With three points between second and sixth, is the battle now to see who goes up with Worthing?

Our leaders, Worthing, start the weekend thirteen points clear of their challengers with nine matches left to play. Surely it’s just a matter of time before their coronation? Margate still have promotion pretentions of their own, and the Blues will travel to the Sussex coast full of confidence after going six league matches unbeaten- and qualifying for the Semi-Finals of the Velocity Trophy by walloping Carshalton Athletic in midweek. Worthing, however, have lost only one league match this year, and will be looking for revenge, as the Blues were one of the few sides to defeat them this season, winning four-two at Hartsdown Park.

Image: Marcus Hoare.

Second place Bishop’s Stortford have lost some ground on the Mackerel Men after two goalless draws, and will want to get back to winning ways as Merstham come to call. The Moatsiders have five defeats from six matches, but they do have striker Korrey Henry, who scored both goals as the drew with the Blues at the end of November, back in the side after he returned from Carshalton Athletic. With only one point between second and fifth, and three points between them and sixth place Lewes, Stortford know that any dropped points could cause enormous difficulty.

Folkestone Invicta travel to Essex to take on Bowers and Pitsea. Neil Cugley’s men have a game in hand over the two sides above them, and will go into second if they can better Bishop Stortford’s result. Invicta have won their last four, whilst their hosts have also been in good form, with only one defeat from their last five. The two met only last month, a match that ended two-two.

Hornchurch have closed to within fourteen points of the leaders- and one of second place Stortford- after a fine run that sees them unbeaten in the League for more than three months. The Urchins host our match of the day, fifth place Enfield Town their visitors. The Towners were, rather coincidentally, the last side to defeat the Urchins, back on November 23rd. Since then Mark Stimson’s men have taken forty two points out of forty eight, whilst the Towners have slipped up a little. Last Saturday’s three-nil win over East Thurrock United followed a run of three consecutive defeats.

Lewes, who know that a win is likely to see them climb back into a play off place, hit the road to North London, to take on Haringey Borough. The Rooks got back to winning ways in a tight match at Leatherhead in midweek, whilst along the M25 Borough were also winning, at Cray Wanderers. It’s a long time since Borough won two in a row, so they’ll be hoping to put that record right, but it’ll be tough. When the two met at the Dripping Pan in November, the Rooks ran out four-two winners.

Carshalton Athletic, in eighth place but eleven points behind the top five, welcome Potters Bar Town. The Robins have had an up and down sort of season, and come into this one on the back of a Velocity Trophy hammering in midweek; whilst The Scholars lost for the first time in six matches when Hornchurch came to call on Tuesday night.

Cheshunt, into the Quarter Finals of the Velocity trophy with a win over Bowers in midweek, seem to be getting their mojo back. The Ambers welcome Wingate & Finchley on the back of a five match unbeaten run, a run which has seen them score one goal in each match. The visiting Blues are without a win in three, but drew the last two of those. When the two met in November, the Ambers triumphed, three-one.

Kingstonian have slipped to tenth place after a terrible run which has seen their play off chances reduced to tatters. Thirteen points is the gap between themselves and fifth place, and anything less than victory at East Thurrock United will surely see their hopes dashed for another year. The K’s have taken only five points from their last thirty, whilst the hosting Rocks are the only side behind them in the ten match form table, with a point fewer from the same period. With United second bottom and beginning to look marooned in the relegation places, they desperately need the points too, albeit for an entirely different reason.

Bognor Regis Town, our draw kings with twelve draws from thirty one matches, welcome relegation-threatened Cray Wanderers. Neither side are on a good run; the Rocks don’t have a win from their last four, whilst for Wands that winless run is even longer, as they’ve gone five matches without smelling the scent of victory. When they met in January a Dan Gifford goal was the difference between the sides.

Corinthian-Casuals host a Surrey derby, Leatherhead making the short trip to Tolworth. Casuals are firmly ensconced in mid table, but have only one win from their last ten so can’t entirely count themselves safe just yet; whilst the Tanners prop up the rest, also with one win from ten- but their need for points is far greater than that of their hosts.

Finally, our Velocity Trophy semi-Finalists Horsham welcome Brightlingsea Regent. The hosts are four games unbeaten- although they have drawn the last three of those- whilst Regent have gone four games without a victory. The last time they met, on the Essex coast, the Hornets triumphed by six goals to nil- so the visitors will want a little revenge for that thrashing, and really need the points. They may find themselves swept away by the tide of emotion created by Gary Charman’s last ever match, however, the popular and magnificent Hornet- who is a hero at Bognor Regis Town, too- hanging up his boots after this one.

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