match ending in victory, whilst the K’s have two wins and two draws from their four competitive matches so far, and striker Eddie Simon already in top form with two hat tricks amongst his seven goals. With Bay now hosting sharpshooter Joe Taylor this one looks rather tasty! Bay then travel to Deal Town on Monday- preview above. 

Horley Town haven’t had the start to the season they might have hoped for- a Cup defeat was followed by three League defeats- and they will be rather keen to pick up some positivity as they travel to Punjab United in the Trophy. United are also looking for a boost after four matches without a win- but it must be pointed out that only one of those was a defeat, that loss coming in the Cup in midweek. Horley then travel to South Park Reigate on Monday, the Sparks first home League match of the campaign. The hosts have been in good form, three unbeaten with two wins- the last of those coming against Crowborough in midweek. 

Margate, unbeaten in all competitions and having won three in a row, travel to the Racecourse Ground TONIGHT in the Trophy.  Ascot United will hope to take the form they showed in their four-nil midweek win over Binfield into the tie- and indeed the Yellas are unbeaten in four competitive matches on their own patch. Gate are then on the road again on Monday, but travel a rather shorter distance for a match against Whitstable Town. The Oysterboys were victorious in the League in midweek, their first League win of the season, although there have been two knockout victories too. 

Merstham start the weekend with a Trophy trip to Peacehaven- preview below. They then hit the road to Sevenoaks Town- although given they are currently sharing with Oaks whilst ground works are ongoing at Moatside, that’s not much of a trip! Merstham have been scoring goals for fun, but conceding almost as many- and if they can sort out the latter they should have a very positive campaign. Oaks are still looking for a first League win, and with three defeats from four competitive matches as they head into the weekend will be rather keen to put that right- but they don’t have a good record against the Moatsiders, winning in only one of their last eight meetings- although four of those were draws. Merstham did the double last season. 

Peacehaven & Telscombe host Merstham in the Trophy. The Magpies suffered something of a walloping on Tuesday night at the hands of Eastbourne Town, a few days after they suffered something of a walloping at the hands of Margate in the Cup- so they’ll perhaps be delighted to be playing a side who aren’t used to sea air! The travelling Moatsiders have, rather remarkably (or perhaps not given they field Louie Theophanous) scored three goals in each of their five competitive matches so far this season, although they’ve only won two of the five, so it doesn’t take a genius to work out which part of their performance needs to improve. The sides met. In the League only ten days ago, Merstham coming from three down to take a point. They then travel to take on Broadbridge Heath on Monday- preview above. 

Punjab United seat the weekend by hosting Horley Town in the Trophy- preview above. They then get back to the bread and butter of looking for their first League win as they travel to Erith Town on Monday- although the Dockers, as we write this, have had a magnificent start to the campaign, winning their last three home matches in League and Cup without conceding a goal, whilst scoring nine! The sides have already met this season, albeit in the Kent Cup, with a one-one draw being decided in favour of Punjab United from the penalty spot. 

Sevenoaks Town start the weekend with a Trophy trip to Croydon Athletic- preview above, before hosting Merstham on Monday, preview- you guessed it- above. 

Sheppey United had a bad day at the office in midweek, going down to ten men early on and losing to Herne Bay. The Ites will hope to put that quickly behind them as they travel to Beaconsfield Town in the Trophy- and their hosts have had a terrible start to the campaign, losing each of their three competitive matches so far. Sheppey then travel to Faversham Town on Monday- preview above. 

Sittingbourne start the weekend TONIGHT, with a trip to take on Aylesbury United in the FA Trophy. Their hosts have played only twice so far this season, losing both matches, whilst the travelling Brickies are unbeaten in all competitions, with three two-one wins and a draw to their name. Sittingbourne then host Ashford United on Monday, preview above. 

South Park Reigate start the weekend with a Trophy trip to the seaside, facing Bognor Regis Town. Bognor are back on their own patch on Saturday after a midweek win in Littlehampton, and the Sparks, who were themselves victorious in Crowborough on Tuesday evening, on the road again. The Rocks are unbeaten in the League, whilst the Sparks can say the same. Last season, when both were South Central sides, Bognor won one-nil, twice. 

South Park then host Horley Town on Monday, preview above.

Steyning Town are in Trophy action this evening, Moneyfields heading to Sussex. The visitors are without a League win so far this season, and indeed without a Cup win, too; whilst Steyning have started their campaign with four defeats in a row so will be even more desperate for a positive result. The Barrowmen then head to Eastbourne Town on Monday, preview above. 

Whitstable Town start the weekend TONIGHT with a trip to Chichester City to take on AFC Portchester in the FA Trophy, the Royals lodging elsewhere whilst ground works are completed. The Royals have started the League season with three draws, and delivered another of those in the FA Cup before a midweek victory. Their Oysterboys were also victorious in midweek, although that was a League match- their first League win of the season, although there have been two knockout victories too. Monday will see Margate arrive at the Belmont for a League fixture, Gate- as we write- unbeaten in all competitions and having won three in a row.