Can the Scholars teach the Mackerel Men a lesson?

Worthing were made to wobble on their perch just a little in midweek, losing heavily to second place Bishop’s Stortford. The Mackerel Men still have a ten point lead at the top so we suspect that defeat will turn out to be a small stumble rather than the start of a prolonged fall, but they do have another difficult trip in prospect as they head to Potters Bar Town. The Scholars have been superb since Sammy Moore took over, and have lost only two of their last ten fixture. The last time the two met, back in November, Worthing won narrowly- but this is a different Town side and the visitors will have to be at the top of their game.

Second place Stortford are also on the road, as they travel to face sixth place Lewes. The Blues haven’t lost a match since January 8th and are undefeated in two previous matches against the Rooks- League and Trophy- this season, winning one and drawing the other. Their hosts have only managed one win from their last four, a run which has seen them slip out of the top five, and if they fail to defeat Stortford they end up four points behind the top five, rather than the current one point.

Folkestone Invicta welcome Cheshunt to the seaside. Invicta are now twelve points behind Worthing in third, so their focus will perhaps be to maintain or increase the gap between themselves and sixth place Lewes, which is currently six points. Neil Cugley’s side have only one defeat from their last ten matches, whilst Cheshunt seem to have put their slump behind them and are six unbeaten. Craig Edwards will not have given up on the Play Off’s yet, either- although they are nine points behind fifth place Hornchurch they do have two games in hand, so a late run could still pay dividends. The last time the two met there were no goals, so hopefully they were saving them all up for tomorrow.

Enfield Town welcome Corinthian-Casuals to Donkey Lane. For so long Worthing’s main title challengers, a mini-slump has seen them fall fourteen points behind the leaders, but they’ve won their last two and seem to be right back on form. Casuals, in contrast, are having a rather large slump, without a win in nine and having taken only five points from the twenty seven available. Eight points above the bottom three, they should have enough to stay away from the relegation battle, but will want to get some more points on the board if they are to make sure. The Towners won the last meeting between the two by two goals to one, but the previous five meetings between the sides have seen alternate wins for both sides, and if that pattern continues it’s Casuals turn!

Hornchurch, in fifth, saw their long unbeaten run comer to an end against Enfield Town last time out, and with Lewes breathing down their necks will want to get back to winning ways at Merstham. The Moatsiders have lost six of their last seven, a run that has seen them slip to within one point of trouble. The last time they met, a Charlie Ruff goal saw the Urchins claim a narrow win.

Margate have slipped to ten points behind the top five, but even if their play off chances have receded they are still in the hunt for cup glory, and in one of those peculiar coincidences will face Haringey Borough in the Velocity Trophy Semi-Final at Coles Park only three days after entertaining the same side in the league at Hartsdown Park. After a six match unbeaten run Gate have lost their last two by two goals to nil, whilst Borough are two league matches unbeaten, and defeated Cheshunt in the Velocity Trophy Quarter Finals to make it three in all competitions. They’ll have to guard against weary legs given their packed schedule.

Carshalton Athletic are on the road to Brightlingsea Regent. The Robins have probably seen their play off chances disappear over the horizon given the gap is now eleven points and they’ve played more matches than their rivals, whilst Regent, third from bottom, have been in good form and will be confident of escaping from the bottom three. A win could take them as high as eighteenth, and they have taken four points from their last six.

Kingstonian have hit a terrible slump, falling to tenth place. They’ve lost their last six matches in a row, and don’t have a win since January 25th, when they won three-two at Haringey Borough. The K’s welcome Bognor Regis Town to Tolworth, the Rocks one place and four points behind their hosts and also struggling for consistency, winning their first match in six earlier this week when defeating Carshalton Athletic. The K’s have only defeated these opponents twice in their last fourteen attempts.

Horsham are on the road to Wingate & Finchley. The Hornets are four points and three places above their hosts, and neither can consider themselves safe from relegation just yet, although the Blues have more to worry about as they are only three points above the bottom three. Neither side are in the best of form, both with only two wins from their last ten, although courtesy of three draws Horsham have only lost one of their last five.

Finally, we have a titanic clash of the bottom two, as both Leatherhead and East Thurrock United battle to avoid that iceberg marked ‘relegation.’ The Tanners are ten points from safety, the Rocks eight points away from disaster, and you’d have to think that a draw in this one would suit neither club. The visitors are in do doubt about the importance of the fixture, offering free coach travel in the hope their fans can spur them to victory- and they did win last time out, coming from behind to defeat Kingstonian. Leatherhead also came from behind in their last match, a late goal giving them three points at Corinthian-Casuals. The last time the two met, the Tanners triumphed, two-nil.

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