Whitstable Town FC

Not that any of the remaining sixteen games left for Town will be easy with everyone pushing to be first to knock us off our perch. Lordswood played well and may have been a little disappointed to lose to a single goal at Croydon last weekend, a difficult place to get any sort of result of late, and then got spanked four-nil at home by Hythe Tuesday night. How do you judge form with results like that? Whitstable clearly will need to start with a good tempo, after the glamour of last Saturday's match it would be too easy to drop our guard for this one. I know Marc Seager is always guarded against such things and when a cold wind whistles across the cricket pitch, which is likely, it will be hard for the visiting fans to generate the 'twelth man' atmosphere, should be an interesting contest. Look out for Stuart 'Harry' Harrison now playing in an orange shirt.

An eye-catching Kent League fixture at Bayliss Avenue where Thamesmead Town host Croydon. The winners will be second in the table, form currently favours the visitors who are on an unbeaten streak of 14 and have won the last three played away from home. Mead, although misfiring of late, aren't accustomed to being beaten at home and have only lost one and drawn one there this campaign. With a game in hand Croydon may prove difficult for Thamesmead to recapture should they let them get in front this weekend, a genuine six pointer. Promises to be a cracking game for the neutral and a nervy one for fans in either camp, hopefully there should be good sized crowd for two sides who do not normally draw big gates. I tip Croydon to gather in momentum, another three points here will focus their sight clearly on the chase for the title. I tip 'The Toad' to be really annoying.

Another big game inside the M25 is at Oakwood where VCD Athletic play West Auckland Town in the 4th round of the FA Vase. Winners will be in the hat with just 15 others for the next round draw. West Auckland play in the Northern League Division One and are currently in seventh, a massive twenty points behind the leaders they have a league playing record of W12 D7 L7 in nineteen matches. They beat Gedling Town in the previous round (NCE1). VCD of course won at Wisbech Town. Our best wishes go to Vickers, carrying the flag for Kent, now in the national stages of the competition, I reckon they should go through without a replay.

Our neighbouring sides both have home games this week, Greenwich Borough visit Herne Bay and Hythe Town drop in on Faversham Town. Both away sides will be tipped as favourites as both the Blues and the Lilywhites still struggle to find some consistant form. After mid-week the Reds are now in fifth and Boro' drop to sixth, with just two points between them. They will both be busting to take three on Saturday, failure to do so might just leave them too much to do to catch the top four before season's end. I think Hythe will win but Boro' might stumble, which will be a shame for them.

Beckenham, currently seventh and off the pace, trail down to Sevenoaks. Both sides had sparkling starts to the season but have faded somewhat with only twelve wins between them in 33 starts. A draw would be a fair result for both, in this their first meeting in the league.

The bottom four play amongst each other Saturday, Sporting Bengal United at Slade Green and Tunbridge Wells at Erith Town. Wells were unlucky to come away from Reachfields last week with nothing after scoring three and Sporting lucky to grab a point at home against Becks, failing to score against nine men. I suggest both will dip out of the points this weekend, Green and the Dockers can definitely beat this opposition on their home patches. I'm sure the games will be hotly contested on the pitch, but it is hard to generate much interest in a race for the wooden spoon. Disappointing for all involved with nearly half a season left to run.

Erith & Belvedere and Deal Town don't have a game, great eh?

For those fans who can't or don't travel, third placed Whitstable Town Reserves play a KL Division one game at the Belmont against Folkestone Invicta, a win could put them second dependant on the result between Maidstone v Thamesmead which is a 2.15 kick off.

Wherever you watch your football, enjoy it to the full!Come on you Reds!

Peter Albin,  17/01/07