Saturday October 31
FIRST DIVISION FIXTURES
Banstead Athletic v Staplehurst Monarchs
Bridon Ropes v Lydd Town
Croydon v Tooting Bec
Greenways v Lewisham Borough
Halls v Minster
SC Thamesmead v Lordswood
Stansfeld v Sheppey Sports
Welling Town v FC Elmstead
First Division Preview: Halloween Football as Promotion Race Heats Up
Halloween brings a full afternoon of SCEFL First Division action on Saturday, with eight fixtures scheduled as the promotion contenders look to avoid any nasty surprises on the final day of October.
With the FA Vase also taking place this weekend, a couple of clubs are occupied elsewhere, but there is still plenty to look forward to across the division, including a particularly interesting clash between SC Thamesmead and Lordswood.
Lordswood travel to SC Thamesmead looking to bounce back from last weekend’s remarkable 7-3 home defeat against Hythe Town.
That result brought a disappointing end to an otherwise impressive afternoon for the visitors’ promotion rivals, but Lordswood remain second in the table with 22 points from 11 matches.
They face a Thamesmead side currently sitting ninth on 17 points, although the hosts have played one game fewer than Lordswood and will be looking to close the gap on the leading pack.
With 26 goals scored in ten league matches, Thamesmead have shown their attacking capabilities this season, while Lordswood remain the division’s leading scorers with 34. There could be plenty of goalmouth action in this one.
Another important contest takes place at the Artic Stadium, where Stansfeld welcome Sheppey Sports.
Stansfeld are enjoying an excellent run of form and currently occupy fourth place with 21 points, just one behind Lordswood and Hythe Town.
Last weekend’s draw at Minster kept their points tally moving, but they will be keen to return to winning ways against a Sheppey Sports side that has been steadily improving.
The visitors have won three of their eight league matches and sit 12th on 12 points. With games in hand on most of the division, Sheppey will be hoping to make further progress up the table.
Croydon host Tooting Bec looking to recover from their 2-1 home defeat against Staplehurst Monarchs last Saturday.
The Trams have enjoyed some impressive results this season, including their recent 6-0 victory over Lydd Town, but have now slipped to sixth place on 18 points.
Tooting Bec arrive in 13th position with 11 points from nine matches and will be hoping to take advantage of Croydon’s recent setback.
At Rede Court Road, Greenways face Lewisham Borough in another intriguing encounter.
Lewisham arrive in fifth place following their 4-1 victory over Halls last weekend, a match dominated by Harry Bunclark’s outstanding four-goal performance.
With 20 points from 13 games, Borough are firmly involved in the battle for promotion and will be hoping to maintain their momentum.
Greenways, meanwhile, sit 11th with 13 points and will be looking for a response after their 2-0 defeat at FC Elmstead.
Staplehurst Monarchs travel to bottom club Banstead Athletic aiming to build on their impressive victory at Croydon.
The Monarchs have collected 18 points from ten matches and remain well placed in the promotion race, particularly with games in hand on several of the clubs above them.
Banstead have endured a difficult campaign so far, collecting just four points from 12 matches, and last weekend’s defeat at Rochester United left them rooted to the bottom.
However, with Halloween providing the backdrop, the home side will be hoping to spring an unexpected surprise.
There is another important meeting towards the foot of the table as Bridon Ropes host Lydd Town.
Bridon have shown signs of improvement in recent weeks, including their 3-1 victory over Banstead and last Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Welling Town.
They currently sit 14th with nine points, two ahead of Lydd, who occupy 16th position.
Lydd have managed just one league victory this season and will be determined to improve their position after last weekend’s scheduled fixture against Sheppey Sports fell victim to the weather.
At Princes Park, Halls welcome Minster with both clubs looking for valuable points for very different reasons.
Halls are 15th with eight points following their 4-1 defeat at Lewisham Borough, and will be eager to move further away from the bottom three.
Minster, meanwhile, have made an encouraging start to their first SCEFL campaign and sit eighth with 18 points.
Their recent draw against Stansfeld demonstrated their ability to compete with the division’s leading sides, and another positive result would keep them in touch with the promotion contenders.
Finally, Welling Town entertain FC Elmstead in a match that offers both sides an opportunity to improve their league positions.
Welling remain 17th with six points, although their draw at Bridon Ropes last weekend provided another valuable addition to their tally.
Elmstead arrive at the Bauvill in much better form, having climbed to tenth place following their 2-0 victory over Greenways.
With 15 points from 12 matches, the visitors will be looking to continue their progress and move closer to the top half of the table.
Plenty at Stake on Halloween
With Rochester United currently leading the division on 28 points, the chasing pack will be looking to close the gap while the leaders are occupied elsewhere.
Lordswood and Hythe Town are both six points behind Rochester, with Stansfeld, Lewisham Borough and Croydon also firmly in contention.
At the other end, the meetings involving Banstead, Bridon, Lydd and Welling could have a significant impact on the developing battle to avoid relegation.
There may be a few Halloween scares along the way, but with eight matches scheduled and plenty of points at stake, another fascinating afternoon of First Division football awaits.
All eight matches are scheduled to kick off at 3pm on Saturday 31st October.