The title tussle heats up!

Our match of the day sees second place Stowmarket Town welcome fourth place Grays Athletic. Both sides have had fabulous seasons so far, with five points separating them at start of play- but with Stow a point off the top they know they only have to better Canvey’s result to hit the summit. Town are eight matches unbeaten, having won six of them and drawn the other two nil-nil, and have the best defence in the Division- but the second best defence? You’ve guessed it, visitors Grays Athletic have conceded only one goal more, but they’ve also played one more game. That’s not to say that either side are slouches at the other end, either, but you suspect there won’t be much between the two. Athletic are on a nine match unbeaten run- only Aveley are in better form.

The third place Milers host Coggeshall Town at Parkside. Two points behind Canvey, they’ve taken twenty six points from their last thirty and haven’t experienced league defeat since being narrowly beaten by Stowmarket on December 4th. Striker George Sykes is on a fabulous run, having scored in ten of his last fourteen matches, and has fourteen for the campaign. The Seed Growers are three unbeaten, and drew one-one with the Millers on New Years Day.

Our leaders, Canvey Island, welcome Basildon United. The Gulls seem to have recovered from their mini slump and are unbeaten in four, winning at Witham Town last time out; whilst the Bees took a point off the Gulls promotion rivals Stowmarket in their last match and will be convinced they can do even more damage this time out. The last time they met, Canvey won- but narrowly- and the Bees have looked much improved since then.

We then move on to the four-way battle for fifth place, and start with the side who hold that position, Brentwood Town. The Blues welcome the Blues, as Barking arrive at the Arena, the visitors desperate for points for an entirely different reason as their survival hopes hand by a thread. Brentwood have lost their last two and four of their last ten, each time falling to defeat by one goal to nil; whilst Barking have gone eight games without a win and have lost their last five.

Dereham Town are looking upwards from sixth place, and the Magpies have what could prove to be a tricky trip, as they head to Maldon & Tiptree. The one thing the Magpies don’t seem to do is draw- from their last ten matches they’ve won five and lost five- whilst the Jammers saw their unbeaten run come to an end last time out when Witham Town took three points. The Jammers are five points off the pace, and if they want to get themselves into the top five at the end of the campaign will surely need to target three points.

Hashtag United are behind the Magpies only on goals scored. Our seventh place social media darlings are on the road to Bury Town, their hosts having recorded their best win of the season last time out, walloping eight goals without reply against Romford. The Tags have lost only one of their last seven. The last time the two met, they couldn’t manage a goal between them.

Felixstowe and Walton United have games in hand over the two sides above them, and only goal difference keeps them away from fifth place. The Seasiders are on the road to Witham Town, their hosts also needing the points as they fight to avoid relegation. Town have taken four points from their last six, United are four unbeaten- and indeed have lost only two of their last ten.

Four points behind the Seasiders are AFC Sudbury. The Yellows welcome Heybridge Swifts as they hope to build on their midweek win over Brentwood Town, and are now five games unbeaten, and as such haven’t yet given up on their own play off aspirations- after all, four points with ten games to play is not an insurmountable gap. Swifts are only two points further back, and as such aren’t out of it either, but have been in mixed form of late, with only two wins from their last five.

Nearer the bottom end of the table, Tilbury, in fourteenth, travel to face eighteenth place Hullbridge Sports. The Dockers have only two wins from ten, whilst Sports have been much improved despite losing three-one to Hashtag United last time out- prior to that they were five matches unbeaten.

Finally Romford, under new management, welcome Great Wakering Rovers. Boro have taken two points from their last thirty and conceded twenty two goals in their last four matches, so will be hoping for a new manager boost; whilst Rovers have only one win from ten and aren’t in particularly good form either.

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