Can the Urchins be toppled this weekend?

Our leaders, Hornchurch, have seen their lead slip to two points after managing only one win from their last four. The Urchins fell to Canvey Island last weekend, and will hope to put that right as they head to Wingate & Finchley. The Blues have only two wins from their last ten- nine points from their last thirty- and are only three points clear of the relegation positions, although we don’t expect they’ll end up there unless Corinthian-Casuals somehow contrive to defeat Herne Bay twenty-nil! Wingate have won only two of their last ten encounters with the Urchins.

The biggest match of the day comes from the R&D Advisors Stadium, as second place Bishop’s Stortford will have to get past fifth place Canvey Island- conquerors of Hornchurch last weekend. Stortford came from behind to defeat Cray Wanderers on Sunday and will be motivated by the fact that another Urchins slip up could see them hit the top- but they had lost their previous two before heading to Hayes Lane, and they did lose on the Island in November, two-nil- Bradley Sach and Evans Kouassi the scorers. The Gulls are three unbeaten, were magnificent last weekend, and will be confident they can take another large scalp.

With only four points between first and sixth the title race remains wide open, and the side in sixth, Aveley, welcome Cray Wanderers. The Millers followed up their win over Wingate & Finchley last Saturday with the defeat of Leatherhead in the Velocity Cup on Monday, and have only one home defeat from their last ten home matches in the League. Wands favourite result on the road is a draw, indeed they’ve drawn seven of their thirteen matches on their travels, but after losing for the first time since mid November last time out they’ll want to do a little better this time.

Enfield Town are on the road to Hastings United. United are only four points shy of the top five, and have two games in hand over the two sides directly above them. Last time out they did their very best impression of Lazarus, coming from two down to win three-two at Brightlingsea Regent- but they’ve actually lost more matches, four, at Pilot Field than they have (three) on the road. Both sides have only two defeats from their last ten, but the Towners are top of our ten match form table and defeated United one-nil on Bonfire Night.

Lewes are still unbeaten at home, although the Rooks would have preferred not to have drawn five of their eleven matches at the Dripping Pan. Brightlingsea Regent come to call tomorrow, second bottom Regent undoubtedly stung by the way they somehow turned victory into defeat last weekend. The last two meetings between the clubs have ended in two-two draws, but Regent are unbeaten at the Pan in their last three visits, delivering two wins in 2020. Six points from safety they could certainly do with another, whilst the Rooks are four points behind the top five with two games in hand and are in fine form, with five wins from their last six.

Carshalton Athletic are the third of five clubs on thirty eight points. The Robins have Bowers & Pitsea heading their way, and were seven matches unbeaten until last weekend’s late defeat at Haringey Borough. Bowers, four points from safety, have won only two of their last ten, and followed a fine win over Canvey Island and credible draw with Billericay Town and conceded seven goals in losing their last two. The last time the two met the Robins won by the only goal, Tom Beere scoring it.

The fourth of those thirty eight point-ers are Billericay Town, the Blues at home to Kingstonian. Town are five matches unbeaten and looking good, whilst the K’s picked up a valuable win in their last match, at Enfield Town, and will hope that’s the start of a positive run which will drag them away from the wrong end of the table. They start the weekend two places and four points above the bottom four, but did win against the Blues when they last met, and have won on their last two trips to New Lodge. Mind you, that was in 2016 and 2017.

Potters Bar Town, leaders as recently as five matches ago, are now down in eleventh- the fifth of those clubs on thirty eight points. The Scholars have had a torrid time of late, six matches without a win during which they’ve taken only one point. They welcome the side one place and one point behind them, Horsham, The Hornets travelling with a six match unbeaten run. Their first encounter of the season was won by Horsham- a five goal thriller which had four of its goals before the break- and the Hornets have won six of the last seven meetings between the sides.

Folkestone Invicta, one of our form sides, put their five match unbeaten run- four wins- on the line as Haringey Borough come to call. Borough have won their last two matches without conceding a goal and are only a place- and five points- behind the Stripes, and will also have the memories of their three-nil win on Bonfire Night to keep them warm on their long drive to the Kent coast. Another Invicta win could lift them as high as seventh, and put them right back into the promotion mix.

Bognor Regis Town and Margate meet at Nyewood Lane. The Rocks have brought in two attackers this week, and after seven matches without a win you can understand why; whilst their visitors are in exactly the same boat, last picking up three points right back on November 12th. They defeated the Rocks two-nil the last time they met.

Finally, we have a battle between two of our relegation fighters, as Herne Bay welcome Corinthian-Casuals. Four points separate the two in Casuals favour, although Bay have two games in hand over their pink and brown visitors. Bay got back to winning ways last weekend after a long winless run, whilst Casuals new side have three wins from ten despite looking much improved from earlier in the campaign. They defeated Bay three-two the last time they met.

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