Expect no early Christmas gifts in National Two South

We are now in the penultimate weekend before the Christmas break and we still have no idea who will be in top spot heading into 2016.

Anything the Old Albanian can do, Cambridge can match at the moment with Taunton waiting to pounce if the top two falter.

At the wrong end of the table, there is not much Christmas cheer around Launceston at the moment, but a win this weekend against relegation rivals Chinnor would certainly lift their spirits.

Elsewhere, teams will be jostling for position over the next two weeks to put them a positive situation going into the second half of the season.

Old Elthamians v Old Albanian

The Old Elthamians maybe hoping to finish on the cusp of the promotion places this season. A big turnaround in form has seen the OE’s lose just two of their last eight matches as they currently sit 6^th in the table.

A lack of consistency in the last four weeks has held the OE’s back a little, but they are still unbeaten at home. That record will come under serious threat this weekend when they welcome the league leaders to Kent, but a victory for the OE’s would really signal their intent for the second half of the season.

The Old Albanian will be hoping that they can make the immediate leap back into National One.  Having being relegated last season by just two points, the OA’s are hoping to bounce back straight away and are going about it in an effective manner at the moment as they lead the way in National Two South.

The OA’s took time to settle into this division, but their players are currently in fine form and as a result of that, they have surged up the table and have won 11 of their 13 games this campaign. The away side will be certain favourites as they look to hold on to top spot heading into the Christmas break.

Southend Saxons v Cambridge

Southend really have had a mixed campaign so far. The stats tell you all you need to know: Five wins, three draws and five defeats.  This season, the Saxons have already gained over half of the points (32) that they achieved last year, so they are having a more fruitful campaign this time around.

Things haven’t gone to well at home for Southend though. They have won just two of their seven matches at Warners Bridge Park as they occupy a mid-table position and they could be in for another tough afternoon in front of their own supporters when they welcome Cambridge this Saturday.

Cambridge are really looking to dominate this season and there are clear signs that they can go all the way this campaign. They are joint top with the Old Albanian with both sides having identical records and only separated by a points difference of seven.

They have faced very few problems this season. Although, they haven’t really nailed top spot down as yet, Cambridge certainly have the capabilities to make it their own as the season goes on and their sixth away win of the campaign will help them on their way to achieving that goal.

Worthing Raiders v Taunton Titans

Worthing Raiders moved out of the bottom three places in National Two South last weekend. A win away from home against Canterbury saw the Raiders move up to 12^th, although they have had a disappointing campaign despite the quality they showed last term.

Worthing finished fifth in 2014/15 and they may have thought a shot of promotion was a realistic target for this season, but it just hasn’t been the case. Worthing have won just five games from 13 and have won three of those at home.

Taunton are in the shadow of the top two as it stands, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Although, they have not been at the summit of National Two South for a while, they are still just four points off first place.

The Titans have managed four away wins this season and they know they cannot afford to slip-up with the Old Albanian and Cambridge in this rampant form. This game is crucial for both sides, but for contrasting reasons.

Redingensians v Bishops Stortford

Bishops Stortford are in good form at the moment. They have lost just one match in their last five and come into this fixture on the back of a three game unbeaten run including a thrashing of bottom club Launceston last weekend.

Having spent the majority of last season in and around the promotion places and having lost in the play-off against Ampthill and District, Bishops Stortford will be pushing all the way to try a go one step further this term even though they are 12 points behind Cambridge.

The Redingensians are at the opposite end of the table. Although they have won three of their last five games, the Rams come into this fixture having suffered a small setback after losing to Cambridge last weekend.

That was always going to be a tough game, but the Redingensians do still sit outside the relegation zone and have won three of their seven games at Old Bath Road this season.

Barnes v Redruth

It has been a satisfactory season for Barnes so far.  At the start of the campaign, many may have been expecting Barnes to struggle after promotion via the National Three South playoff, but that hasn’t really been the case for the West London side thus far.

Barnes will no doubt be thinking they have taken a slide in recent weeks after not picking a win up in their last five matches but nonetheless, they will be pretty pleased to find themselves 10^th in the table and five points clear of the relegation zone. Of course, they would have liked to be further away from the bottom three, but a win here could take Barnes into the top half.

Redruth seem to be always in the mix towards the top four positions in National Two North. After a ninth place finish last term, the Reds come into this fixture with Barnes in fifth place having won four of their last five matches.

Wins against Clfiton and the Old Elthamians appear to have given us an indication of how far this Redruth side can go this season as their players are playing with confidence. A fourth away win of the season could take them into the top four come Saturday night.

Clifton v Canterbury

Both of these teams finished beside each other last season. Canterbury were above Clifton, but roles have reversed this campaign.

Clifton are currently seventh in the table but they seem to be losing their way slightly. Having earned seven wins so far this season , its fair to say it has been a vast improvement for Clifton from last year, but a run of one win in five games as seen the team slide towards the bottom half.

Clifton have simply not continued their early season form. The South Gloucestershire side have won six of their seven home matches this season, but have lost their last three overall.

On Saturday afternoon, Canterbury make the long trip west and we can see that they are a side struggling for confidence and motivation after nine defeats in their last 10. On top of that, Canterbury did win their first three matches of the season, but their dramatic slide has seen them end up in the bottom three heading into this encounter.

Bury St Edmunds v Dorking

Bury St Edmunds may have lost their two outings, but they will take pride in  knowing they are six points clear of the relegation zone as we approach the halfway mark of the season. Five wins has been enough to see Bury move up to ninth in the league and just four points outside the top half.

Bury have won three of their seven games at home this season with their last victory coming three weeks ago in front of their own supporters against bottom club Launceston.

A 19-22 defeat against Taunton last time out would not have lowered the confidence of a Dorking squad that travel to Bury St Edmunds having won two of their last four matches.

Dorking have won three of their six away games this season and know with a win they can go above Bury this weekend.

Launceston v Chinnor

It is the battle of the bottom two in National Two South this weekend as Launceston host Chinnor.

The home side maybe thinking relegation is firmly on the cards this season. Bottom of the league and no wins from their first 13 games of the campaign leaves Launceston 17 points from safety already. Their only highlight of the season was a draw against Southend last month, but other than that, they have endured a nightmare season to date.