Will Stortford or Billericay get the Valentine's Day blues?

Our leaders, Bishop’s Stortford, welcome Billericay Town for a Blue on Blue battle. The hosting Blues, who have won five of their last six, have a two point lead at the top- but with only four points between the top four will not be complacent. Their visitors have made inconsistency into an art form this season, but managed to deliver a Michelangelo performance in defeating Canvey at the weekend, and will want to avoid reverting to a performance which resembles their previous three defeats as they were, perhaps, more Pissarro. Given the gap between Town and the top five is only six points, they won’t have given up on the Play Off’s just yet- and they came back from two goals down to draw with Stortford the last time they met, five months ago.

Second place Aveley are on the road- but not travelling very far, as they head around the M25 towards Potters Bar Town. The Millers know a win coupled with a Stortford defeat could send them top, and after four consecutive wins they won’t be short on confidence; whilst the Scholars recent upturn in form came to a dramatic end as they were hit for five by Hornchurch at the weekend. The sides met three times in ten days earlier this season, the Millers winning their league encounter, the Scholars progressing in the FA Cup after a replay.

Hornchurch, four points off the top with two games in hand, looked unstoppable in walloping the Scholars on Saturday- and they take that form on the road to Tolworth, where they take on a Corinthian-Casuals side who have lost their last eight matches and sit on the bottom of the table. The Urchins have already beaten Casuals five-nil this season, and home fans will be hoping that tonight will be rather less painful.

Enfield Town saw their four match winning run come to an end when held by Wingate & Finchley at the weekend. The Towners, four points behind the leaders with a game in hand, are back at home tonight as they welcome relegation-threatened Brightlingsea Regent. The visitors lost to bottom four rivals Herne Bay at the weekend and are five points from safety, but home fans shouldn’t get over confident, Regent have had some positive moments of late. Town won their away fixture by four goals to nil, despite ending the match with ten men.

Lewes should break into the top five if they can win their Sussex derby with Horsham tonight. The Rooks have taken more points from their last ten matches than any other side in the top flight, and have scored eleven goals in winning their last three- and given they are only two points behind fifth place Cray Wanderers with two games in hand are firmly in the play off hunt. The Hornets saw an eight match unbeaten run come to an end as their nine men lost to Folkestone Invicta at the weekend, but they did defeat the Rooks in September.

Canvey Island slipped down to seventh following Saturday’s defeat against Billericay, but the Gulls have the chance of climbing back into the top five if they can win at Haringey Borough. Supporters at Coles Park watched their side concede five to Bognor on Saturday, and Borough have only one win from their last five, whilst the Gulls were on a five match unbeaten run before the Blues came to call. Their first meeting of the campaign ended all square.

Wingate & Finchley, three points above the drop zone, welcome the side one place and two points behind them, Bowers & Pitsea. The hosts have taken four points against two of the top five in their last two matches, so should be rather buoyant; whilst Bowers travel on the back of two defeats. The two sides have already met twice this season, a Wingate win in the cup at the Maurice Rebak, and a league draw ten days later at the Len Salmon.

Finally we have a Kentish seaside derby as Herne Bay host Margate. Bay climbed to twentieth after their win at Brightlingsea Regent on Saturday, and are four points from safety- albeit with two- or three- games in hand over the sides occupying the three places above them. Their visitors tonight are four places ahead of them, but twelve points, and with only one defeat from five- and that coming at the hands of our leaders- Margate will hope to stretch their lead over the bottom four by recording an away win. The September meeting between the two resulted in a four-nil Margate win.

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