We’ve a top two tussle between the Chats and Urchins- and crucial matches everywhere

Our big, big, big match (did we mention it’s big?) comes from the Bauvill Stadium, where second place Chatham Town welcome runaway leaders Hornchurch, and will be hoping to stop them running away even further.

The Urchins haven’t played for a fortnight, and saw a twelve match winning streak brought to an end in a goalless draw with Whitehawk last time out; whilst the Chats have played twice since then, and not taken their chance to narrow the gap on the leaders, only one point arriving from those two matches. A win for Hornchurch will increase their lead at the top to eleven points.

Don’t forget to take an item for the Chats collection for the homeless.

Image from the fabulous lens of Max English.

Three points behind Chatham- albeit with two games in hand over the Kent side- are Enfield Town. The Towners got back to winning ways against Margate two weeks ago, but have been rained off since, and they have the tough task of Dulwich Hamlet to face them. Hamlet are ninth, six points away from the top five but reminding us all that it is a marathon not a sprint- ten matches unbeaten. This will be the first meeting between the sides in nearly six years.

The Towners are collecting for a local food bank- please help if you can.

Billericay Town, in fourth, welcome bottom side- but Sunday’s comeback kids- Haringey Borough. The Blues have looked a little vulnerable of late, having lost three of their last five- whilst Borough have looked vulnerable all season, sadly, and have gone nine matches without a win, a run which sees them ten points from safety. They will take heart from Sunday’s performance at Cray Wanderers, however, when they came from three-nil down with twelve minutes left to take a point. If they can play like that for ninety minutes then they’ll be fine!

Billericay are collecting for a local food bank- please help.

Fifth place Wingate & Finchley welcome second bottom Concord Rangers to Summers Lane, not that it feels much like summer. The Blues have won four of their last five and are having a fine season, whilst Rangers are three unbeaten- by far their best run of the season- although they’ve had to wait a fortnight for a chance to build upon that four-one hammering of Lewes last time out.

Hastings United will be hoping to claim back their place in the top five, although to do so they’ll need to win and hope that Wingate don’t. United have a Sussex derby ahead of them, Bognor Regis Town making the trip to Pilot Field. The last four matches for United have followed a L-W-L-W pattern, so the Rocks will hope that continues- but United looked rather sharp in victory at Chatham last weekend. The visitors are four unbeaten, and start the weekend seven points behind their hosts with a game in hand. The two sides last met in April, United going three goals up within half an hour and holding on to win three-two.

Horsham have are four unbeaten in the league and have already played THIRTY matches in all competitions, such has been their success in FA Cup/Trophy. The Hornets are four points away from the top five but have at least two games in hand over the sides above them, and will hope to move closer to a play off spot by defeating Folkestone Invicta in Sussex. Invicta are eight places and eight points worse off, with only one win from their last seven in the league and new bossAndy Drury still looking for his first three points. Invicta have a good record against the Hornets, winning the last three times they’ve met.

Hashtag United welcome Cray Wanderers to the Len Salmon. The Tags have been difficult to defeat this season- only Hornchurch have lost fewer matches- and have won three of their last four, drawing the other. Wands haven’t had the season we expected them to have after last years play off charge- at least not yet- but they travel to Essex with a five match unbeaten run behind them.

Carshalton Athletic got back to winning ways at Margate last time out, ending a long, long winless run- and the tenth place Robins will hope to build on that as twelfth place Whitehawk come to call. The Hawks suffered the disappointment of defeat in the FA Trophy at Hythe Town in midweek, and have gone five league matches without a victory.

Canvey Island start the weekend in eleventh place, and welcome Potters Bar Town, who are a point from safety despite losing only one of their last ten. The Gulls have been desperately inconsistent this season, and have lost their last two; whilst the Scholars have must be confident that they’ll soon climb up the table and away from danger if they can continue their recent form. Last season the Gulls took six points from the Scholars, and the last time they met at the MovieStarr Stadium they scored five without reply. The visitors will be out for revenge.

Lewes have been playing in Europe, and triumphed two-nil in Belgium in midweek, defeating KSK Beveren in the Fenix Trophy- but they’ll need to bring that form into their league campaign as they’ve lost four of their last five, a run which has seen them slip down to fourteenth. The Rooks welcome the side three places and two points behind them, Cheshunt, the Ambers on a four match unbeaten run.

Finally, Margate welcome Kingstonian and their Family Fun Day to Hartsdown Park. Both sides have been in terrible form of late- the Blues bottom of our ten match form table, with six points from thirty available, the K’s just a point better off during the same period. In the actual table there are eight points between the eighteenth place Blues and the K’s, who are in twentieth, but another defeat for Margate would see them drop into the bottom four were Potters Bar Town to take a point in Canvey. The Blues are eight matches without a win- the K’s six.

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