It’s a Premier Trophy Saturday!

Bedford Town are the hosts for Hendon. Town currently sit in second place in Pitching In Southern Premier Central, having had a fine start to the campaign after promotion last season, and are looking for a fourth successive win- a sixth game unbeaten. The Greens have also started the season positively, and should be in a positive frame of mind after ending a winless run with victory over Cray Valley PM last weekend.

Bowers and Pitsea welcome another side from Bedford- this one Real Bedford (perhaps to distinguish themselves from the Salvador Dali managed Surreal Bedford?) The visitors are in fine form- a draw against Ware last weekend ended a five match winning streak which included victory over Walthamstow in the First Qualifying Round- and they’ve won back to back promotions to reach Step Four. Bowers have won two of their last three, and were superb against Dulwich Hamlet last weekend.

Brentwood Town host Cray Wanderers in a North v Premier clash. With two Play Off Final shootout defeats in three years the Blues will think themselves unlucky not to be a Premier side themselves, and are looking for a third successive win; whilst Wands have lost only one of eight in all competitions so certainly won’t expect to end up as slain giants. 

We’ve an all-Premier clash as Chatham Town take on Wingate and Finchley. The Chats have lost four in a row in all competitions so will want to turn that around and end an indifferent start to the season, whilst the Blues have been rather inconsistent but shocked Dover Athletic on the Kent coast last weekend and in Ogo Obi have a striker in form, with nine goals from eleven appearances so far.

Chertsey Town welcome Isthmian opposition for the second weekend in a row, the Pitching In South Premier side taking on Billericay Town. The travelling Blues picked up the Vita Risk Solutions Manager of the Month and uhlsport Golden Gloves Awards for September this week, which should tell you enough about their form, and are in second place in our Premier Division- the only unbeaten side. The Curfews have had an inconsistent start to life at Step Three but are on a good run, only one defeat from six which includes knockout wins over Raynes Park Vale and Ashford United.

Chichester City take on Herne Bay, Premier v South East. City are having a fine first Premier campaign, and come into this one with only one defeat in eight, whilst Bay have been so busy in Cup competitions that they’ve managed only three games in the league. This will be their tenth cup tie of the season so far, and they’ve already got a Premier scalp under their belts, having defeated Hendon in the FA Cup. Last season Bay took four points from their league meetings with City, including a three-one win at Oaklands Park in January. 

We’ve an all-Premier tie as Dartford and Dulwich Hamlet meet at Princes Park. Both sides have hit a bit of a bump in the road, the Darts with only one win in four in all competitions, Hamlet seeing a good run crash to an end at Bowers and Pitsea last weekend and following that up with a draw in Chichester in midweek. 

Another all-Premier tie sees Dover Athletic welcome Cheshunt, although Athletic would probably like the match to be reversed as they’ve been much better on the road this season. Unbeaten on their travels in all competitions, the hosts have lost three times at home, including against Wingate & Finchley last weekend. That said, the Ambers have lost their last three, and their only victory on the road came against Step Five opposition in the shape of Great Yarmouth Town.

Folkestone Invicta and Ascot United meet in a Premier v South Central tie, both sides hoping to get back to winning ways. Invicta have only one win from five in all competitions, and lost at Chichester City last weekend; whilst the Yellas have seen a seven match winning streak followed by two defeats.

Hadley of Pitching in Southern Division One Central are the hosts for Carshalton Athletic, and they certainly shouldn’t be underestimated by the Robins. Top of their Division and without a league defeat, they’ve already defeated two Isthmian sides in the competition, Grays Athletic and Ipswich Wanderers departing in the previous two rounds. That said, Athletic are six unbeaten in all competitions, and looking for a third win in a row.

Hashtag United are yet to find any consistency this season, but have shown patches of excellence  despite that. They welcome Hitching Town to Parkside, the visitors bottom of Pitching In Southern Premier Central- but looking much improved, having followed an eight match losing run at the start of the season with a win and a draw in their last two.

Leatherhead, who picked up our South Central Shepherd Neame Performance of the Month Award for their win over Dulwich Hamlet in the Cup last month, will be hoping to slay another giant as Hastings United come to call. The Tanners have had a strange season so far, surprisingly struggling in the League whilst winning a series of knockout ties, whilst their visitors got back to winning ways in the League in midweek but are without a win on the road since August 13th. 

Horsham make the long trip to far reaches of Suffolk, as they take on Leiston. The Hornets haven’t yet hit the heights of last season, but despite that have only one defeat from their last six- although they’ve won only once on the road this season. Their Pitching In Southern Premier Central hosts will be rather pleased with themselves after knocking National League South side Hornchurch out of the Cup in midweek, and have lost only one of ten- and are looking for a third Isthmian scalp of the campaign having knocked Waltham Abbey and Brentwood Town out of the FA Cup.

Lewes, shaken by that defeat at Potters Bar Town last weekend, will hope to get themselves back on track as Bracknell Town come to call. That hammering by the Scholars was the Rooks first league defeat this season, whilst the travelling Robins sit in mid table in Pitching In Southern Premier South, mainly due to managing to draw six of their nine league matches so far- including the last five, a run which was only punctured by an FA Cup loss against our very own South Park Reigate. 

Maldon and Tiptree and Canvey Island meet in a North v Premier showdown, and an Essex derby. The Jammers brightest moments of late have come in this competition, and indeed their only win in four came on penalties against Corby Town in the last round. The Gulls will be looking to bounce back from narrow Cup defeat in Biggleswade on Sunday, but had won four of their previous five so shouldn’t be short on self-belief. 

Another all-Premier tie comes from Kings Langley, where Potters Bar Town are having a marvellous season despite having to spend it all ‘away’ from home. The Scholars, who became the first side to defeat League leaders Lewes last weekend- and did it in real style, five-nil- are up in third place and without a ‘home’ defeat since opening day, and they will be rather happy to face the Hawks as they look for revenge for a two-nil loss at the Enclosed Ground a fortnight ago. Whitehawk have been very good on their own patch, but haven’t yet managed a win on the road, so all of that makes the Scholars the favourites. Remember, away fans, you’re heading to Kings Langley, not to Potters Bar!

Ramsgate and Cray Valley PM spent all of last season fighting over the Pitching In Isthmian South East title, a battle which the Millers eventually won, so there will be enormous motivation amongst the hosts to gain some revenge when the two sides meet tomorrow. The Rams will, on paper at least, be the underdogs- but after a one hundred percent start to the league season we don’t expect there to be much between the sides. Cray Valley have adapted well to life in the top flight, but a few injuries and suspensions of late hasn’t helped their form, and their only win in five came in the Kent Cup against Ashford United.

Another Premier v South East tie comes from Sittingbourne, where the Brickies meet Bognor Regis Town. Sittingbourne have been almost perfect at home this season- only defeat against Plymouth Parkway in the Cup last weekend blotting their copybook- and will be confident of causing an upset, whilst the Rocks have been the very epitome of inconsistency so far this season, and you never seem to know what you’re going to get. They took on South East opposition- Margate- in the FA Cup three weeks ago and were on the end of a hammering, so they’ll want to make sure that doesn’t happen again, and yet on occasions they’ve looked rather magnificent, so…who knows!