CLAPTON COMMUNITY CURRENTLY TOP OF THE TABLE IN THE THURLOW NUNN FIRST DIVISION SOUTH

POS	TEAM	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	PTS	FORM
1.	CLAPTON COMMUNITY	29	15	11	3	57	34	+23	56	WLWWDW
2.	HARLOW TOWN	27	15	6	6	59	35	+24	51	LWWDWW
3.	HUTTON	27	16	3	8	55	37	+18	51	DWWLLD
4.	BENFLEET	22	15	4	3	51	15	+36	49	LWWWWD
5.	DUNMOW TOWN	27	15	2	10	63	50	+13	47	LWDWLW
6.	WORMLEY ROVERS	24	13	7	4	52	23	+29	46	WDWWDL
7.	CANNONS WOOD	27	12	10	5	65	41	+24	46	WDDDDD
8.	CLAPTON	25	11	3	11	45	53	-8	36	WLLWWD

PROMOTION TO STEP FIVE 

QUALIFCATION FOR THE PLAY-OFFS

Clapton Community are currently top of The Thurlow Nunn First Division South but are closely followed by Harlow Town and Hutton who are five points back with two games in hand. Benfleet are back in fourth place with a massive seven games in hand over Clapton Community and just seven points behind. 

Dunmow Town were well in the title race but a run of six defeats in row in late October and November has seen them drop down to fifth place. It's then Wormley Rovers and Cannons Wood in the mix for a play-off place with Clapton FC possibly too far back on 36 points but still in with a chance but they will need a good winning run of form I think to finish in the top five. 

CLAPTON FC SHOW A BIG TURN AROUND IN FORM

The Tons had a difficult start to the season but following the return of Qayum Shakoor (Director of Football) and Mustafa Bashkal (Manager) in September their form has really picked up as you can see from the below comparison - They have gone from conceded an average of 2.92 goals per game to 1.25 goals per game. 

GAMES	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	PTS	PPG
FIRST 13	13	3	2	8	18	38	-20	11	0.85
LAST 12	12	8	1	3	27	15	+12	25	2.08

CLAPTON COMMUNITY AND HARLOW TOWN TOP OF THE CROWD STATS 

It's no surprise to see Clapton Community and Harlow Town are the best supported clubs in the division. CCFC were formed by the Clapton Ultras in 2018 and are celebrated in 2023 with the men's team finally moving into The Old Spotted Dog ground after a huge amount of work off the field by loyal supporters.  

The Hawks re-joined the football pyramid in the summer after withdrawing from Step Four midway through the 22/23 campaign due to problems with their pitch.

Clapton CFC have an league average of 363 with a top attendance of 782 for the Clapton Derby on Tuesday 17th October. They also had 539 versus Cannons Wood, 465 versus Benfleet and 569 versus Barkingside. They also had a crowd of 1,153 for the Brian Lomax Supporters Direct Shield Final in July. 

Harlow Town have a league average of 367 with their best being 507 versus Dunmow Town.

If you look at the Isthmian North Division (Step 4) crowds for this only the Suffolk clubs Stowmarket Town, Bury Town, Felixstowe & Walton United and Lowestoft Town beat these averages. 

BENFLEET & HUTTON NEXT BEST PLACED

Benfleet have had an amazing season both on and off the pitch. On the playing side they have seen Manager Alex Salmon depart for Isthmian North side Enfield FC in September - He had been with the club since the summer of 2022 and was replaced by Lee Scott as player/manager. The club have been ground sharing with Canvey Island so they can play at Step Six but there are plans in place to move back to a new improved enclosed and floodlit Manor Road home in the near future. This is great news for local community. 

Hutton are in a similar situation to Benfleet having to ground share with Billericay Town to play at Step Six. The Essex Olympian Premier Division Champions are having a brilliant first season at this level of football under the management of Matt Singh. 

Three of the current top eight teams are in their debut seasons at Step Six - Clapton CFC (Middlesex County League Champions), Hutton (as above) and Dunmow Town (Essex & Suffolk Border Champions). 

ONE WIN IN TEN - PARK VIEW BOTTOM OF THE TABLE

At the bottom of the table its been a difficult campaign for Park View who did report they had no other choice than to fold and pull out of the league in September as they had struggled to keep up with costs and were unable to provide a venue for training. Thankfully they have continued on but only have five wins for twenty-four games played. They have one win in their last ten league games with nine defeats. They have used a total of 70 players in their games so far. Hopefully the North London side can turn things around soon!

Their next games are tough as they host Hutton on Saturday and Cannons Wood on Saturday 20th July. 

CANNONS WOOD ANOTHER TEAM TO CHANGE THEIR MANAGEMENT  

Cannons Wood parted company with Manager Franco Zabotti in October who has recently been appointed boss of Essex Senior League side Athletic Newham. 

In the last few week Cannons Wood have appointed the experienced Marc Benterman as boss - He has previously been in charge of Haverhill Rovers, Debenham LC, Halstead Town , Witham Town, Basildon United and Stansted. 

They also announced the signings of defender Moses Carvalho from Southern League Division One Central side Hadley and Attacking Midfielder Samuel Adetiba from Essex Senior League side Stansted who was with FC Romania last season.

FORTHCOMING FIXTURES 

FRIDAY 12th JANUARY 

Basildon Town v May & Baker

SATURDAY 13th JANUARY

Clapton v Barkingside

Dunmow Town v Enfield Borough

Harlow Town v Hackney Wick

Newbury Forest v Cannons Wood

Park View v Hutton

Southend Manor v Brimsdown

St Margaretsbury v Clapton Community

Tower Hamlets v Benfleet

Wormley Rovers v Hoddesdon Town

There will be a minute's applause prior to the Harlow Town v Hackney Wick game to remember Steve Clark who was Stadium Supervisor and most recently Boardroom Host for The Hawks. He was a friend to many fans at the club and sadly passed away recently.  

WEDNESDAY 17th JANUARY

Barkingside v Benfleet

Basildon Town v St Margaretsbury

Dunmow Town v Hackney Wick 

FRIDAY 19th JANUARY

May & Baker v Burnham Ramblers

SATURDAY 20th JANUARY 

Barkingside v Harlow Town

Brimsdown v Tower Hamlets

Clapton Community v Newbury Forest

Hackney Wick v NW London

Hoddesdon Town v Enfield Borough

Park View v Cannons Wood

Southend Manor v Wormley Rovers