Blues, Millers and Urchins fight for top spot

Leaders Bishop’s Stortford, with a two point lead and having won seven of their last eight matches, won’t be able to relax as they take on Horsham at the R&D Advisors Stadium. Not only are the Hornets in fine form, with only one defeat from their last ten, but the Blues have Aveley and Hornchurch breathing down their necks! The Hornets haven’t managed to defeat the Blues in their last five attempts.

Aveley are on the road to third bottom Herne Bay. The Millers have won their last six matches and have kept a clean sheet in their last four, whilst Bay are in their best form of the season, with one defeat from their last four, and are desperate for the points for an entirely different reason to their visitors. Five points from safety, a win would do them a world of good. The two sides drew one-one at Parkside in September.

Hornchurch have the title in their sights, too. They are three points behind the leaders but have a superior goal difference and a game in hand- but they also have a difficult match, as they travel to face seventh place Cray Wanderers. Only the Urchins and Stortford have lost fewer matches than the Wands this season, but Cray have been slightly hamstrung by being our draw specialists, twelve of their matches so far ending all square. The Urchins won their first meeting of the season by two goals to one, are unbeaten in five and have lost only three times out of their last twelve meetings with the Wands.

Enfield Town start the weekend in fourth place but have hit a bit of a roadblock, losing their last two. The Towners are at home to Margate and with only a point between themselves and the two sides directly below them will be focused on returning to winning ways. Gate have gone four without a win, but have won only two of their last eleven meetings with the North Londoners.

Canvey Island make the long trip to Tolworth, where they take on Corinthian-Casuals. The Gulls have climbed into the top five after a fine run which has seen them lose only once in eight matches, but as well as looking upwards will also be aware that Hastings United are behind them only on goal difference whilst Cray and Carshalton are three points further back. Casuals last won a match on January 2nd, and have gone ten without a victory, a run which sees them prop up the rest and eight points from safety. They lost their trip to the Moviestarr Stadium two-one back in September.

Hastings United find themselves outside the top five only on goal difference, and they hit the road to take on the side two places and three points behind them, Carshalton Athletic. United have won their last five matches and kept a clean sheet in the last four, whilst the Robins are in a rather inconsistent run, two wins and three defeats from the same period. A Sam Hasler goal was the difference when the sides met at Pilot Field in September.

Lewes, ninth place and five points away from the Play Off’s, will hope to get back to winning ways as Billericay Town come to call. The Rooks lost at Aveley last weekend and will hope to banish the blues- and the Blues- and thrust themselves back into the chase. Town have been rather inconsistent of late, but they have won two of their last three and would go above the Rooks if they could deliver an away win. They won the first meeting between the sides this season by two goals to one.

Potters Bar Town reached the Velocity Cup Final in midweek, but are back in league duty once more and face a difficult task as Folkestone Invicta come to call. The Scholars have slipped from first to thirteenth after a run of one league win in twelve, whilst Invicta have been very good of late, unbeaten in four, three clean sheets and nine goals scored with only one conceded. Suddenly the Play Off’s look within reach again. A Dejon Noel-Williams hat trick gave the Scholars victory when the sides met in September.

We’ve a big match at the bottom as Kingstonian host Bowers & Pitsea. Three points separate the two in the K’s favour, and an away win will see the two swap places, the K’s dropping back into the bottom four. Kingstonian have looked much improved in their last two- unbeaten- matches, whilst Bowers travel having lost their last five. Three of the last four meetings between the sides have ended level, the K’s winning the other by the only goal of the game.

Wingate & Finchley have climbed to eight points above the bottom four after winning three- and losing only one- of their last five, and will hope to keep that run going as they welcome Bognor Regis Town. The Rocks, five points and three places better off, have lost their last three and will hope to get back to winning ways, and they have won ten of their last fourteen meetings with the Blues- although they did lose two-nil at Summers Lane last season.

Finally, Haringey Borough and Brightlingsea Regent meet at Coles Park. Borough are eleven points clear of the bottom four and fifteen points clear of their second bottom visitors, but have only one win in their last seven matches and have struggled to put together a consistent run of form all season. Regent have only one win from eight and are in desperate need of points, seven points from safety. The two sides played out a one-one draw in September.

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