Ramsgate and Chatham Town continue to tussle over top spot

Leaders Ramsgate, three points clear at the top, may need a victory to stay there as they welcome Sittingbourne, and will hope to bounce back from last weekend’s defeat at Cray Valley PM. The Rams have played a game more than second place Chatham Town and have a marginally better goal difference, but with only a three point gap can’t afford to slip up. They welcome Sittingbourne, the Brickies under new management after a terrible run which has seen them fail to win any of their last ten games- and lose seven of them. Could the visitors deliver that new manager boost? They did hold the Rams to a goalless draw when the two sides met back in August.

Chatham, strengthened with the signing of Andy Drury, have had a few slip ups of late- four defeats in ten- but walloped a youthful Carshalton Athletic side in midweek as a warm up for their trip to bottom side Faversham Town. The Lilywhites are fourteen points from safety but seem to be bringing in players left, right and centre in their efforts to stay up- and were well placed for victory at Littlehampton Town last weekend when the match was abandoned. The hosts may have taken only four points from the last thirty available, but this may turn out to be a much trickier match for Chatham than the form guide suggests it should be.

Cray Valley PM are our form team, and the Millers have closed to within six points of the top- with a game in hand. Without defeat since October 15th – that’s eleven matches- they are on the road to East Grinstead Town. The Wasps have hit an inconsistent spell, losing three of their last four, but will hope to get back to winning ways given they are only a point above the bottom four.

We’ve a Sussex derby at the Enclosed Ground, assuming the shallow end isn’t under water. Whitehawk, in fourth and buoyed by their midweek Velocity Cup win at Margate, welcome Littlehampton Town. The Golds are having a fine first Isthmian season, six points behind fifth place Ashford United with two games in hand, and have only three defeats from their last ten. The Hawks are very good at home, having lost only once on their own patch, and having won their last two- three if you add in that Velocity Cup win- will hope their mid season blip is well and truly over.

Ashford United are on the road to Sevenoaks Town. The Nuts and Bolts will hope that, with two wins from their last three, their mid season woes are now behind them; whilst Oaks have won three of their last four and hit promotion-chasing Beckenham Town for four last time out. Town still have promotion hopes of their own, and will want revenge for their one-nil defeat at Homelands in September.

Beckenham Town, outside the top five only on goal difference, are on the road to Corinthian- assuming that the pitch passes inspection at 1130. Becks are level on points with both sides directly above them and have played fewer matches than everyone above them in the table- another win today could potentially take them as high as third. They got back to winning ways quickly after the Sevenoaks defeat we mentioned, hitting Lancing for four last weekend, and will be confident as they hit the road.

Sheppey United have turned around their form and are charging up the table. The Ites, in seventh place, are only five points away from fifth place and will hope to get themselves involved in the end of season shake up. They welcome Hythe Town today, the Cannons seven points behind them in twelfth and having won two of their last three- whilst the Ites have a three match winning streak to defend. It’s little over a month since the two sides last met, Johan Caney-Bryan scoring the only goal of the game for Town.

VCD Athletic welcome Three Bridges to Oakwood. Vickers have slipped down into mid table after a run of only three wins from ten, whilst Bridges have been brilliant at home and woeful away from it, but have only one defeat from their last five. Outside the relegation spots only on goal difference, the visitors haven’t taken a single point on the road- the worst away record in the entire league- yet if the league table was based on home form alone would be fourth!

Another Sussex derby sees Lancing face their former management team, as Haywards Heath Town arrive at Culver Road. The Lancers new boss, Dean Cox, saw his two game winning start come to a crashing end at Beckenham Town last weekend, whilst Heath have hauled themselves out of the bottom four with a run of only one defeat from four- but are still only a point clear of the Lancers. With only one point between eleventh and seventeenth, half the Division faces the chance of being in the bottom four tonight!

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