The top two fight it out!

Potters Bar Town start the weekend deservedly at the top of the table, and they’ll end the weekend there too, but the margin of that lead could lengthen or contract depending on how they perform against second place Hornchurch. The Scholars entered the last ten minutes of their match with Lewes in midweek two goals behind, and somehow found the energy and determination not just to draw level but to win, to the dismay and disbelief of the travelling Rooks- Lewes manager Tony Russell described the mood of his side after that defeat as “lower than a snakes belly.” They’ve won more league matches than any other side in the entire league- twelve of their seventeen so far- and should pose a much, much trickier proposition than the side the Urchins took six points from last season.

Hornchurch have a game in hand over their hosts, and start the day four points back- so a victory could potentially give them an advantage as we head towards the midway point of the campaign. The Urchins have only one defeat from their last twelve league matches, but they have taken only four points from their last three matches and surprisingly left struggling Brightlingsea Regent with only a point after taking the lead last weekend. Any weakness will surely be pounced on by Sammy Moore’s side.

Aveley are in third place, five points behind the leaders. The Millers are at Parkside, where they welcome Kingstonian- and they will be glad to be at home, as they’ve lost only once on their own patch this season, whilst their away form has been far more patchy, with four defeats from nine- including last weekend at Bowers and Pitsea. The K’s are down in sixteenth, and have hit a sticky patch, losing their last three- including Velocity Cup defeat at South Central side Leatherhead in midweek.

Bishop’s Stortford put their unbeaten home record on the line once more as Margate travel for a Blue on Blue clash. Stortford are seven points behind the leading Scholars but do have two games in hand, and have lost only one of their last ten in the league. They’ve kept a clean sheet in seven of their last eight league matches, too. Margate are nine points behind but in their best form of the season, five consecutive wins in League, Velocity Cup and Kent Cup; five wins which have seen only one goal conceded. The visitors have won only one of their last ten meetings with Stortford, however.

Enfield Town travel for a North London derby, facing an improving Wingate and Finchley. The hosting Blues have taken four points from their last two matches and opened up a four point gap over the bottom four, whilst the Towners lost for the first time in seven matches across all competitions in midweek, although it took a penalty shootout to defeat them. The last time they met, the Blues walloped the Towners four-one, that match, back in February, seeing the hosts three-nil up at half time. Theo Ofori, Antonis Vasiliou (2) and Dylan Kearney got the goals for the hosts, Rian Bray replied for the visitors.

Canvey Island are only a point outside the top five, but the Gulls have a tricky trip to Billericay Town for an Essex derby. Perhaps they may be inspired by the spirit of Canvey legend Wilko Johnson, member of Doctor Feelgood, who sadly passed away this week? The Gulls have taken ten points from their last twelve, whilst their hosts, who have been fabulous on occasions, and hit a bit of a sticky patch, their last six matches in all competitions seeing them lose four times.

Carshalton Athletic start the weekend in seventh place, three points behind fifth place, but would need to record a club record win to have any chance of making the top five on Saturday afternoon, given their goal difference stands at zero! The Robins welcome Cray Wanderers, who are a point and two places behind, and came from two goals down to claim a draw at Horsham in midweek. The Robins have only one defeat from their last six league matches, whilst Wands have gone three without a win- although they’d undoubtedly prefer us to say they have one defeat from eight! The Robins were perhaps Wands favourite opponents last season, as they won both matches and scored eight goals, whilst somehow still conceding five.

Horsham are on the way to Folkestone Invicta, and they make that trip knowing they’ve managed only one win from ten against the stripes. Both sides have been consistently inconsistent this season, but the Hornets start the weekend eight points and nine places better off, albeit having played two matches more. They have only lost one of their last four league matches, however, the only aberration seeing them concede five at Billericay a couple of weeks ago. Invicta have been better in cup competitions than the league, and reached the Third Round of the FA Trophy last weekend, but ae in desperate need of some league points. We certainly didn’t expect them to be seventeenth.

Hastings United have seen four of their last five matches come in cup competitions, but they get back to league action at Pilot Field against the side they knocked out of the Velocity Cup a few weeks ago, Corinthian-Casuals. United are having a good debut season in Pitching In Isthmian Premier and are only a couple of wins away from the top five, whilst Casuals sit second bottom but seem to be much improved of late, with only a narrow defeat at Bognor Regis Town blotting their copybook severely during their last three matches.

Bognor are at home to Haringey Borough, and we’ll be covering that match at isthmian.co.uk- we’ll have a report here shortly after full time. The Rocks have finally found some consistency, moving up the table and onwards in cup competitions with four wins out of four, and have knocked Lewes out of the FA Trophy and defeated Bowers and Pitsea in their last two. Borough are only a point behind the Rocks, but have lost their last two league matches- although they got back to winning ways with a Velocity Cup shootout win over Enfield Town in midweek. Borough are a bit of a bogey team for the Rocks, the Sussex side winning only one of their last seven meetings.

Bowers and Pitsea are back in Sussex after that midweek defeat at Bognor, this time facing Lewes, who somehow went from three-one up with nine minutes left to four-three down at Potters Bar in midweek. That was three without a win for the Rooks, but they were eight unbeaten before Bognor turned up in the Trophy last weekend. Both sides will be pleased to see the back of the Rocks.

Finally, Herne Bay welcome Brightlingsea Regent in a bottom four battle. Bay, under new management, immediately responded with a win over Sevenoaks Town in the Velocity Cup in midweek, but have gone seven in the league without a win. Regent have looked much improved of late, draws with Hornchurch and Lewes sandwiching a defeat to Folkestone Invicta, but they haven’t a league win since August Bank Holiday Monday.

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