A North and Trophy Saturday!

Isuzu FA Trophy

Felixstowe and Walton United have been magnificent on their own patch, sweeping all before them- and recently they’ve been very good on the road too, so they won’t be overawed by a trip to take on Boreham Wood. The Seasiders have won seven in a row- including a six-one win at Bishop’s Stortford in the last round- so their National League South hosts will need to be at their best. Wood have only lost once at home in the league this season.

Brentwood Town have a long trip in prospect, the Blues heading to National League North promotion chasers Hereford. Brentwood have been magnificent at home but their last three away matches in League and County Cup have all ended in defeat- although you wonder whether Wednesday’s defeat at Sporting Bengal United was aided by the fact that the club had one eye on this tie. They’ve already defeated two ‘giants’ to reach this stage, Cray Wanderers and Cray Valley PM their victims. The Bulls have two wins and three defeats from their last five, but hit Marine for four last weekend so will expect to be back to their best.

Pitching In Isthmian North

Leaders Bury Town take a one point advantage on the road to the seaside, where they take on Gorleston in Great Yarmouth. The Blues have been generally superb this season, and are looking for a third successive win- they’ve lost only one in ten- whilst their Green hosts have had some exceptional moments and some of the other kind, you never seem to be able to guess which Gorleston you’re going to get. At their best- their Cup win over St Albans City, their seven-nil hammering of Haringey Borough- they are a match for anyone in the Division, and they are five unbeaten at home. When the sides met in September, the Blues won two-one.

Second place Witham Town have been our surprise package, although perhaps we should stop being surprised? They’ve won their last six league matches, kept a clean sheet three times out of four, and ended Tilbury’s long unbeaten run last weekend, and are beginning to look like real promotion contenders. Witham are on the road to Wroxham- who will be premiering their ‘Welcome to Wroxham’ documentary after the match- as the Yachtsmen hope to pick up only a third win of the campaign, and to get some revenge for their four-one thumping at Spa Road last month.

Tilbury have the chance to climb back in to the top three, the Dockers, who were giant slayers in North London in midweek, looking to get back to winning ways after their defeat against Witham last weekend. Tilbury were ten matches unbeaten until that reverse, and certainly didn’t seem to have taken it to heart, coming from behind for the umpteenth time this season to defeat Wingate and Finchley- third in the Premier Division- in midweek. The visitors are Redbridge, in twelfth place, in good form on their own patch but with just one win on the road. A Sam Bantick double gave the Dockers victory when they met in September. 

Grays Athletic and Heybridge Swifts both have the chance to leap into the top five as they meet at Scraley Road. Athletic have the best defensive record of any side in the entire league, the only side to still see their goals conceded in single figures- eight in twelve matches so far. They are also looking for a fifth successive win, and have kept three clean sheets during that run- indeed their only defeat in eight games came at the hands of our leaders, and even then it took a goal seven minutes from time to do it. Swifts away form this season has been excellent, their home form far less worth talking about it- but they did win their first home match of the league season the last time they were on their own patch, and they are looking to go five unbeaten in League and Cup. The sides played out a goalless draw in September.

Another side with top five hopes- they’ll probably need Grays and Swifts to draw to make them a reality- are Waltham Abbey, the Abbotts on the road to Haringey Borough. The Abbotts saw a six match unbeaten run end last time out, and will want to start another, whilst Borough’s form is erratic to say the least, so we’ve no idea how they will do. If we had a pound for every time they’d lost from a winning position this season we’d probably be able to take you all out to dinner, and their last five matches have seen them take five points, score ten goals and concede fourteen, so at least the neutrals have been entertained! The sides drew one-one less than three weeks ago. 

Brightlingsea Regent have had an eventful week with a managerial change, and Ryan Salter’s first match in permanent charge is the visit of Sporting Bengal United. Regent could even end it in the top five if they win and other results go their way, but with only one win from seven might need that ‘new manager boost’ to do so; whilst the visitors have suddenly hit form, their victory over Brentwood Town in midweek their third out of four. They’ll be hoping to complete a Regent double, having defeated their hosts two-nil in East London two and a half weeks ago.

Managerless (as we write) Ipswich Wanderers have been on a terrible run. Nine matches without a win and seven defeats have seen them plunge to the bottom of the table, and they’ll be desperate to put that right as Walthamstow head to Suffolk. Stow are still looking for some kind of consistency, but are looking to go four unbeaten- and they did defeat Wanderers in East London in September, an incredible seven goal thriller which saw the winning goal arrive four minutes into added time. 

It’s twentieth v nineteenth as Newmarket Town welcome Maldon and Tiptree. The Jockeys have only one win in ten, and have taken only two points from their last five matches; whilst the visiting Jammers would be glad of that record, having lost five in a row- four of them by one goal to nil. Maldon changed their manager earlier this week, so will hope that new boss Brett Munyard, who made the move from Brightlingsea Regent, will give them a boost. A win for either side could lift them out of the bottom four- a draw won’t. 

Concord Rangers are on a poor run, six without a win, and will hope to put that right as Mildenhall Town visit the Island. Hall are looking to go four unbeaten, and are also looking for revenge for the one-nil defeat they suffered at their Riverside Stadium in September.