Promotion ambitions the number one priority in National Two South

Table toppers Chinnor will be purely focused on getting their job done this Saturday to extend their lead at the top of National Two South, but they will also have an eye on the action elsewhere.

The four teams directly below them all go head-to-head this weekend looking to continue their promotion challenge for the 2016/17 season. Second place the Old Elthamians host third place Redruth while Taunton will be looking to get back to winning ways when they go to Bishops Stortford who currently sit fourth in the table.

Elsewhere across National Two South, Clifton will be keen to build on their recent victories while a win is something a number of teams in the bottom half so desperately desire even at this stage of the season.

Cinderford v Chinnor

Cinderford are one of the new boys in National Two South this season following relegation from the third tier in May, but they have made a mixed start to life at this level. In fact, the Gloucestershire outfit have won four and lost four of their first eight matches meaning they currently sit mid-table heading into November.

Normally a relegated side automatically becomes one of the favourites for promotion but that has not been the case for Cinderford thus far. They welcome Chinnor to Dockham Road this Saturday having won two of their last three games as they look to find some positive consistency in results to really kick-start their season.

Chinnor are not having any trouble stringing a run of decent results together. After seven wins from their last nine games at the backend of last season, the Black and Whites have well and truly continued their momentum. Currently, Matt Williams’ side sit top of National Two South after eight straight wins and their excellent form doesn’t look like stopping anytime soon.

Although it’s fair to say Chinnor have only played one side in the current top half all season, they are putting in professional performances and showing their quality throughout the squad which has quite rightly earned them such as fantastic start to the campaign. They will know full well their trip to Gloucester will not be straight forward, but with confidence flowing, who can bet against them making it nine wins from nine.

Old Elthamians v Redruth

The Old Elthamians have gone toe-to-toe in terms of results this season with Chinnor and they will be looking to keep pace with the league leaders this weekend. The OE’s have achieved back to back eighth placed finishes in National Two South over the last couple of years, but this season, they seem to be performing above expectations.

Currently, Gavin Lach’s side sit second in the table after eight straight wins and like Chinnor, they are looking unbeatable at present. The men from College Meadows face a tough task against Redruth this weekend, but they know how to gain a victory against a promotion candidate after defeating both Taunton Titans and Bishops Stortford a few weeks ago. A similar performance this weekend would further strengthen the OE’s title credentials as they look to end October with their 100 per cent record intact.

Redruth have quickly become one of the strongest sides in National Two South over the last 14 months or so. Last season, they built on a ninth place finish from the 2014/15 campaign to deservedly end the term fourth in the table and Marek Churcher’s side are continuing to progress.

The Cornwall-based club have had a fine season thus far and have gone about their business quietly. In that time, they have won seven of their first eight matches which sees them sit third in the table as things stand and four points behind the OE’s. A win for The Reds this weekend would certainly launch themselves right into the promotion mix, but a defeat in Eltham could seriously dent any ambitions of a top two place.

Bishops Stortford v Taunton Titans

Bishops Stortford have made a solid start to their National Two South campaign. Andy Long is looking to avoid the disappointment his team has tasted over the last two years as they lost in the National Two play-off in 2015 before finishing third last term, although they will have to gain ground on Chinnor and the Old Elthamians if they are to earn another crack at National One.

Having won their first three games of the season, Stortford suffered a dip in form losing successive matches against the Old Elthamians and Canterbury but three straight wins has put their season back on the right track. Victories against Clifton, Barnstaple and Worthing leaves Stortford just four points off the promotion spots so can they continue to hunt down the top two this weekend?

Taunton Titans may be a side licking their wounds at the moment, but they’re still expecting to mount a promotion challenge this season. Like in the last campaign, the Titans began this season on fire winning their first five matches but since then, Andy Yapp’s men have struggled to keep pace with the early frontrunners.

Back to back home defeats against the Old Elthamians and Clifton leaves Taunton in fifth place, level on points with Bishops Stortford as they head to Silver Leys this weekend. Last season, a dip in form cost Taunton a shot at the promotion places so they will be eager to turn it around as quickly as possible. They are certainly capable of doing just that as they travel to Bishops Stortford tomorrow having won all four of their matches on the road this term.

Barnstaple v Worthing Raiders

Barnstaple were excellent last season in National Three South West. Despite missing out on automatic promotion on the final day of the season to Devonshire rivals Exmouth, Barum were able to gain promotion to National Two South via the play-off where the beat Tonbridge Juddians 31-30.

However, Steve Perry and Bryn Jenkins’ men have endured a difficult start to life at this level. They’ve lost seven of their first eight games including a damaging defeat to Exmouth last weekend which leaves them bottom of the table and 10 points adrift of safety at this early stage. Their only victory this term came at home against Clifton in Round Five so another win at Pottingham Road in this match is key otherwise the alarm bells might start to ring for Barum.

Worthing Raiders’ season can only be described as mixed thus far. The Raiders fought off relegation in the last campaign so they might be pleased to have had a fairly solid start to this term. The men from Rugby Park have won four and lost four of their opening eight matches, but they do occupy sixth place in the table as things stand.

Worthing head to Devon this weekend itching to turn their recent fortunes around. They have won just one of their last four matches with that sole victory coming against Canterbury and in addition to this, The Raiders have picked up just one win on the road all season so those are two records they will want to put right tomorrow when they take on Barnstaple.

Bury St Edmunds v Redingensians

Bury St Edmunds were able to add to their success of promotion in 2015 by performing superbly in National Two South last season. Bury secured a sixth placed finish and ended the campaign a comfortable 16 points clear of the relegation zone. Now the challenge for Gavin Hogg’s side is to match or better that achievement this time around.

After beginning the season on the front foot with a win over Clifton, Bury have gone on to win four of their last seven games which leaves them ninth in the table as things stand. However, they welcome the Redingensians to Haberden in wretched form having lost three consecutive games so they will be hoping to taste that winning feeling once again by picking up a home victory this weekend.

The same sort of narrative which Bury have endured over the last 14 months does apply to their opposition this weekend; the Redingensians. The Rams certainly made the most of their time in National Two South last season and they ended the campaign level on points with Bury after a flurry of good results in the second half of the term.

However, the similarities between the two sides end there. After picking up just one win in their first five games, the Redingensians travel to Suffolk unbeaten in their last three matches so they may feel that they have a slight advantage over an out of sorts Bury this weekend. An away victory here would keep the Rams in the top half of the table as they look to build on from last year’s impressive eighth placed finish.

Canterbury v Henley Hawks

Canterbury seem unable to build on positive performances and that has been a similar theme for the City Men over the last couple of seasons. Despite starting this campaign with decent displays as well as victories against Barnstaple and Bishops Storford, Canterbury have just not been consistent enough as they currently lie 12^th in the table without a win in their last three matches.

At home, the Kent-outfit have looked a little stronger with that excellent victory over Stortford coming in front of their own supporters as well as spirited performances against the Old Elthamians and Taunton Titians. The City Men do seem capable of raising their game on home soil and they need to do it when Henley Hawks come to visit tomorrow afternoon.

Henley Hawks may have been hoping for an immediate return to National One this season. The Hawks have endured a rollercoaster couple of campaigns and they might have harboured ambitions of replicating the 2014/15 season when the side were crowned champions of National Two South, but currently, that doesn’t look like happening for Henley.

Last weekend’s defeat to the Old Elthamians leaves the men from Dry Leas sitting in 10^th place, having won just three of their first eight games since relegation from National One in May. A win in Kent this weekend will put a positive spin on October for the Hawks who have won just once this month, but also it could be the springboard they need to kick-start their season.

Clifton v London Irish Wild Geese

Clifton suffered a tough start to the season, but it looks as though they have turned a corner in recent weeks. The Lavender and Blacks started the campaign with back-to-back defeats against Bury St Edmunds and Cinderford, but since then they’ve picked three wins from their last six National Two South fixtures.

Clifton are currently going through their best spell form since October of last year  as they welcome London Irish Wild Geese to Station Road tomorrow. The South Gloucestershire side have impressively won successive games against Worthing and Taunton leaving them 12^th in the table as things stand. With home advantage and sprits high at Clifton at the moment, they are in good shape to make it three straight wins this Saturday.

London Irish Wild Geese seem to be enjoying their time in National Two South so far this season. The step up from National Three London and South East doesn’t seem to have affected the Wild Geese in the early stages of the season and after eight games, the men from Hazelwood find themselves 11^th in the table and six points clear of the drop zone.

They travel to Gloucestershire this weekend buoyed by their excellent performance and win against Canterbury six days ago, but now Wild Geese will be looking for back to back wins to finish off the month– something they accomplished at the end of September.  If they are to achieve that, then the first nine weeks in National Two South would have been very positive for the London Irish Wild Geese.

Barnes v Exmouth

Barnes have really struggled in National Two South so far this season. Despite a decent campaign last term following promotion in May 2015, the London-based club have been unable to build on that as the side currently languish in the bottom three after eight games.

A home win over Henley Hawks in Round Five has been the only real positive in Barnes’ recent form as they’ve slipped to three defeats against Redruth, Chinnor and the Redingensians since then. However, with Exmouth a place below them in the table and also struggling for form, the hosts this weekend might fancy their chances of claiming just their second win of the season.

Exmouth are not exactly enjoying life in National Two South either. The National Three South West champions have struggled to adapt to life in this division following promotion five months ago, but Jon Hill’s men are just starting to show shoots of recovery based on their performances over the last two weeks.

The Devonshire club had lost their first six games of the season until they snatched a late draw away at the Redingensians in Round Seven. Exmouth then followed that up with a morale boosting win over Barnstaple last week so things are certainly starting to look up. They currently sit six points from safety, but another strong performance this Saturday against a potential relegation rival could prove pivotal for the rest of Exmouth’s season.