Sunday 19 March 2017

#DROPWATCH IN THE RYMAN PREMIER DIVISION


RYMAN PRMIER DIVISION 
CURRENT TABLE - BOTTOM NINE ONLY
POS TEAM P GD PTS PP FORM
16 CANVEY ISLAND 40 -25 47 65 LWWWWW
17 FOLKESTONE INVICTA 39 -9 45 66 DLLWLL
18 MERSTHAM 36 -1 44 74 WDDLWL
19 KINGSTONIAN 38 -9 44 68 DDLLLL
20 BURGESS HILL TOWN 38 -19 43 67 LLWLLD
21 LEATHERHEAD 39 -4 41 62 WDLWWL
22 HENDON 39 -27 41 62 LLWWLW
23 AFC SUDBURY  39 -20 40 61 LLWLLL
24 GRAYS ATHLETIC  40 -46 32 50 LWWLLL


How tough the step up from Level 4 to Level 3 on the non-league ladder can be is perfectly illustrated by the battle to avoid relegation from the Ryman Premier Division. 

Both the Division One North and South Champions from last season are in danger of returning. Folkestone Invicta (17th) and AFC Sudbury (23rd) both comfortably won their respective titles last campaign. Burgess Hill Town were the 2015 D1(S) champions and are joined in the battle to beat the drop by the 2015 D1(S) play off winners (Merstham) and 2014 play-off winner's Leatherhead.  

Canvey Island who just a few weeks ago looked doomed to life in D1 (N) for the 2017/18 season have given themselves a real chance of staying up by winning their last five games in a row - they only won seven of their first thirty-five games! 

Both Hendon and Leatherhead have shown some real fight winning three of their last six games - Kingstonian fans (who will be ground sharing with Leatherhead next season) will be very anxious as The K's have not won in eight games picking up just two points from the twenty-four available.

Folkestone Invicta who have the worst away record in the division with just two wins in nineteen games have a tough week ahead with lots of mileage visiting Leiston on Tuesday followed by Lowestoft Town on Saturday - that's a total of around 640 miles travelled for just two games. This is after their trip to table topper's Bognor Regis Town on Saturday in which they were winning 0-1 at half-time only for The Rocks to run in 7 (seven) goals in the second half for the game to finish 7-1 and a 0-2 loss at Leatherhead last mid-week.  

On Saturday there are two fixtures that have a real feel of relegation six pointers - Make no mistake AFC Sudbury v Hendon and Burgess Hill Town v Kingstonian are massive games!

In the last three seasons the total points needed to finish outside the bottom four has been 51, 49 and 47 - Leatherhead and Hendon are on 41 points already with seven games to play so I would say this season teams will need 51 points (at least) to beat the drop. This would make teams from the Met Police (on 50 points in fifteenth placed) upwards just about safe - of course it's still mathematically possible for them to go down.  

#DROPWATCH FORTHCOMING FIXTURES

MONDAY 20th MARCH
DULWICH HAMLET V KINGSTONIAN 

TUESDAY 21st MARCH 
BURGESS HILL TOWN v HARLOW TOWN 
LEISTON v FOLKESTONE INVICTA 

SATURDAY 25th MARCH 
AFC SUDBURY v HENDON 
BOGNOR REGIS TOWN v CANVEY ISLAND 
BURGESS HILL TOWN v KINGSTONIAN 
GRAYS ATHLETIC v ENFIELD TOWN 
LEATHERHEAD v WINGATE AND FINCHLEY 
LOWESTOFT TOWN v FOLKESTONE INVICTA 
MET POLICE v MERSTHAM 

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