Can the Nuts and Bolts stay at the top of the pack- or can Hastings reclaim the spot they’ve held for most of the season?

Ashford United have two advantages as they head into their match with Chichester City. The first is that they are at the top of the Division on goal difference. The second is that they have a plastic pitch that shouldn’t be too badly impacted by the wet stuff that is once again falling out of the sky in large quantities.

The Nuts and Bolts have only lost one of their last ten matches- against Cray Valley PM, who seem to be beating everyone at the moment- and will be full of confidence having overhauled Hastings United with twenty six points out of their last thirty. They will need to guard against overconfidence, however, as Chichester City come to call- as Chi have lost only two of their last ten, are in fine form, and haven’t yet abandoned aspirations of reaching the playoffs. Chi may be nine points off fifth place but they have five games in hand, mainly due to their FA Cup success and some terrible weather.

Hastings United should still be in the driving seat, as they have a game in hand over the leaders, but winning two, drawing three and losing one of their last six hasn’t helped their cause. Another thing that hasn’t helped their cause is the weather- they had to wait fourteen days to get over their defeat by Ashford before they could get it out of their system by walloping Sittingbourne last weekend. United travel to Hythe Town, who saw their seven match unbeaten run brought to an end by Chichester last time out.

Whitehawk, in third place, travel to face Burgess Hill Town. The Hawks are unbeaten in eight matches, and had they not drawn four of them could well have been top of the table by now, such has been their form. They have three points and a rather large goal difference to make up on the two sides above them, whilst the Hillians have been unable to find consistency. Their last seven matches have seen two wins followed by two defeats, followed by two wins and one defeat, so if that pattern continues it’s three points for the Hawks this weekend! That said, given the weather in Sussex at present the match may need to be played by players in speedos and armbands.

Cray Valley PM will be hoping that their trip to Sussex to face Three Bridges gets the go-ahead. The Millers travel to Crawley on the back of six consecutive defeats- results which have seen them close to within five points of the top, and open up a six point gap between themselves and the sides outside of the playoff places. Bridges are eight points clear of bottom side East Grinstead Town, but will have been alarmed by the Wasps improved form- and by the fact that their A264 rivals have three games in hand. They don’t have a win from their last five matches.

Herne Bay defeated Bridges last time out, but will be quite aware that they have only a three point gap between themselves and playoff chasing Whyteleafe. Bay travel to face that improving East Grinstead side, who fell to late defeat at Whitehawk last time out after taking four points from their previous two matches.

Leafe head to Phoenix Sports. Three consecutive victories have seen them apply real pressure on the sides above them, whilst their hosts this weekend have slipped to seven points behind- however they did get back to winning ways in midweek, defeating Sittingbourne three-nil.

The Brickies, if Woodstock Park hasn’t become a new Kent water feature, host Haywards Heath Town. Sittingbourne have had a terrible time of late, and head into this match with six consecutive defeats under their belts and no win in eight matches, form which has seen them slide down the table. Heath, in contrast, have won their last three, and given two of their victories were against Sevenoaks Town and the other against Faversham Town will probably welcome a fourth Kentish opponent in a row. They could climb as high as eighth with victory if other results go their way.

Sevenoaks, who have slipped to thirteenth in the table, welcome eighth place VCD Athletic- and again given this one is to be played on a 3G pitch all should be well so long as Storm Jorge doesn’t blow Greatness park away! Oaks have lost their last three, whilst Vickers have seen their form improve markedly, with three wins and a draw from their last four matches.

There is only a point between Whitstable Town and Guernsey as they kick off at the Belmont, but the Green Lions have seen their form depart, losing their last three matches- including a six-nil thrashing against Ashford last weekend. The Oysterboys are only slightly better, as they also have no wins from their last three- although they did draw one of them.MATCH POSTPONED.

Finally, Ramsgate in nineteenth host seventeenth place Faversham Town. There are nine points between the two, but they are the worst two sides in the Division over the last ten games, a period when the Rams have taken five points but the Lilywhites only four. The Rams will be looking nervously over their shoulder at East Grinstead, who are six points behind but have two games in hand.

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Image from Chris Neal.