Match Preview

Next up - Heybridge Swifts away on Saturday, 25th March at Scraley Road, Heybridge, Essex, CM9 8JA, Ryman Isthmian League Div 1 North. Kick off 3pm.

Admission No details on their website though a tweet talks of free admission and merchandise for many. Not sure how to interpret that but Saturday is the league's Community Day which is why some at least appear to be offered free admission.

We can't avoid the fact that things are looking a bit tight down on the edge of the relegation zone. We are above the bottom three only because third from bottom Soham have scored fewer goals than us with both clubs on the same number of points and with the same goal difference. It has become that close after their 2-1 home win over a currently faltering Thurrock last Saturday whilst we lost by the same score at Norwich.

By all accounts Thurrock felt a little aggrieved at the outcome of a game they had mostly controlled whilst Ware didn't deserve to lose up in Norfolk but that's what happens in football. You just have to get over it and go again in the next game.

The Norwich match did see an end to the poor mistakes that have cost us so many goals of late and we will hope to see a continuation of that form this week at Heybridge. Lee White will surely retain his place in the back four and Marcus Rose could well find that Jack Fowler's performance last Saturday earns him another start.

What needs to be attended to now is the lack of goals. We may have had more of the play than our opponents last week, certainly in the first half, but we didn't create enough good chances from that let alone convert them. Gareth Price has tended to look isolated up front of late but the fast running of Kambo Smith on Saturday offered the possibility of someone to support him.

Meanwhile Heybridge, just three places and five points above us, will judge from the table that they have a chance of three points but by the same token we must surely see this game as an opportunity to stop our losing run away from home.

Swifts go into the game on the back of two away draws starting with a 3-3 result against Romford last Saturday when former Blue Adam Bolle notched one of their goals for a 3-1 lead before the home side scored twice in added time. By contrast there were no goals in Tuesday's return to Ship Lane that saw them draw with Romford's landlords Thurrock. Their last home game was a 4-1 defeat to Haringey Borough.

Finally, and on a slightly wider front, the bottom two clubs are both at home this weekend, Wroxham against Aveley and Great Wakering against Waltham Abbey. They both will know that they cannot afford to lose any of their remaining six league games to stand any chance of avoiding relegation. Someone is always worse off than you.

Our ten latest games against Heybridge Swifts:-

Our best and worst against Heybridge Swifts:-