VANARAMA SOUTH WEEKEND PREVIEW

Chelmsford City v Eastbourne Borough 

City were runner's up last season but have lost three of their nine games played so far and are in 13th place - they won't be worrying too much as in they are only five points down on their points total from last season and have scored three more goals. The visitors have made a great start to the season with just one defeat in nine games. They are six league games unbeaten. 

Chelmsford City have recently beaten Tilbury and Bromsgrove Sporting in The Emirates FA Cup to set up a very exciting 4th QR tie at National League table topper's Barnet. 

Chesham United v Bath City 

The Generals have made an impressive start to life in The National South Division after promotion last season with four wins from nine games. will be looking to improve their home record of one win and three defeats.  The visitors made the play-offs last season but have started this campaign with three wins in nine games. They did win 1-2 at Salisbury in the Emirates FA Cup last weekend with former Yeovil Town striker Alex Fisher scoring in the 90+3 minute. City have only scored 6 goals in their 9 games. 

Chesham drew 0-0 at Step Five side Bishop Cleeve in the Emirates FA Cup last weekend with the replay at The Meadow postponed due to the heavy rain on Tuesday. 

Chippenham Town v Boreham Wood 

The Wood will be tough opposition under the new (but old) management of the returning Luke Garrard. Since he took over they have won 6-0 against Welling United and 2-1 in the FA Cup against Larkhall Athletic.  Ghanian International striker Kwesi Appiah scored in both of those wins. Town's two wins in the league have come against struggling Weymouth and Enfield Town. 

Chippenham lost 1-0 at Weston-Super-Mare in a Emirates FA Cup 3rd QR game on Tuesday evening after a 1-1 draw last weekend Dorking Wanderers v Hornchurch

 

Dorking Wanderers v Hornchurch

15th v 14th in the table. Both clubs were expected by many to be higher up the table this season. The Urchins will be pleased with their position following their promotion but with their impressive squad which includes former Crystal Palace winger Sean Scannell who recently made his 50th appearance for the club. They have recently added central defender Harry Gibbs (see below), striker Scott Kashket (158 football league appearances) and defender Louis Lomas (on loan from Braintree Town formerly of Southend United and Brackley Town to their squad. 

The Essex club missed out on a Emirates FA Cup 4th QR game with Dagenham & Redbridge as they lost 1-3 at home to Step Three side Leiston on Tuesday evening. 

After winning their first two games Dorking Wanderers have just one win in eight league and cup games which came against struggling St Albans City. 

Enfield Town v Weymouth

Is it too early in the season to call this a 'relegation six pointer'? It's 21st v 23rd in the table at The Dave Bryant Stadium and the home side have let in 24 goals in just 10 games following their promotion last season. The Terras made a terrible start to the season losing their first seven league games in row before two impressive results in a 1-2 win at Dorking Wanderers and a 1-1 draw at home to Worthing. They have also beaten Sholing and Winchester City (after a replay) in the Emirates FA Cup with a 4th QR game at Forest Green Rovers to look forward too. 

This will be the first meeting between Weymouth and Enfield Town - Many fans will have memories of The Terras playing the old Enfield FC in the then GM Vauxhall Conference and Gola League/Alliance Premier League in the 1980s. 

Farnborough v Aveley 

Aveley have just one win in their opening nine league games. Their last two league games have been a 2-3 defeat at Chesham who won with two late goals on 90+3 and 90+4 minutes along with a 1-2 home defeat against Truro City - they have also been beaten by Step Three side Royston Town. They have recently lost the services of Central Defender Harry Gibbs who has signed for league and local rival's Hornchurch. 

Aside from their Emirates FA Cup defeat to Step Three side Walton & Hersham the Hampshire side have made a good start to their season with five wins from nine league games 

Hampton & Richmond Borough v Torquay United 

Last weekend was a good one for The Beavers as they won won 4-0 at home to Enfield Town with James Roberts netting a hat-trick. This result followed a very impressive 2-2 draw at currently third place Tonbridge Angels where Roberts netted another goal! 

The Gulls made a good start to their campaign winning five of their opening seven league games but their form has dipped in the last three games with a 2-0 defeat at Welling United, an Emirates FA Cup humiliation at Bishops Cleeve who won 3-0 and a 1-1 draw at home to bottom of the table St Albans City.   

A crowd of 1,469 people saw The Beavers win 3-1 against Torquay United last season with an Ben Seymour and Mason Bloomfield on target for the home side along with an own goal. Seymour will be playing against his former side as he now plays for The Gulls having transferred to them over the summer. 

Slough Town v Tonbridge Angels 

7th v 3rd in the table so one of the games of the day. The Angels are one of only two teams without a defeat in the league so far - Many fans wouldn't of predicted that the Kent side who finished in 14th place last season would be in 3rd place after nine league games this season. Former Maidstone United and Margate Manager Jay Saunders has been with the club since May 2022 and it looks like they are in for a good season. 

Slough Town won 0-3 at what looked a potentially difficult Emirates FA Cup game at Isthmian Premier Division Chatham Town last weekend which sets up a very interesting game at Woking in the 4th QR.  In the league The Rebels are without a win in three games which have been defeats to Weston-Super-Mare and Hemel along with a draw at Eastbourne Borough.  

St Albans City v Salisbury 

The Saints need a win and need it sooner rather than later. David Noble took the Hertfordshire club to the play-off final in 22/23 where they lost to Oxford City and when he left the club in January 2024 to join National League side Wealdstone they were in 8th place and looking good for a play-off place. His stay with The Stones was short lived and lasted only seventeen games. 

It's a different story this season as City have no wins in their nine league games played. After a good 1-1 draw away at Torquay United they travelled to Isthmian North side Gorleston in the Emirates FA Cup last weekend and were on the end of a shock 4-2 defeat. 

Salisbury, promoted as play-off winner's in the Southern League Premier South last season, have made a good start with three wins from their nine league games - something to note is that all three of those wins have come at home and on their travels they have one draw (at table topper's Hemel Hempstead on the opening day of the season) and three defeats. 

Truro City v Hemel Hempstead Town 

6th v 1st in the table so another game of the day contender and a long trip for the league leader's down to Cornwall. The Tudors are still unbeaten in their nine league games played and Bobby Wilkinson looks to have assembled an impressive squad. Away from home they have four wins from four with no goals conceded - 2-0, 1-0, 1-0 and 1-0. Truro's Jaze Kabia (4 goals) and  Tyler Harvey (7 goals) have been in great form this season and with an experienced Manager in John Askey in charge I'm sure they will be at least play-off contenders come the end of the season. Could this be the Hertfordshire club's first league defeat of the season? 

Welling United v Weston-super-Mare 

18th v 4th in the table. The visitors will be favourites for this game as they have been on a great run of form since losing the first two games of the league season. They form since reads WWWWWDD with Emirates FA Cup wins against Wimbourne Town and Chippenham Town (after a replay) 

The Wings home form is good with three wins and one defeat in four league games but since the last one they have been beaten by Isthmian Premier Division side Chatham Town 0-1 at Park View Road and gone done 6-0 at Boreham Wood. 

Worthing v Maidstone United

Worthing recently signed former Stone's forward Mo Faal who had spent the first few months of the season with League One side Crawley Town without making a first team appearance. He scored on his debut in a 3-2 FA Cup home win over another one of his former clubs Havant & Waterlooville. Due to ground redevelopment the south-coast club have played seven games away from home and only one game at home (0-0 v Hornchurch) so maybe their current 12th place league position could be a false one. They have also beaten Dartford at home in the FA Cup. 

A crowd of just under 2,000 people saw The Stones win 0-1 at Isthmian South-East side Herne Bay in the Emirates FA Cup last weekend.