Old Albanian and Cambridge ready for title showdown

For both the Old Albanian and Cambridge, the build up to this weekend has been huge. To be honest, their fixture against each other this Saturday could give us a much clearer picture of who will be crowned champions of National Two South at the end of April.

But it is not all about the top two. There are some intriguing games in the top half of the table this Saturday as well as the bottom half where sides continue to plot their way out of trouble as we approach the final third of what has been an action packed season so far.

Old Albanian v Cambridge

This could well be the most eagerly anticipated fixture of the entire National Two South season. The top two face off in St Albans this weekend with the result of this game going along way to determining where the league title will end up this campaign.

Currently, the Old Albanian occupy that top spot and have done so for the last few weeks. The OA’s were relegated from National One last season and after a solid start to this term, they have really gone through the gears since October as they are currently on a run of 13 straight wins. Also the OA’s have won all eight of their games at home thus far.

As for Cambridge, they have been in the title race since Day One this season, but have had to play catch-up recently after leading the way for a large part of the first half of the campaign. The ‘Blood and Sand’ lost to Bishops Stortford two weeks ago and from there, they have been five points behind the Old Albanian.

Cambridge and the Old Albanian had had identical records up until that defeat and if the visitors win their eighth away game of the season this Saturday, those records will be level again heading into the final third of this enthralling National Two South season. Just a side note, Cambridge beat the Old Albanian 29-23 in the reverse fixture this season.

Redruth v Bishops Stortford

Another game with a top half feel about it is fifth placed Redruth against third placed Bishops Stortford.

Redruth have won three of their last five games in what has been a solid season for them thus far and once again their home record has been strong. The Reds have won seven of their eight games on their own turf with that only defeat coming against Cambridge at the end of September. A win for Redruth could take them into the top half and within five points of Stortford.

In terms of Bishops Stortford, along with the Old Albanian, they are certainly the form side in this division at the moment. They are unbeaten in their last nine matches with their last defeat coming back in November away from home against Clifton.

Storford’s away results have been patchy this term which is one of the reasons why they aren’t neck and neck with the top two which might have been expected given they were in the play-offs last season. They have won four of their nine games on the road so far and will be looking to add to that this weekend to keep the pressure on Cambridge and the Old Albanian.

Taunton Titans v Southend

Taunton Titans continue to be in with a shout of a promotion spot this term. After leading the way for the first seven weeks of the season, their form dropped which has seen them lose three of their last seven games.

Currently, the Titans lie fourth in the table and 13 points behind Cambridge, but they do have a game in hand meaning it is vitally important for them not to slip-up any time soon. This weekend they host an out of form Southend side that will not be looking forward to the trip to Hyde Park considering Taunton have won all eight of their games at home this campaign.

Southend are looking over their shoulders nervously. After a solid start to the season which saw them sit eighth in the National Two South table, the Saxons have had a tough ride of things lately.

They currently occupy 13^th place after a run of just one win in their last nine matches and a part from bottom club Launceston that is the worst run of form in the division. They really need to turn that around sooner rather than later as they are just two points clear of the bottom three and in danger a falling into the a relegation battle like last season.

Old Elthamians v Barnes

The Old Elthamians are looking good for a top half finish this season. Last year, they achieved this by two points but they won’t want to settle for that just yet.

The OE’s occupy sixth place in the table at the moment and are six points clear of the bottom half. They go into this fixture with Barnes looking for their fourth straight victory since the turn of the year and added to this, the OE’s have lost just once at home so far this season.

Despite being below their opponents on Saturday and one of the promoted sides, Barnes will be a tough assignment for the Old Elthamians on the weekend. Barnes have had a very satisfying campaign so far and currently sit eighth in the table and 14 points clear of the bottom three.

Barnes have won seven games this season and picked up 12 bonus points too, but they have only been victorious once on their travels so far. They will want that to improve as we head towards the final stretch of the season if they are to keep their distance from the relegation zone.

Clifton v Launceston

Clifton will want to halt their slide as quickly as possible. After a superb start to the season which saw them maintain a stay in the top four for the first few weeks, they have slid down the table.

The South Gloucestershire side have lost seven of their last eight matches with their last taste of victory coming just before Christmas against Canterbury. Fast forward to the present day and Clifton go into this fixture with Launceston having won seven of their nine home matches this season.

The hosts may feel that this is the perfect opportunity to stop the rot as Launceston are rooted to the bottom of National Two South. They have played 16 matches this season and are still without a win having lost 15 of their games.

Launceston do have two games in hand over the teams around them but as it stands, they sit 25 points from safety. In honesty, it looks like they will need a miracle to stay up this term and with no win in eight away games, Launceston’s fate seems all but confirmed.

Worthing Raiders v Redingensians

Worthing Raiders are starting to work their way up the league table. The Raiders had a far from perfect start to the campaign following the success they enjoyed in the second half of last season where they finished fifth, but thus far they have failed to build upon that.

But as I mentioned, they are slowly turning that around. A draw against Barnes followed by a win against Launceston has left Worthing ninth in the table and eight points clear of the relegation zone – which emphasises how tight the bottom half as been this year. Worthing will understand that a victory here is vital if they are to keep moving away from danger.

The Redingensians are fighting against the drop as expected this season. As things stand, the Rams sit just two points from safety, but with some of the teams around them failing to pick up points in recent matches, they will know they are very a capable of moving away from trouble.

The side from Old Bath Road will be worried following recent form though. They come into this away game against Worthing on the back of three straight defeats including a hammering at the hands of Taunton last time out. The Rams need to win this game to ease their relegation worries.

Chinnor v Dorking

Chinnor are fighting for their National Two status this season which nobody would’ve expected at the start of the campaign. They currently sit in 15^th place and know they are in a relegation battle, although they are only three points from safety as things stand.

That said, Chinnor are not in good form at the moment. Back to back wins against Clifton and Barnes has been followed up by four straight defeats so the hosts on Saturday will be wanting to put an end to their terrible run as they look to move out of the bottom three.

Dorking are struggling to find any consistency this season which is highlighted by them sitting in 10^th place in the table and having won seven of their 18 matches so far this term. When it looks like they are steadying the ship, they then go and lose a couple of games which is exactly what has happened in recent weeks.

After wins against Clifton and Worthing Raiders either side of the festive break, all their good work was undone by two straight defeats against Bishops Stortford and the Old Elthamians putting Dorking back to square one. They head this encounter with Chinnor having won three times on the road this term.

Canterbury v Bury St Edmunds

Canterbury are working hard to escape the grasp of the bottom three once again this season. The City Men saw off relegation last term and given that, they currently sit in 11^th in the table and just six points clear of the bottom thee.

However, Canterbury have managed to pick up some important wins in recent weeks. They beat fellow relegation candidates the Redingensians and Southend along with a very good win against the Old Elthamians to begin 2016. They will be hoping to continue their purple patch of form this weekend.

Bury St Edmunds will feel confident of starving off the threat of relegation in their remaining 12 games of the season. Despite promotion into this tier, Bury have looked fairly comfortable throughout, although they do only sit six points clear of the bottom three, just like Canterbury.

Bury have won seven games this season which include two victories on the road so another triumph on their travels this weekend will go a long way to ensuring their National Two status for the 2016/17 season.