The Hornets hope to slay another giant in the Trophy- whilst we’ve crucial matches across Pitching In Isthmian Premier

FA Trophy

Horsham are our only Premier FA Trophy survivors, and the Hornets welcome Peterborough Sports to the Camping World Community Stadium in the Fourth Round of the competition. The Hornets have been superb in Cup competitions this season, although their league form sees them four without a win. Their visitors are in mid table in National League North, and spent the period between Christmas and New Year defeating Bishop’s Stortford- twice! They’ve won three of their last four, and seem to be better on the road than on their own patch- but the Hornets have slain bigger giants (pictured- John Lines) this season so won’t be overawed.

Premier

Leaders Hornchurch, with Lewwis Spence in perhaps temporary charge following the departure of Steve Morison to Sutton United, hit the road to take on Carshalton Athletic. The Urchins are fairly comfortable, with a seven point lead at the top, but with nine points from their last six matches are perhaps having a bit of a stutter. The Robins, in contrast, have won four of their last five matches and have scored a total of ten goals in their last two, so will be full of confidence. They start the weekend in eighth place, and will hope to reduce the seven point gap between themselves and the top five. The last three meetings between the clubs have ended in draws.

Second place Chatham Town are back on their own patch, Cheshunt making the trip to Kent. The Chats lost at Bognor last time out, and as they’ve played two more matches than the leaders and are seven points behind they’ll want to make sure they get back to winning ways. The Ambers have lost their last four, a run which has seen them fall into the bottom four, and will want revenge for a two-one defeat back in August- but more importantly need the points!

Third place Enfield Town play host to Folkestone Invicta. The Towners have won four of their last five and recorded a narrow win over Haringey Borough in midweek, whilst Invicta seem to have regained an even keel after a run of defeats, taking four points from their last two matches. Town ended a six match winless run against Invicta when defeating the Stripes on the Kent coast in August.

Billericay Town have been superb in defence all season long, and our fourth place Blues are tied for the best backline in the Division, alongside the leaders. At the other end, however, they’ve scored significantly fewer goals than the rest of the top six, but they have won their last three and will be confident of success against Cray Wanderers at New Lodge. Wands will hope to get back to winning ways after defeat in Bognor on Tuesday, and have only two wins from ten- but they’ve become our draw specialists, taking a point from six of those ten matches. With three clean sheets from their last five, this could be a defensive battle.

If our table was calculated only on the last ten matches, fifth place Wingate & Finchley would be looking down at the rest. The Blues are back on their own patch, Whitehawk making the trip to North London, and won’t be short of confidence as they’ve won their last four at the Maurice Rebak Stadium. The Hawks seem to have ended their sticky patch by winning their last two, and scored three goals the last time the two sides met. The only problem with that outcome was the fact that they conceded three goals as well!

If Wingate & Finchley were to slip up, a win for sixth place Hastings United would see them end the weekend in the top five- Dulwich Hamlet travelling to the Pilot Field. Hamlet have only two defeats from ten and defeated Hashtag United with a late goal last Saturday; whilst United are six unbeaten- and defeated Hamlet on their own patch back in August.

Hashtag United were magnificent in December, but have so far had a miserable January, losing three in a row. The Tags are back on their own patch, Bognor Regis Town making the trip to the Len Salmon- and the Rocks will be full of confidence and determined to defeat their hosts and climb above them in the table. Bognor have only one defeat from their last ten, and that was rather a smash and grab victory for Lewes on New Years Day. The first meeting between the sides ended goalless.

Lewes, in tenth, welcome the side five places and five points behind them, Potters Bar Town- but that doesn’t tell the whole story. The Rooks are five unbeaten, whilst the Scholars have been in fine form, winning four of their last five, and indeed losing only twice in more than four months. When the sides met back in August, Lewes triumphed two-one, but their visitors this weekend may prove a tougher prospect. The last nine meetings between the sides have seen three wins each and three draws.

Canvey Island welcome Kingstonian to the MovieStarr Stadium. The Gulls have only one win from seven and will hope to find their form once more; whilst the K’s would love a record like that, as they have taken only two points from the last thirty available and find themselves nine points from safety. The K’s won their earlier meeting this season, a Darnell Goather-Braithwaite goal deep into added time sealing a two-one triumph.

Margate, two points outside the bottom four, welcome bottom side Concord Rangers to Hartsdown Park. Gate are desperate for a win- it’s been more than two months, they’ve gone thirteen matches in League and Cup without one- whilst the travelling Beachboys will just be glad to get a game, having suffered multiple postponements. The visitors `are ten points behind their hosts, but they do have SIX games in hand and have only lost two of their last six matches. Two early goals gave Margate a narrow victory when the sides met in August.

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