Jake Leberi was appointed as Manager in December - He has been player and Assistant Manager in previous spells at The Crabble. He took over from Mitch Brundle who had been in place since January.
The Kent club have recorded just three wins from their thirty-four league games played which have come home and away against Slough Town (1-0 and 2-1) and at home to Aveley (2-1). They are currently on run of ten league games without a win and the prospect of a second relegation in three seasons is on the cards barring a spectacular turn around in form. They avoided the drop last season by goal difference of +2 goals. Weymouth (-19), Dover Athletic (-26) and Dulwich Hamlet (-28) all have 48 points from 46 games played.
If Slough Town hadn't slipped up in those two games they would be fifth place instead of their current tenth position.
The 24/25 season is likely to be the first time The Whites will play at Step Three of the non-league ladder since 2009. They finished fifth in non-league's top division in the 15/16 season where Cheltenham Town, Forest Green Rovers, Grimsby Town, Tranmere Rovers and Wrexham are now football league clubs from the top eight finishing positions.
Their starting XI in the recent 0-1 defeat at home to St Albans City including goalkeeper Daniel Jinadu (goalkeeeper recently signed on loan from Maidenhead United), Scott Holding (defender signed in December on loan from Watford) and centre forward Destiny Oladipo who has recently signed and started the season with Isthmian Premier Division side Carshalton Athletic.
LAST THREE AND NEXT THREE
Sat 10th Feb - Worthing L 4-6
Sat 17th Feb - DARTFORD L 1-2
Tue 20th Feb - ST ALBANS CITY L 0-1
Sat 24th Feb - Chippenham Town (15th)
Sat 2nd Mar - MAIDSTONE UNITED (6th)
Sat 9th Mar - Weston-Super-Mare (16th)
Havant & Waterlooville were expected to be one of the teams towards the top end of the division this season but it hasn't worked out that way and The Hawks are now facing the prospect of relegation to Step Three where they last spent one season in 16/17 when they won the Isthmian Premier Division. Since then they won the South Division in 17/18 and spent one season in non-league's top division. Jamie Collins started the season as Manager having been in place since March 2023 when Paul Doswell moved to a Director of Football role. He was sacked in September and former Gloucester City, Dartford and Lewes boss Steve King was appointed. He was sacked in early December and now Cliff De Gordon, Ross Betteridge and Richard Pope being named as Interim Co-Managers.
Since the trio took over they have won six games from thirteen games played but they are still nine points away from safety - their record of one win from their first twenty league games may well be their downfall. Below is a form comparison.
| BEFORE/AFTER | P | W | D | L | GF-GA | GD | PTS | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BEFORE | 20 | 1 | 3 | 16 | 19-48 | -29 | 6 | 0.30 |
| AFTER | 13 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 20-19 | +1 | 18 | 1.38 |
They have just one win on their travels which came recently on the 1st January when they won 2-4 at Farnborough. Their starting XI recent midweek defeat at Eastbourne Borough included defender Kwaku Donkor who recently joined on loan from League One side Blackpool. Nathan Carlyle, also a defender, has recently joined on loan from St Albans City and Midfielder Callum Kealy who left Havant in October to join Eastbourne but returned in late January.
Centre-Forward Muhammadu Faal, who scored 30 goals in 72 league and cup games since joining Havant in the summer of 2022, has recently left the club to join fellow National League South side Maidstone United.
LAST THREE AND NEXT THREE
Sat 3rd Feb - CHELMSFORD CITY W 2-1
Sat 17th Feb - Yeovil Town L 0-1
Tue 20th Feb - Eastbourne Borough L 1-2
Sat 24th Feb - BATH CITY (4th)
Tue 27th Feb - Hampton & Richmond Borough (8th)
Sat 2nd Mar - Hemel Hempstead Town (13th)
Eastbourne Borough are another club to change management over the course of the season. Danny Bloor who took The Sports to a 6th and 8th place finish over the past two seasons was replaced by Mark Beard who had been on the coaching team at National League side Dorking Wanderers which coincided with a change in ownership with the club.
The new boss is Adam Murray who was appointed in early January. The below shows a comparison of league form since the former Mansfield Town, Boston United and AFC Fylde boss was appointed.
| BEFORE/AFTER | P | W | D | L | GF-GA | GD | PTS | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BEFORE | 26 | 6 | 5 | 15 | 29-49 | -20 | 23 | 0.88 |
| AFTER | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 8-12 | -4 | 7 | 1.00 |
Murray has made a number of signings - Centre Forward Siyabonga Ligendza has joined initially on loan but now on a permanent basis from his former club AFC Fylde, Defender Moussa Diarra has joined from Barnet on loan having spent the first part of the season with Dartford, Australian Forward Finn Ballard-McBride has joined after spending time in the USA, Defender Pierce Bird is another join on loan from AFC Fylde, Midfielder Ollie Turner on loan from Aldershot Town and striker Jake Hutchinson has joined on loan from Scottish League One side Queen of The South. He spent time on loan with Eastbourne Borough last season when he was a Colchester United player.
Alfie Bendle has joined on loan from Forest Green Rovers and is another in his second spell with the club having spent some of the 22/23 season on loan from AFC Wimbledon.
LAST THREE AND NEXT THREE
Sat 3rd Feb - Bath City L 0-1
Sat 17th Feb - CHELMSFORD CITY L 0-3
Tue 20th Feb - HAVANT & WATERLOOVILLE W 2-1
Sat 24th Feb - Weston-Super-Mare (16th)
Sat 2nd Mar - Tonbridge Angels (12th)
Tue 5th Mar - Hampton & Richmond Borough (8th)
Like their relegation rival's have changed management this season. After his departure from Eastbourne Borough Danny Bloor took over at Park View Road in the summer when Warren Feeney left to join Northern Irish Premier League side Glentoran.
Former Chelmsford City, Aveley, Braintree Town and Brentwood Town boss Rod Stringer took over as Manager in late January after Bloor's departure.
Since Stringer has come in they have beaten Hampton & Richmond Borough (2-1) and had an eye catching 4-1 win over play-off/title chasing Worthing as well as draws against Tonbridge Angels and Taunton Town.
19 year old Sonny Fish signed on loan from League Two Crawley Town has netted three goals in their last two games.
LAST THREE AND NEXT THREE
Sat 3rd Feb - TAUNTON TOWN D 0-0
Sat 17th Feb - TONBRIDGE ANGELS D 2-2
Tue 20th Feb - WORTHING W 4-1
Sat 24th Feb - St Albans City (5th)
Tue 27th Feb - TRURO CITY (19th)
Sat 2nd March - BRAINTREE TOWN (7th)
Just above the drop zone are Taunton Town and Truro City. Taunton Town have had an eventful season off the pitch with a winding up petition and transfer embargo recently lifted when money owed to the HMRC was paid.
Truro City who have been ground sharing with Plymouth Parkway (just over 100 mile round trip from Truro) have recently announced a move to Taunton for the remainder of the season which is a 255 mile round trip - this follows a number of postponements at Bolitho Park.
The Peacocks haven't won a league game since Saturday 9th December when they won 4-0 at home to Farnborough and in their last game they were beaten 6-0 at St Albans City. Their next three games against teams around their position could well shape what league they are playing in next season.
TAUNTON TOWN LAST THREE AND NEXT THREE
Sat 3rd Feb - Welling United D 0-0
Tue 6th Feb - TRURO CITY D 0-0
Sat 10th Feb - St Albans City L 0-6
Sat 24th Feb - Dartford (18th)
Tue 27th Feb - WESTON-SUPER-MARE (16th)
Sat 2nd Mar - Truro City (19th)
TRURO CITY LAST THREE AND NEXT THREE
Tue 6th Feb - Taunton Town D 0-0
Sat 17th Feb - Farnborough L 2-3
Tue 20th Feb - Bath City L 1-2
Sat 24th Feb - HEMEL HEMPSTEAD TOWN
Tue 27th Feb - Welling United
Sat 2nd Mar - TRURO CITY
CURRENT FORM OF BOTTOM SIX
LAST TEN LEAGUE GAMES
| TEAM | P | W | D | L | GF-GA | GD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TRURO CITY | 10 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 13-15 | -2 | 13 |
| WELLING UNITED | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 13-15 | -2 | 12 |
| HAVANT | 10 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 11-16 | -5 | 9 |
| EASTBOURNE BOROUGH | 10 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 8-20 | -12 | 7 |
| TAUNTON TOWN | 10 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 6-21 | -15 | 5 |
| DOVER ATHLETIC | 10 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 9-20 | -11 | 4 |
LEAGUE TABLE COURTESY OF FOOTBALLWEBPAGES.CO.UK
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