Can the Chats keep the title race alive?

Chatham Town, in second place, will hope to keep the title race alive for at least one more weekend with victory at Cray Wanderers. The Chats, fourteen points behind leaders Hornchurch with six matches remaining, will be aware that anything other than three points could allow the Urchins to take the title as early as Saturday, and even if the outcome of the scrap between the two sides now looks rather academic will want to go into the play offs on the back of a long winning streak. Their hosts start the weekend in fifteenth place, sixteen points clear of the bottom four and with nothing to play for but pride- but we suspect they’ll show no shortage of that.

Town are three unbeaten, Wands have one win and three defeats from their last four, and the last time they met, on September 9th, we got one of the shocks of the season- Wanderers winning five-one at the Bauvill.

Carshalton Athletic travel to take on Concord Rangers with three points a must, as they have fallen five points away from the top five spot they covet. The Robins have lost only two of their last ten, and were seven unbeaten prior to their loss at Cheshunt last Saturday, but the four draws which accompanied the four victories in that run have allowed their rivals to open up a gap. Rangers shouldn’t be underestimated as they are fighting for their lives- and came very close to taking a point from the leaders in midweek, only falling to a goal six minutes into added time. The Beachboys are fifteen points from safety and, if they still have any belief in their survival, surely must win this one after losing eight in a row.

This match kicks off at 7.45 PM.

Hastings United are seven points from a play off spot as they hit the road to North London, where they take on Haringey Borough. United do have a game in hand over fifth place Wingate & Finchley, but their play off hopes will be hit rather heavily if they don’t take three points from this one- whilst their hosts have rather different concerns. Twelve points from safety, Borough are very close to the trapdoor and struggling in front of goal, having scored only five times in their last twelve matches.

United scored two goals in added time to defeat Borough when the sides met in September.

Lewes, down in twelfth place, have a nine point gap to make up if they are to get themselves involved in the end of season shakeup, and they head to Folkestone Invicta knowing that victory is more than desirable. The Rooks have won only three of their last ten matches, whilst their hosts are in their best form of the campaign, having won three of their last four- and in so doing have opened up a thirteen point gap between themselves and the drop zone. The hosts are looking to do the double over the Rooks, after a three-one win at the Dripping Pan in September. That victory was unusual for the stripes, as they’d lost the previous four meetings.

Follow the Pitching In Isthmian League on Instagram. Head here or search for theisthmianleague on your app. We're also on Facebook and Twitter.