Whitstable Town FC

Make or break time?
The run in to the finishing tape starts in earnest this weekend as Whitstable Town travel up the line to Park View Road to face an in form Erith and Belvedere side. The Deres have a different look to the side that took the honours at the Belmont way back in October, fresh faces being brought in by Wayne Brown to consolidate a team that seemed intent on self destruction. The turn around has brought twenty points from the last eight games and Wayne 'Manager of the Month' for February. The Oystermen should take note that the six wins have been by a single goal margin and that the Deres still have the worst goal difference in the top six. Whitstable are on a run of nine away games without defeat and have an away goal tally nearly twice that of the Deres home goals total (32,17). An interesting match in prospect and an important one that could make or break the season for both sides.

Also this evening in the Premier Division Cup, Hythe Town play Maidstone and VCD play Herne Bay in the 1st legs of their semi-finals. Herne Bay play the second leg at Winch's field on Saturday next.

Back to the KOF League and Erith Town host Maidstone United this week. The Stones have won the last seven away and will expect to push that figure still higher, Erith on the other hand have nothing to lose. The Dockers have shown enough recently to give a lie to their 15th position in the league, had they performed to current levels through the year they would certainly be in the top half of the table by now. The points will surely go to the side with the best mental approach on the day and Erith won't need lifting for this one.

The best of the other fixtures is a long haul trip for Deal Town to Thamesmead Town. Mead have won their last three at home, including beating Beckenham, but will still be reeling from last weeks result at Maidstone. Deal by contrast have lost the last three games which have all been away from home. Never has it been better demonstrated that points in your pocket are better than games in hand, the advantage once held has slipped like sand through Deal Town's fingers. That said both teams are still in the hunt and the result could go either way, dropped points for the home side will spell the end of their title aspirations, for the away team the end of the season.

A mid table scrap for Tunbridge Wells who are visited by Slade Green. Both sides experienced a mini reanaissance in 2006 but neither managed to maintain a run of results to elevate them from mediocrity. A tight game, my feeling is that the visitors will leave with a bulge in their points pocket.

There should be maximum points for the home sides in the remaining matches, Hythe Town v Sevenoaks and Lordswood v Sporting Bengal United. Doubt the gate man will be overrun at either, a season full of promise for Hythe and Lordswood has fizzled out with two months still left to go. In an even worse position Sporting and the Oaks have six more after this one and really ought to be building squads for next season, an opportunity to test new blood is the best they can do.

Beckenham and Greenwich Borough do not play this week.

In an unusual daylight fixture, Whitstable Town Reserves play Chatham on Saturday afternoon in the Floodlight Trophy competition kick off at 3.00 pm.

Come on you Reds! Peter Albin, 14th March