Can the chasing pack cut the Yellows lead?

Our leaders, AFC Sudbury, have opened up a four point gap at the top of Pitching In isthmian North, and will hope to extend it as Maldon and Tiptree come to call. The Yellows, who have won eight of their last nine matches (indeed, they only have one defeat all season) welcome a Jammers side who are third from bottom but finally seem to be finding form, with only one defeat from their last five. Sudbury won both of their encounters last season without conceding a goal.

Second place Hashtag United welcome second bottom Gorleston at the Len Salmon. The Tags have been in fine form, and have won their last five matches- indeed, eight of their last ten. The visiting Greens have lost only two of their last five- but they’ve only won one of them, and are yet to win on the road.

Our match of the day sees third place Heybridge Swifts take on fourth place Stowmarket Town. Swifts are nine matches unbeaten, but Stow scoff at their nine matches as their unbeaten run goes back almost four months- they last lost a league match on August 16th. Stow were awarded the Manager of the Month and Golden Gloves Awards this week for their November performances, whilst Swifts picked up our Performance of the Month prize- again. In drawing the last two the hosts have slowed down their promotion charge a little, but the fact that we’re describing a side who have lost only one league match all season as having slowed down just demonstrates how good they have been prior to that! Last season Stow took six points from their opponents.

Lowestoft Town have dropped to fifth, having hit a poor run of form which has seen them go four matches without a win- and indeed they have only one win in six. The Trawler Boys welcome Basildon United, the Bees with only one defeat in five and slowly climbing the table.
Postponed.

Felixstowe and Walton United will hope to climb back into the top five as they welcome Bury Town- and that word ‘welcome’ is very important, as it means the match is being played at Fortress Goldstar! The Seasiders have won every home match this season, perhaps powered by the wine gums in their very own sweet shop. They find themselves out of the play off places on goal difference, perhaps because they’ve been rather less successful on the road- whilst their visitors are ninth, six points further back and still looking to put together a consistent run. Last season the sides met three times- and Felixstowe won them all.

New Salamis and East Thurrock United face off on White Hart Lane in what looks to be a closely-matched encounter. Salamis have been our surprise package, starting the weekend four points behind the top five and with only two defeats from their last ten; whilst the Rocks are only a point further back and have taken twenty three points from their last thirty, with only one defeat during that period.

Grays Athletic find themselves down in tenth place after a run of four defeats and only one win from their last five. You’d have to expect their squad to come good once more, and perhaps this weekend is time for them to start, as they welcome a Great Wakering Rovers side which seems to have lost its way- eight matches without a win, three defeats in a row, and eight goals conceded in their last two matches. The last time Rovers arrived at Parkside, at the end of January, Athletic hit five.

Brentwood Town have also hit a sticky patch, and travel to Hullbridge Sports having taken only one point from their last fifteen. Last season’s losing Play Off Finalists are also likely to hit form sooner or later, but they may find Sports a tough nut to crack, as they’ll be full of confidence after winning their last two matches.

Fourteenth hosts thirteenth as Tilbury welcome Witham Town. The Dockers seem to have put a poor run behind them after taking four points from their last six, whilst Town are in a proper slump, with their last four points coming from a possible thirty- five defeats from their last five.

Finally, sixteenth place Wroxham will look to increase their gap on the bottom four as Coggeshall Town come to call. The visiting Seed Growers are still without a win all season and are nine points behind the Yachtsmen, who are on their best run of the campaign, four games unbeaten.

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