Our only one hundred percent-ers head to VCD Athletic. Will Heath be gunned down?

Haywards Heath Town have had a magnificent start to the season- a start which won manager Shaun Saunders our Manager of the Month Award for August. He and his side in blue and white will try to stave off the curse as they travel to VCD Athletic today. Vickers have gone three matches without a win, and lost heavily in the Channel Islands to Jersey Bulls last weekend. It’s nearly two years since the two last met- a match at Oakwood which ended in a two-two draw- but Vickers did the double over Town during the 2018-19 season.

Herne Bay also picked up an award, Performance of the Month, which comes without a curse- usually! Bay host Phoenix Sports, second v eleventh, the hosts having scored eight goals in their last two matches. Sports are unbeaten in their last four, and they won three of those, so will make Bay work hard for the points. Bay won their last two encounters, Sports the two prior to that.

Ramsgate, in third at start of play, host Chichester City. The Rams were unbeaten in four prior to last weekend’s FA Cup defeat at Step Three Harrow Borough, whilst City look to have found their groove, defeating Northwood and Lancing whilst scoring a total of seven goals in their last two games. City were victorious the last time they travelled to Ramsgate, back in August 2019.

Cray Valley PM travel to Faversham Town as seventh hosts fourth. The Millers have won their last two matches, whilst the Lilywhites fell to their first league defeat of the season last time out and will want to bounce back today. Their last three meetings have seen a win each and a draw, that draw- goalless- coming at Faversham in January of last year.

We’ve a match between two of our promotion favourites at the Enclosed Ground, as Whitehawk host Ashford United. The Hawks will hope they kick started their season when winning five-four at Littlehampton Town in the cup on Sunday, whilst the nuts and bolts are unbeaten in the league and sit in fifth place, helped by Tommie Fagg’s five goals. United last visited in September last year, winning an FA Cup tie two-nil.

Sittingbourne, in sixth, travel to Corinthian. The Brickies got back to winning ways after two defeats by beating Faversham Town last week, whilst their hosts have lost two of their last three but, to put that into perspective, the last one of those was a narrow defeat to Premier Division promotion favourites Folkestone Invicta, and they did manage to score twice- the first club to do that against unbeaten Invicta so far this season.

Three Bridges, in eighth, have a Sussex derby as they head to Burgess Hill Town. The Hillians have lost every game in the league but have been a different side in the cup, as they showed last weekend when defeating Bracknell Town, whilst bridges league form, putting aside that walloping at Herne Bay, has been rather more solid, with a win over Lancing and a draw with Ramsgate. Bridges traditionally don’t do well against the Hillians, and are without a win over these opponents in their last eight attempts.

Hastings United haven’t yet got all cylinders firing, which is why they are in tenth place- but six goals without reply from their last two matches suggests they’re not too far away. They travel to Sevenoaks Town, who somehow managed to let slip a three goal lead in the cup in midweek to lose four-three and who have now gone four matches in all competitions without a win. United won one-nil here last season, took four points from six during 2019-20, and six points from six the season before.

The sides in sixteenth and seventeenth meet, as East Grinstead Town host Hythe Town. The Wasps have won only one of their four games in all competitions so far this season, whilst the Cannons have won only one league match but have been far more successful in the cup, and have a trip to Dartford lined up in the Second Qualifying Round next Saturday. The two last met back in January 2020, when the Cannons triumphed two-one, but their last match at College Lane was back in March 2019, and the Wasps triumphed five-two.

Two sides without a point meet at Culver Road, where Lancing entertain Whitstable Town. The Lancers are struggling to adapt to Step Four life but have shown signs of improvement, in that they only lost one-nil last time out- whilst the Oysterboys have had a hit and miss sort of start to the campaign, a five-nil cup win over Alfold and a two-two draw with Premier Division Leatherhead the only real high points.

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