PROMOTION - HOW ARE CONCORD AND WHITEHAWK GETTING ON?

 

Last season's Ryman Premier Division Champions Whitehawk were expected to do well in this season's Skrill South Division. They were backed in from 28/1 to around 14/1 for the title at the beginning of the season but so far have won three and lost four of their seven league games. They are currently placed in thirteenth position. They have won their last two games 1-0 at home to Basingstoke Town and a 0-2 away victory at Chelmsford City whom have struggled under new boss Dean Holdsworth. Could this be a indication that Darren Freeman's strong and impressive looking squad are finding their feet at Step 2 of the non-league ladder and will start to move up the division in the next few weeks?

Tom Cadmore (new signing for this season from Hayes and Yeading) and Jacob Erskine (another summer signing formerly of Dartford and Gillingham) scored their goals on Saturday. The Hawks welcome Havant and Waterlooville to The Enclosed Ground tonight who are in seventeenth place. They had two good 0-0 draws at Eastleigh and Ebbsfleet United in their first two away games and lost 2-1 at Bishops Stortford in their third trip away from home. Whitehawk look a good bet at a value 6/5 to record a victory tonight? They face another home game on Saturday when currently 3rd place Weston-Super-Mare visit.

Concord Rangers are currently in eleventh place with a decent record of two wins, three draws and two defeats in their first seven games. Their wins have come impressively away at Dover Athletic (0-1 on 24/8/13) and more recently at home to Dorchester Town (1-0 on 7/9/13). The Beachboys face a really tough game at home this evening when they entertain second placed Bromley (five wins and two defeats from seven) and then entertain Maidenhead United (currently 7th) on Saturday.

The tough step up to the Skrill South Division is indicated by the fact The Hawks have scored 9 in 7 games and The Beachboys only 6 in 7. Compared to their first seven games in the Ryman Premier 2012/13 season there is a big difference as Whitehawk scored 15 and Concord 10 goals. The improvement the Essex side have made over the past few seasons is shown in the fact last season they let in 15 goals in their first seven league games and in this campaign they have been very hard to beat only conceding 7.

Currently The Hawks are 18/1 for the title with Rangers rated at 50/1 with skybet.com. Table topper's Eastleigh are favourites at 5/4.