It’s tough at the top- but even tougher at the bottom

It’s tough at the top- but even tougher at the bottom

We’re going to focus on both ends of the Premier Division table as we look at the battle to go up- and the battle to avoid going down

Leaders Worthing have opened up a seven point lead at the top of the Premier Division, and yesterday strengthened their squad still further with the addition of Leicester City title winner Dean Hammond, who steps out of retirement to help get his friend Adam Hinshelwood’s side over the line. They have a tough match in prospect this weekend as they travel down Donkey Lane to take on Enfield Town.

The Towners have actually been marginally better on the road this season than they have at home, but are unbeaten in five matches and will be very focused on the task in hand as they try to force themselves back into the top five. The Mackerel Men seem to be over their recent blip and are four matches unbeaten themselves.

Cray Wanderers are our form team, unbeaten this decade, and with eight wins and two draws from their last ten matches have deservedly moved up to second place. The Wands are on the road to take part in an Amber battle, as they face the other side who play in almost-orange, Cheshunt. The Ambers had a super win at Kingstonian in midweek, a result which saw them move out of the bottom three- but with only seven points between the bottom seven at present certainly won’t consider themselves safe.

Third place Hornchurch are at home, and host Lewes, the Rooks confident after winning their first home match in more than four months in midweek. The Urchins are six unbeaten but have drawn four of them, and if they want to have any chance of catching the Mackerel Men they will need to turn draws into victories going forward. Prior to that victory over Haringey Borough Lewes hadn’t won a match in what seemed like an age; indeed their previous victory had also been against Borough, at the start of January- so you could have forgiven their fans for singing, “can we play you every week?”

Folkestone Invicta have slipped down to fourth place, nine points behind Worthing but with two games in hand. With only one win from their last four they need to get back to form quickly if they are to have a chance of automatic promotion, but they have a tough match as they travel to Kingstonian. The K’s were unbeaten from January 4th- when they lost to Cheshunt- until March 11th- when they lost to Cheshunt. Perhaps only Cheshunt know how to unlock their defence? We’ll find out tomorrow!

Carshalton Athletic, who start the weekend in fifth place, travel to Brightlingsea Regent, who prop up the rest. The Robins have won five, drawn one and lost one of their last seven, whilst Regent have won only one during that period despite looking good in flashes- they took Folkestone Invicta to penalties in the Velocity trophy in midweek and probably feel that they should have won the game.
Horsham’s playoff push suffered a jolt in midweek as they fell to defeat against Bognor Regis Town. The Hornets, who start the weekend five points behind Carshalton with a game in hand, travel to face Bowers and Pitsea, who had gone five matches unbeaten until a late goal defeated them at Margate last weekend. Bowers have had a solid first season in the top flight, and are unlikely to be troubling the playoff places nor the relegation spots, but they certainly won’t be pushovers, particularly at the Len Salmon.

Bognor, boosted by that victory over the Hornets and by their two new Ukrainian signings on Thursday, bring Corinthian-Casuals to Nyewood Lane. The Rocks still have playoff pretentions, whilst Casuals are far more worried about what might happen at the other end of the table, as they are fourth from the bottom- albeit with two games in hand over the three sides below them.

Leatherhead, who also still have playoff hopes, head around the M25 to Potters Bar Town. The Tanners have been in fine form, with only two defeats in their last ten matches, whilst the Scholars have only one win in five and have lost their last two.

East Thurrock United announced in midweek that their Rookery Hill stadium was in the process of being sold, with a new ground to be built using the proceeds. So groundhoppers who haven’t visited yet might be ever more attracted to their home fixture with Bishop’s Stortford. The Essex Rocks are twelve points off the playoffs with four games in hand over fifth place Carshalton, whilst the travelling Blues will be desperate for victory as they haven’t picked up a win since December 7th and have lost eight of their last ten, six of them without scoring.

Margate are finally climbing the table, with two wins following four draws seeing them six unbeaten. The Blues take on the other Blues, as they travel to third bottom Wingate and Finchley, the second meeting of the two sides this week. The Summers Lane faithful will be hoping that their side can start another unbeaten. Run; their last one stretched six matches until they travelled to Worthing last weekend.

Second bottom Merstham travel to face an inconsistent Haringey Borough. The Coles Park side haven’t been able to repeat the glories of last season, perhaps unsurprisingly given how many of their players from that campaign have moved on to higher level clubs, whilst the Moatsiders have been good in spells but have spent the entire season trying to find consistency after almost their entire squad left in the summer. Borough’s last four matches have all ended two-one, with two wins and two defeats- and if that pattern continues they’ll emerge victorious, but that’s hardly a scientific prediction! Merstham have three defeats and two draws from their last five and really could do with three points, particularly given that victory could lift them out of the bottom three.

Image from Enfield Town.

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