Darts hope to climb- whilst three of the bottom four are also in action

Dartford have been in fine form, and will hope to turn a nine match unbeaten run- which has seen them climb into the top five- into a ten match unbeaten run which might see them into the top four! They’ll need victory to move above Chatham Town, so they’ll be rather focused on three points. Hosts Horsham also hope to be in the Pitching In Isthmian Premier promotion shake up and, even though they are down in thirteenth, are only four points behind their visitors with two games in hand- and have been particularly formidable on their own patch. 

Rather astonishingly there are only five points between fifth place and seventeenth place, which means that Chichester City, who occupy that seventeenth place, only two places above the bottom four, are closer to the play off places than they are to nineteenth place Whitehawk. The Hawks are City’s visitors tonight for a Sussex derby, and have looked revitalised under returning boss Shaun Saunders, winning their last two matches; whilst City ended a three match losing streak by coming from behind to defeat Lewes at the Dripping Pan on Saturday. Whitehawk’s issues have generally been in front of goal, whilst City’s problems have been at the other end- indeed only Bognor have conceded more goals this season. In front of goal, striker Jimmy Wild has adapted to the top flight superbly, and he already has twenty goals for the season- in only twenty five matches. 

The sides met four times in Pitching In Isthmian South East during the 21-22 and 22-23 seasons, and City won both of their home encounters- indeed, they won them comfortably, four-one and six-one. 

Cheshunt welcome Bowers and Pitsea, twentieth v twenty first. With the Ambers four points from safety and their visitors a further three points further back, this has the look of a match that neither side can afford to lose. Cheshunt have only one win from eight, and are looking to avoid a third consecutive defeat, whilst their visitors look to be in free fall and have lost seven in a row. Perhaps just as concerning, they haven’t scored since Jacob Bland got a consolation in defeat at Billericay Town on November 16th, which means they have gone four hundred and fifty six minutes without a goal. 

When the sides met in August, two early goals delivered a one-one draw. 

Onto the Velocity Cup Fourth Round, and holders Chatham Town, in fourth place in Pitching In Isthmian Premier, welcome Burgess Hill Town, who are in fifth place in our South East Division. The Chats are unbeaten in the league since October 1st, and indeed have lost only one of their last fifteen in all competitions, that defeat coming against National League South side Slough Town in the FA Cup- and Slough required a penalty shootout to progress. Hill have also been in fine form, and indeed also have only one defeat in all competitions since October 1st- although that was an out of character performance in a league loss against Broadbridge Heath, and they’ve won two matches on the road since then. One defeat in fourteen across all oppositions might well make them formidable opponents for the Premier promotion chasers.