Thursday 9 September 2021

PITCHING IN ISTHMIAN LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION WEEKEND PREVIEW

CURRENT LEAGUE TABLE
POS TEAM P  GD PTS
1.  KINGSTONIAN  4 +7 12
2.  ENFIELD TOWN  4 +5 10
3.  FOLKESTONE INVICTIA   +5  10  
4.   HARINGEY BOROUGH   4 +5 9
5.  MARGATE  4 +2 8
6.  CARSHALTON ATHLETIC  4 +3
7.   BRIGHTLINGSEA REGENT   +1 7
8.  HORNCHURCH   +3 
9.  CRAY WANDERERS  +1
10.   WORTHING   0
11.  CHESHUNT  4 +2 
12.  BOGNOR REGIS TOWN 4 +1 5
13.  LEWES  4 0 5
14.  EAST THURROCK UNITED   -2 
15.   HORSHAM  4 -1 4
16.  WINGATE & FINCHLEY  4 -3 4
17.  LEATHERHEAD  4 -4
18.   POTTERS BAR TOWN  4 -5 3
19.  MERSTHAM  -6  3
20.  BISHOPS STORTFORD  4 +5
21.   CORTHIAN CASUALS  -4
22.   BOWERS & PITSEA  4 -5 1  

FIXTURES 
Bishop's Stortford v Hornchurch 
Bognor Regis Town v Carshalton Athletic 
Bowers & Pitsea v Wingate & Finchley 
Cheshunt v Merstham 
Folkestone Invicta v Horsham 
Haringey Borough v Corinthian-Casuals 
Kingstonian v Brightlingsea Regent 
Lewes v Enfield Town 
Margate v Leatherhead 
Worthing v East Thurrock United

Kingstonian are the only team left with a 100% winning record but made somewhat hard work of getting past Spartan South Midlands Premier Division side Oxhey Jets in the FA Cup winning 8-1 (it was 1-0 at half time) in a Wenesday night reply after a 2-2 draw in Hertfordshire on Saturday.  The K's made some changes to their starting line up in the first game with Daniel Ajakaiye, Nyren Clunis and Gus Sow all on the bench. They have scored seven of the nine league goals scored so far in the league and are likely to be in the starting line up in their home game against Brightlingsea Regent. Ajakaiye and Sow started the replay with Sow netting one of the goals and Ajakaiye a hat-trick.  

Regent have made a decent start to their league campaign but lost 3-2 in the FA Cup at Southern Premier Central side Leiston on Saturday. They have two clean sheets in their home games (against Merstham and Leatherhead) which ended in a 2-0 win and a 1-1 draw. They have also got a point away from home at East Thurrock United and lost 2-0 at Enfield Town - I saw the game versus Town and can say Regent played some great football in the first half but sat back in the second with their former Stansted keeper Charlie Turner making some great saves to keep the score down. 

It's a special day for Turner's opposite number on Saturday as K's keeper Rob Tolfrey will break the club's record appearance in his 558th game for the club which is a truly remarkable achievement. 

Two teams who were (and still are) expected to do well this season meet at The ProKit UK Stadium. Hornchurch who famously won the 2021 FA Trophy and have, on paper, one of the best squads in the division have won two and lost two in the league. They drew 1-1 at home to Barton Rovers in the FA Cup but like The K's won their reply comfortably 1-4 with Sam Higgins scoring a hat-trick.    

With a forward line of Higgins and Liam Nash The Urchins will never be without goals - they have only failed to score in one game against Kingstonian so far which maybe another indication how strong The K's are.

Bishop's Stortford have drawn two and lost two games so far but did get a confidence boosting 3-0 FA Cup win over Lowestoft Town on Saturday with Jake Cass bagging a hat-trick. The Blues have conceded nine goals in just four games - Looking at the statistics the chances of The Blues keeping a clean sheet against a quality Hornchurch is low but I'm here to be proved wrong.

MOST GOALS SCORED CHART


The only sides below The Blues in the early table are Corinthian Casuals and Bowers & Pitsea

Bowers lost their opening three games of the season but have since drawn 2-2 at Bishops Stortford and 0-5 away from home at Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division side Arlesey Town in the FA Cup at the weekend. Lewis Manor has been in superb form scoring five times (two penalty kicks) in the last two games so is likely to be full of confidence going into their home game against Wingate & Finchley. New Wingate boss Marc Weatherstone, who was a centre-back during his playing days, will be wanting his team to tighten up at the back having let in an average of two goals a game so far. The North London side will be in a confident mood after their 1-6 victory over Bower's neighbour's Basildon United in their midweek FA Cup replay. Ibrahim Meite, who spent time with League of Ireland side last season, scored two goals in the game to follow up his goal in their 4-1 defeat at Haringey Borough in his debut for the club. 

Since there promotion from the Isthmian Division One (South) Corinthian Casuals have struggled towards the bottom of the table finishing 17th in 18/19 and they were 19th in the curtailed 19/20 season. 

They recorded a memorable FA Cup replay win against Worthing in midweek with Bobby Mills scoring two goals. The Chocolate & Pinks are currently second from bottom in the table but when you delve in a little bit further into their results they don't look that bad aside from the 1-3 defeat away from home to Potters Bar Town on the opening day of the season. 

James Bracken's side have lost narrowly at home to Folkestone Invicta and Kingstonian by 0-1 and drawn 2-2 at Wingate & Finchley. After their midweek Cup excitement It's a tough game for them this weekend on the road at Haringey Borough who are joint top scorers in the league so far. 

ENFIELD TOWN FANS MADE THEIR OWN EXECUTIVE BOX AT THE DRIPPING PAN IN 2012

Enfield Town have made a great start to the season but have a tough trip to The Dripping Pan this weekend to face Lewes who were another side expected to do well this season but have so far stuttered with one win, two draws and one defeat along with Metropolitan Police knocking them out of the FA Cup. In former Cray Wanderers striker Joe Taylor they have one o the most prolific goal-scorers in the division - He netted thirteen goals in the curtailed 20/21 season and thirty-two in the 19/20 season. With four league goals so far he tops the scoring charts with a large number of players on three goals including Town's Mo Faal who has made a great start to his second spell with the North London club after he spent time last season with Bolton Wanderers and Barnet.

MOST GOALS CONCEDED CHART 

PITCHING IN ISTMIAN PREMIER FA CUP RESULTS 

Key
STEP 3
STEP 4
STEP 5

OUT
Bognor Regis Town - Hayes & Yeading L 3-4
Brightlingsea Regent - Leiston L 2-3 
Cray Wanderers - Sutton Common Rovers L 1-3
Haringey Borough - Peterborough Sports L 1-2  
Lewes - Metropolitan Police L 1-2
Potters Bar Town - Stowmarket Town L 1-2
Worthing - Corinthian Casuals D 1-1 & L 1-3 

IN
Bishops Stortford - Lowestoft Town W 3-0
Bowers & Pitsea - Arlesey Town W 5-0 
Carshalton Athletic - Kennington W 3-0
Cheshunt - Brentwood Town W 2-0 
Corinthian Casuals - Worthing D 1-1 & W 3-1 
East Thurrock United - Cambridge City W 3-1 
Enfield Town - Dereham Town W 2-1 
Folkestone Invicta - Corinthian W 3-2 
Hornchurch - Barton Rovers D 1-1 & W 4-1 
Horsham - Haywards Heath Town D 1-1 &
Kingstonian - Oxhey Jets D 2-2 & 
Leatherhead - Whitstable Town D 2-2 & W 1-0 
Margate - Thame United D 2-2 & W 4-2 
Merstham - Balham W 2-0 
Wingate & Finchley - Basildon United D 1-1 & W 6-1 


STATS 

TEAMS WITH 100% WINNING RECORD 
KINGSTONIAN 

TEAMS LEFT WITHOUT DEFEAT
KINGSTONIAN, FOLKESTONE INVICTA, MARGATE & ENFIELD TOWN 

TEAMS WITHOUT A WIN 
BOWERS & PITSEA, CORINTHIAN CASUALS & BISHOPS STORTFORD 

MOST GOALS SCORED 
9 - HARINGEY BOROUGH & KINGSTONIAN 

MOST GOALS CONCEDED  
11 - BOWERS & PITSEA 
9 - BISHOPS STORTFORD & POTTERS BAR TOWN 

LEAST GOALS SCORED
1 - MERSTHAM 

TWO PREDICTIONS FROM THE COLD END

Cheshunt to beat Merstham who have failed to score in three out of four of their league games. The Ambers were unlucky not to score in their local derby defeat to Enfield Town. 

Both teams to score in the Bowers & Pitsea v Wingate & Finchley game. 

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