Top v bottom- can Bury extend their lead in a local derby?

Bury Town have opened up a six point lead at the top of the table, and will hope to extend that still further as they welcome bottom side Ipswich Wanderers. Town are looking for a fifth consecutive win, and have been almost perfect at home, whilst Wanderers have taken only two points from their last thirty and are looking to avoid a sixth consecutive defeat. Their last five matches have seen them concede twenty one goals whilst scoring three. 

Second place Felixstowe and Walton United got back to winning ways at Concord Rangers on Tuesday night after drawing the previous two, but have been close to invincible on their own patch, only Brightlingsea Regent escaping with as much as a point. Mildenhall Town, who are in their best form of the season with only one defeat from five, make the trip. 

Witham Town welcome Sporting Bengal United. Town have been particularly good on their own patch, with seven wins from nine so far, but they were less impressive in defeat against Cambridge City last weekend- a match they ended with nine men- and will want to quickly put that behind them. The visitors have lost three of their last four, and have particularly struggled away from the East End, still without a league win on their travels. They start the day three points- and one place- above the bottom four.

Fourth place Tilbury will try to spoil the Cambridge City party, as they travel to be the guests at the official opening of their hosts new stadium, which has been more than a decade in planning. The Dockers have taken one point from their last three matches and conceded seven goals at Waltham Abbey last weekend, so will want to quickly put that behind them; whilst City were impressive in defeating Witham Town last weekend and will hope to continue in similar fashion. We’ll have a report from this one, so long as the M25 doesn’t fall over!

Grays Athletic, in fifth, bounced back from an unexpected hammering at the hands of Wroxham last weekend to deliver an unexpected hammering to Brentwood Town in midweek. On form, Athletic are a match for anyone, and they welcome Haringey Borough to Chadfields, the visitors four points from safety and still searching for some consistent form. The only thing you can predict about Borough is that they are continually unpredictable, but they’ve gone four without a win and indeed have won only two of ten. Athletic have won six of their last seven.

Brightlingsea Regent, five unbeaten, will hope to leap into the top five this weekend- but they’ll need to defeat Brentwood Town to do so. The Blues will be stung by their midweek hammering at the hands of Grays, and they’ll need to distract themselves from their forthcoming FA Trophy tie against Southend United and focus on the bread and butter if they are to get involved in the promotion picture. They are four points away from the top five, but eighteen points behind the leaders. 

Waltham Abbey travel to Gorleston for a Greeen on Green battle. The Abbotts were superb in scoring seven against Grays last weekend, and have only lost one of their last nine;  whilst their hosts have lost three of their last four and find themselves in fourteenth, six points and seven places behind their visitors. 

Heybridge Swifts are on the road to Newmarket Town, and they’ll be rather happy about that as they’ve been much more successful on their travels than on their own patch this season. Swifts are only three points away from the top five, the Jockeys are four points from safety, and whilst the visitors have lost only one of their last five their hosts have only one win from eight. 

Walthamstow welcome Wroxham. And now we’re done with the alliteration, let’s think about the football! Stow are looking for a third successive win and to extend their unbeaten run to six matches, whilst the travelling Yachtsmen have looked revived since the return of Jordan Southgate, have lost only one of six, and were superb when walloping Grays Athletic last weekend. Stow are four points away from the top five, the visitors three points from safety.

Maldon and Tiptree, revitalised under new management, are the hosts for Redbridge. The Jammers are looking to go five games unbeaten and extend the- currently four point- gap between themselves and the bottom four, butb they’ve only won twice on their own patch this season, the last time back on October 8th. The travelling Motormen are rather inconsistent, but have lost only one of their last four- however they have only one win on the road. 

Concord Rangers and Basildon United meet in an Essex derby. The Beachboys are thirteenth, two points and one place behind their visitors, but neither side are in good form. The hosts have two wins from ten, the Bees three- but the visitors are looking to avoid a fifth successive defeat.