AFC Sudbury (15th) v Harlow Town (11th)
Last season's Division One (North) champions play the Division One (North) play-off winners. AFC Sudbury have lost four of their last six league games but recorded a very good 2-3 away victory at Billericay Town on Tuesday evening and also a 3-1 victory at Kings Langley in the FA Trophy last weekend. The Hawks are also in good form winning 1-3 at Havant in the Trophy and 2-0 at home to Harrow Borough in midweek - they have won four of their last six league games.
FACT - Home win? The Hawks are very strong at home in the league with seven wins out of nine but on their travels they have only one win in ten games.
Burgess Hill Town (21st) v Grays Athletic (24th)
Bottom of the table Grays Athletic who put in a good performance in narrowly losing to play-off contender's Needham Market on Wednesday visit Burgess Hill Town who are also in the relegation zone but with only fifteen games played could push up the table with a few victories. I would say this is a huge game for the away side as a defeat would put them either nine or possibly ten points from safety depending on Canvey Island's result. What better way will there be for Grays Athletic to celebrate today's announcement the club is now officially a supporter's owned and run community football club than with a victory at Burgess Hill Town? You can get odds of just over 3/1 with some bookmakers for The Blues to get a win.
FACT - This is The Hillians first home league game since Tuesday 25th October.
Folkestone Invicta (7th) v Dulwich Hamlet (5th)
One of the games of the day. The Hamlet shipped three goals at home to an improving Metropolitan Police side on Tuesday evening in a 3-3 draw with the away side scoring a 90th minute penalty to take an all important point back to Imber Court - Gavin Rose's side had been 3-1 up after 61 minutes so to not win the game will have been frustrating. The home side are second in the form table based on the last six games played having won their last four league games in a row.
FACT - Fortress Fullicks Stadium? Invicta have seven wins in eleven home games so far with only Needham Market picking up all three points.
Harrow Borough (23rd) v Merstham (18th)
Both teams reached the Emirates FA Cup First Round this season but will be disappointed at their league positions at present. Merstham recorded a brilliant 4-1 win over Needham Market in their last game with Harrow Borough losing their last three games against Harlow Town, Kingstonian and Dulwich Hamlet. A difficult game to predict - Harrow need to start picking up points sooner rather than later.
FACT - Merstham are still without a win in their eight away league games played so far.
Hendon (17th) v Enfield Town (6th)
Back on Saturday 24th September The Towners thrashed Hendon 6-0 at Donkey Lane with Gary McCann's side struggling towards the bottom of the table. Some new signings have been brought in for the home side which has resulted in a real turn in form with two excellent results away from home at title chasing Havant & Waterlooville and Leiston before slipping to a 2-0 defeat at Harlow Town on Tuesday evening. Just five players started the game at Harlow who started the game at Enfield back in September. Bradley Quinton's side are the form side in the division winning five and drawing one of their last six games. Town's win percentage over their first thirteen games was just 23.08% which has been upped to 83.33% over their last six games - There is no doubt Hendon will want to reduce that on Saturday in this North London local derby.
FACT - Hendon have lost only two of their seven home league games but they haven't won one yet.
Kingstonian (13th) v Canvey Island (20th)
Only Grays Athletic have lost more times than Kingstonian who have lost ten of their twenty games played. Worthing and Metropolitan Police have also lost ten games. The Islanders have an awful defensive record - only bottom side Grays Athletic have let in more goals and have a worse goal difference. Their goals conceded per game over the season has been 2.27 and over the their last six games is 2.67 - their clean sheet last weekend would of been very welcome. Another difficult game to predict.
FACT - Goals guaranteed? The K's defence have leaked 30 goals with Canvey Island letting in 41.
Lowestoft Town (12th) v Wingate & Finchley (14th)
A long journey for Wingate who have won four of their last six games. The Trawlerboys have lost three of their last six games and are having a real up and down season where they will be probably happy to finish in mid-table following their relegation from the Vanarama North Division last campaign. Wingate, with some games in hand over other sides, can move up towards the play-off zone with a nice run of wins.
FACT - Decent at home - Only Canvey Island have picked up a win in Lowestoft's last six home league games.
Metropolitan Police (22nd) v Leiston (4th)
On paper and for those not in the know this match looks like an easy one of the title chasing team from Suffolk. With the Met's improved from of late (three wins, two draws and just one defeat in six league games) it'll be a really interesting game and Leiston's Manager Glenn Driver will know it's going to be far from easy. The Met have won eleven points from the last eighteen on offer compared to the visitor's eight which include two defeats to Folkestone Invicta and Hendon. A potential upset on the cards possibly? You can back the Met to win at 5/2 with the bookies.
FACT - Leiston have lost just two of their seventeen league games which have come in their last three games played.
Needham Market (3rd) v Leatherhead (19th)
Similar to the above game in that it looks like people not in the know would instantly mark this down as a home win based on the two side's league positions. Leatherhead, under manager Jimmy Bullard who has made a number of changes to The Tanner's squad, have shown some improved form of late especially in their last game which was a decent 2-5 win at Staines Town. Needham Market have only won two of the last six games. Goalkeeper Louis Wells, a real fan's favourite, has recently returned to Fetcham Grove after being released by Hayes and Yeading United with former Spur's and Brighton & HA youngster Daniel Akindayini (a centre forward) impressing after joining from Vanarama South side Margate. He scored two in the game versus Staines Town - former Dulwich Hamlet winger Kadell Daniel also scored two. Rohan Ricketts, now 33 years of age, has also been playing for Leatherhead after last playing in the Bangladesh Premier League for "Abahani Limited Dhaka" - the experience the former Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Coventry City, QPR and Barnsley (amongst others) brings to The Tanner's is proving invaluable. Leatherhead could well win this one.
FACT - Leatherhead have scored at least one goal in their last eight league and cup games.
Staines Town (8th) v Havant & Waterlooville (2nd)
The Swans showed what a good attacking side they can be in their first half performance against Enfield Town in midweek where arguably they could of been more than one goal up. At the back they have conceded 34 goals (1.62 per game) which is jointly (Dulwich Hamlet have the same) the most in the current top twelve of the division so the statistics say Havant, who have only failed to score in two of the their eighteen games played so far (versus Leiston and Enfield Town), should hit the back of the net in this match. The Hawks, 9/4 title favourites, have only won two of their last six league games and were beaten by Harlow Town in the FA Trophy last weekend where the Essex side's goalkeeper David Hughes making a number of excellent saves during the game.
FACT - Staines Town have achieved four clean sheets in their league games played so far.
Tonbridge Angels (9th) v Bognor Regis Town (1st)
The Ryman Premier game of the day as the table topping Rocks travel to Kent to play Tonbridge Angels. If Steve McKimm's side win the three games in hand they have over Bognor they will be right up at the top of the table. Angels are a very strong side and are difficult to beat especially at home with The Rocks surprising many to be top of the table at this stage after they lost a few key players from their squad over the summer. Tonbridge have been 2-0 and 1-0 in their last two league games but have only taken two points with two draws in those games so they will want to win this one. If Bognor return to Nyewood Lane with a point I think they'd be happy - they would be over the moon with three points!
FACT - Only Kingstonian have left Longmeadow with all three points in the six league games played.
Worthing (16th) v Billericay Town (10th)
The team everyone will want to beat after they have made a number of impressive signings over the last few weeks visit the Sussex seaside. Worthing had a good start to their season with 1.31 points per game average over the first thirteen games which has reduced to 1 ppg over their last six games. Craig Edward's new look side drew 1-1 with the Met Police at the weekend before losing 2-3 at home to AFC Sudbury - both teams have not won in five league games.
FACT - Billericay Town only have two wins in their eight games on their travels.
There is no goal scorer really setting the league alight as yet with Matthew Blake and Ryan Moss leading the way on eleven goals closely followed by Jason Prior on ten goals.
TOP GOAL-SCORERS
Matthew Blake (Leiston) - 11
Ryan Moss (Kingstonian) - 11
Jason Prior (Havant & Waterlooville) - 10
Jake Reed (Lowestoft Town) - 9
James Fraser (Bognor Regis Town) - 9
Daniel Bennett (Merstham) - 9
Dulwich Hamlet have the honour of having the highest crowd of the season so far when 2,217 saw their game at Champion Hill versus Bognor Regis Town on Saturday 8th October. The lowest attendance came when just 98 people saw Met Police play Grays Athletic at Imber Court on Saturday 19th November.
No comments:
Post a Comment