Chats and Towners battle for top spot- whilst five unbeaten records are on the line

Leaders Chatham Town put their one hundred percent record on the line once more as Cray Wanderers head to the Bauvill Stadium. Both sides were in FA Cup action last weekend, and both matches ended five-one, but that was a positive for the Wands, a first win of the campaign, whilst it was a disaster for the Chats, who were hammered by Ramsgate. Home fans will be hoping that defeat was just a blip, whilst the travelling Wands will be hoping for a first League win, a result which might lift them out of the bottom four- or if they can’t get that, a first league point. This will be their first meeting since 2016-17, a campaign which saw a Cray double over their Kent rivals.

Second place Enfield Town remain unbeaten, and indeed only a draw with Haringey Borough on Bank Holiday Monday broke their one hundred percent record. The Towners welcome Bognor Regis Town to the QEII Stadium, the Rocks smarting from a cup defeat against South East side Burgess Hill Town last weekend, a result which ended their four match unbeaten run. The Rocks have only defeated the Towners once in their last thirteen attempts.

Billericay Town v Dulwich Hamlet is postponed.

Carshalton Athletic are our joint top scorers, which is bad news for the side who currently have the worse defence, as Concord Rangers make the trip to Colston Avenue. The Robins are unbeaten in league and cup, whilst Rangers have lost every game but one in all competitions this season, and that draw against Wroxham last weekend didn’t do them a lot of good as the North Division Yachtsmen hammered them three-nil in a midweek replay.

Hornchurch, who start the weekend in fifth place, are the fourth of six unbeaten sides in the Premier Division, and put that unbeaten record on the line once more as they travel to face a Wingate & Finchley side who are in fine form. The Blues started the campaign with heavy defeat but haven’t looked back since, having won four- and drawn one- of their five matches in all competitions since. Given they lost a three-nil lead in that drawn match, at Whitehawk, they will probably think that they should be in the top three rather than eighth! Wingate and Finchley have won only two of their last eleven meetings with the Urchins, and lost both of last season’s encounters- but they seem much stronger this year so won’t be downhearted by those statistics.

Hastings United were in good form in defeating Erith & Belvedere in a cup replay in midweek, but in truth have been in good form all season, undefeated in all competitions and with the joint-best defensive record in the top flight. United welcome Haringey Borough to Pilot Field. Borough have only picked up one league point so far, but those results perhaps don’t reflect their form, and they knocked Dulwich Hamlet out of the cup on Tuesday night. Last season’s meetings were both home wins, United winning the last of them four-one in November.

Lewes are back at the Pan, and welcome Folkestone Invicta. The Rooks remain unbeaten in all competitions but have drawn their last two league matches; whilst Invicta travel on the back of two victories and three successive clean sheets. The Rooks have triumphed on the last four occasions the sides have met.

Horsham, having finally disposed of Leatherhead in the FA Cup, welcome Cheshunt to the Camping World Community Stadium. The Hornets clearly have a squad talented enough for a promotion push if they can find some consistency, whilst the Ambers haven’t had the start they would have wished for and have managed only one win from their six matches in all competitions- but we suspect they’ll shake off that relegation hangover shortly, and every defeat has been by the narrowest of margins. The last five meetings between the sides show the Hornets with a three-two advantage, no draws.

Tenth place Whitehawk are off to a different seaside, visiting the land of the container ships on a visit to Canvey Island (not that the container ships are on land, that would be silly. Think how many wheels they’d need…). The Hawks haven’t lost since the opening day, although they needed two goes before disposing of South East side Sevenoaks Town in a midweek cup replay. The Gulls have had a mixed start to the season but seem to have found their mojo, sticking five past Lowestoft Town in the cup on Saturday and three past Concord Rangers in Bank Holiday Monday’s derby. We think this is the first time they’ve met since 2013, when the Hawks beat the Gulls by a rather incredible five goals to four!

Hashtag United have become our draw specialists, but will hope to get back to winning ways as they welcome Kingstonian to the Len Salmon. The Tags saw an own goal give them victory against Brentwood Town in the FA Cup last weekend, their first win in four; whilst the K’s were also delivering a cup triumph to end a two match losing streak. We believe this to be their first ever meeting.

Margate have a family fun day and lots of attractions- and will hope another attraction will be a win over Potters Bar Town. The Blues have blown a little hot and cold so far but were certainly at an upper temperature in defeating Hendon three-two in the Cup last Saturday; whilst the Scholars have had the worst possible start to the season, with six successive defeats in all competitions- but five of those defeats have come against sides currently in the top four, so perhaps that not a fair measure of their ability. The last time the sides met was as recently as April, the visitors leaving Hartsdown Park with three points and three goals in a three-two win.

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