CHRISTMAS AT CAPERSHOTTS - A LOCAL DERBY FOR ENFIELD TOWN
Fixtures for Boxing Day Monday 26th December 2011
All 3pm unless stated - Please check with club's website first
Cheshunt v Potters Bar Town
Grays Athletic v Romford - kick off 12midday
Harlow Town v Ware - kick off 1pm
Ilford v Brentwood Town
Maldon and Tip v Heybridge Swifts
Needham Market v Leiston - kick off 12midday
Redbridge v Waltham Forest
Soham Town Ran v AFC Sudbury
Tilbury v Great Wakering Rovers - kick off 1pm
Waltham Abbey v Enfield Town
Thamesmead Town v Chatham Town - to be played on Tuesday 27th December kick off 3pm
Boxing Day sees a host of local derby games in the Ryman Division One (North) with the game of the day being the big Suffolk derby kicking off at Noon between top of the table Needham Market and fourth placed Leiston.
The last time the two County rivals played each other was in the 2009/10 Ridgeon's Eastern Counties League when Needham Market were crowned Champions with Leiston finishing in third place. Lesiton were the only side to do the double over the Marketmen that season with a 2-1 at Victory Road on Saturday 22nd August 2009 (Att - 196) and by the same scoreline Bloomfields on Tuesday 23rd March 2010 (Att - 284). Two of the goalscorers for Leiston in those matches were Stuart Boardley (currently in his second spell for the club after a spell at AFC Sudbury. Dead Ball specialist who has also represented Ipswich Town and Torquay United) and Lee McGlone (still at the club after a brief stay at Lowestoft Town) who are still at the club.
Just under 30 miles of Suffolk back roads separate the two rivals. A win for Leiston would put them back to just one point below Needham Market.
The two club's reserve sides are also fighting it out at the top of their respective league. As you can see from the below table Leiston Reserves are top and Needham Market Res in second place in the Ridgeon's Reserve Division (North).
Ridgeons Reserve Division (North) - Current Table - Top Three Only
HOME AWAY TOTAL
P W D L GF GA P W D L GF GA P W D L GF GA GD PTS
1. Leiston Res 7 6 1 0 29 10 6 6 0 0 26 10 13 12 1 0 55 20 +35 37
2. Needham Market Res 9 7 0 2 31 17 7 4 1 2 16 10 16 11 1 4 47 27 +20 34
3. Gorleston Res 5 5 0 0 20 4 8 5 2 1 27 16 13 10 2 1 47 20 +27 32
Leiston Res v Needham Market Res - Saturday 11th February
Needham Market Res v Leiston Res - To be arranged
Highest Crowd of the season so far was for the Great Yarmouth Derby between Gorleston and Great Yarmouth Town. Seventy-six people saw Gorleston win 2-0 on Tuesday 22nd November.
Another hotly anticipated derby comes at The Wallace Binder Stadium where Maldon and Tiptree welcome local rivals Heybridge Swifts, who make the ultra short two mile journey from Scraley Road.
Not many fans of the two Essex rivals would of thought this game would be 19th v 9th in the table when looking at the fixture list at the start of the season as both were expected to do much better this season.
Maldon have the hardest task of reaching the play-offs now with a total of 18 points from their 19 games so far. There are 69 points to play with in their remaining 23 games so there is still a chance but with an average points total of 75 to reach fifth place over the last three years they will need to aim for a total 57 points out of those 69 points. That's a percentage of 83% which is put in perspective when you read last season's champions East Thurrock United had a points percentage total of 79%. Maldon's current percentage is 32%.
Most games have a local feel to them such as Cheshunt v Potters Bar Town, Harlow Town v Ware and Redbridge v Waltham Forest.
The Hawks who face struggling Ware have made two recent signings in ex Towner Jeff Hammond and promising 19 year old goalkeeper Charlie Mann. Hammond, who had a short spell at Barrows Farm last season, joins from Waltham Forest whilst Mann makes the move from Division One (South) crisis club Croydon Athletic. He was born in Harlow and has played for Crystal Palace and Arsenal as a youth team player.
There is one game on Bank Holiday Tuesday afternoon when Thamesmead Town entertain Chatham Town in the 'South of the River North' derby game.
All that's left is for The Cold End to wish you all a very Merry Christmas.
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