Can anybody beat the Mackerel Men?

The last time that our league leaders, Worthing, suffered a league defeat, the newspaper headlines had Boris Johnson confirming that the UK would be out of the EU on October 31st, Prince Harry threatening legal action over phone hacking, and Churchill Car Insurance being lambasted by the Daily Star for turning their usual bulldog emblem into one of a dog on a skateboard, thus apparently proving that the world had gone pc mad. In other news, someone called Dianne Buswell had been dropped on her head in rehearsals for Strictly Come Dancing, whilst nobody was watching the World Athletics Championships in Qatar- apart from on TV.

Later that day the Mackerel Men entertained East Thurrock United, and the Rocks who aren’t from Sussex departed in high spirits after a 3-2 victory. At which point Worthing decided they didn’t much like losing league matches, so they haven’t done it since.

That’s fifteen matches unbeaten. One thousand, three hundred and fifty minutes since they last experienced league defeat. Can they make it one thousand, four hundred and forty minutes by 5PM on Saturday? Well it will be the job of Brightlingsea Regent to stop them, as the Mackerel Men make the long, long trip to the Essex coast.

Regent have won only one of their last ten matches- and indeed that was the only league victory they’ve picked up since Worthing went on their unbeaten run. However there are signs that something is stirring at the Taydal, as in their last two matches Regent have held former league leaders Folkestone Invicta and playoff hopefuls Enfield Town to draws.

Invicta, particularly, will be hoping that Regent carry on in determined fashion, given they are two points behind Worthing and could return to top spot if the Mackerel Men’s unbeaten run is brought to a halt. Invicta travel to face Worthing’s big rivals, Bognor Regis Town, and whilst the Rocks won’t be particularly keen to do their neighbours a favour they will want to do themselves one by picking up three points. After two consecutive defeats Bognor got back to winning ways at Leatherhead last weekend, and will be looking to continue another winning run of their own and get back to the form they showed in October and November; whilst Invicta also need to pick up three points after drawing their last two.

Three points behind Invicta, in third place, we find Horsham. The Hornets last six games have seen them create an unwanted lose-win-lose-win-lose-win pattern, and they’ll want to put an end to that as they travel to Merstham. When they entertained the Moatsiders back in October they recorded a four-nil victory, their biggest margin of victory in the league all season, and they will hope to take advantage of a Merstham side that must have seen their confidence knocked by last Saturday’s six-one defeat at Worthing. The home side will be desperate to tighten up at the back after conceding sixteen goals in their last four matches, and also desperate to pick up three points which might get them out of the bottom three.

Hornchurch, in fourth place, are nine points behind the leaders but have three matches in hand. The Urchins are unbeaten in nine league matches, and entertain Leatherhead, the Tanners looking to regain some consistency after losing two of their last three.

Fifth place Carshalton Athletic entertain bottom side Wingate & Finchley. The Robins have won their last two, and eight out of their last ten; a record that the visiting Blues can only dream about, given that they last picked up a victory on November 9th and have taken only two points from their last thirty. Their defeats have all been narrow- indeed the last side to beat them by more than one goal were Carshalton on December 3rd- but they have to start picking up points soon if they are to salvage something from their season.

Cray Wanderers, in sixth place but level on points with both Hornchurch and Carshalton, welcome Lewes to Hayes Lane. The Rooks will be glad to be on the road, as they’ve won six matches away from home, which contrasts enormously with their single victory at the Dripping Pan. Wands are unbeaten in four, although they have drawn two of them- and they’ve also been better away from home, winning seven out of twelve on the road as compared with four out of thirteen at Hayes Lane.

Seventh place Enfield Town play their one thousandth fixture since their foundation as they travel up the A10 to Cheshunt. The Ambers are in their best form of the season, with two consecutive victories, whilst the Towners have taken only one point from their last six and will be looking to prove that the departure of Muhammadu Faal to Bolton won’t derail their promotion hopes.

East Thurrock United, in eighth place and four points off the playoff places, entertain Kingstonian. The K’s have been distracted by the FA Cup and FA Trophy this season, and have two matches in hand over their hosts and as many as five in hand over other teams above them in the table. They start the day fourteen points off fifth place and will hope that they can start narrowing that gap now their knockout exploits are over. The Rocks have seven points from their last nine and three defeats in ten, whilst the K’s saw a seven match unbeaten run come to an end at Cheshunt last time out.

Potters Bar Town’s have got back to their early season form of late, winning their last two matches and climbing to eleventh. They travel to Haringey Borough, who have been depleted by transfers and injury over the last couple of months, which goes some way to explaining the fact that last season’s Playoff Semi-Finalists have only two wins in ten. They did draw at Folkestone last weekend, however, and will take heart from that performance.

Twelfth place Margate travel to fifteenth place Bishop’s Stortford. With one win in their last six Gate must be frustrating their supporters- and probably their manager- immensely, as they can be superb when all cylinders fire at the same time. Stortford must be having a similar effect on their supporters and management team, a run of seven points from nine being followed by one of one point from nine. When the two last met in November Margate came from two-nil and three-one down to level the match at three-three with thirteen minutes to go, only to fall to a last minute Jamie Cureton winner.

Finally, second bottom Corinthian-Casuals fell to late defeat at Horsham last time out, but prior to that had taken seven points from nine and were looking to climb the table. Casuals host a side ten points above them, Bowers and Pitsea, who will also be looking to get back to winning ways after losing to Cray Wanderers last time out. Prior to that defeat Bowers had lost only one of their last six.