Last chance saloon for Hoppers

With four games left of the National Two North season, Preston Grasshoppers’ status in this division is hanging by a thread and if results don’t go in their favour this weekend, the Lancashire may well be relegated.

Hoppers currently sit 11 points from safety ahead of their away trip to Leicester Lions and they have to match or better the results of Harrogate and Scunthorpe to avoid relegation this weekend. Defeats against Sheffield Tigers, Luctonians and Stourbridge in recent weeks have left Garth Dew’s men walking on thin ice and it may well crack below their feet tomorrow.

Their relegation rivals Sheffield Tigers are now just five points from safety as they search for their third straight win when they host Hinckley while Scunthorpe find themselves just two points behind 13th placed Harrogate as they travel to South Leicester in Round 27.

The aforementioned Harrogate have lost their last four matches so they will be keen to return to winning ways, but have tough task at home to league leaders Caldy. The Wirral side remain firmly on course for the National Two North title and could well clinch it next weekend if they beat Harrogate tomorrow and claim a victory over second placed Sale FC in eight days’ time.

Sale confirmed their top two spot last weekend and they will be hoping to continue their remarkable season when Chester visit Heywood Road tomorrow, while elsewhere, third placed Sedgley Park go to Wharfedale, Tynedale travel to Luctonians and Stourbridge welcome Otley to the Midlands.

Harrogate v Caldy

Caldy can take a huge step towards the National Two North title this weekend. They travel to Harrogate tomorrow knowing that a bonus-point win could put them on the brink of automatic promotion ahead of their fixture against second placed Sale FC next Saturday.

It is hard to see past another Caldy triumph too. They head to Yorkshire having won their last 18 matches and they are unbeaten in 25 games – a run which stretches back to the start of the season. It looks only a matter of time until Simon Verbickas’ side will be crowned champions after such a phenomenal run, but they will be fully aware that they have to get the job done this weekend to take advantage of their top two clash in eight days’ time.

Their opponents, Harrogate, may be starting to feel the pressure. After a mini revival of four wins in five during January and February, Gate have now lost their last four matches as they prepare to welcome the league leaders to Rudding Lane tomorrow.

Added to that disappointing run of form, wins for Scunthorpe and Sheffield Tigers in Round 26 leaves Harrogate only two points above the bottom three with four matches left of the season.  This fixture with Caldy is arguably Harrogate’s toughest test between now and the end of the month, but they will certainly be giving it their all to get a result this Saturday.

Sale FC v Chester

Sale FC secured their place in the top two last weekend with an impressive away victory over Sedgley Park and that guaranteed the Manchester-based club a play-off spot at the very least. It has been a superb season for Jonathan Keep’s side who were fending off relegation last year, but now, they are currently on a run of 12 straight wins.

Their scintillating recent form has given them a shot at National One, but they can actually still win the title and gain automatic promotion. As things stand, Sale are 10 points behind Caldy so a win in their fixture against an in-form Chester side tomorrow and victory next week at Paton Fields could give Sale a real chance of lifting the title  in four weeks’ time.

For now, Sale will be focused on the visit of Chester as they aim for their 13^th home victory of the season, but it certainly won’t be straightforward tomorrow. Chester take the short trip to Heywood Road having won eight of their last 10 matches and after both Sedgley Park and Leicester Lions lost last Saturday, the men from Hare Lane may well be eyeing up third place in the league standings.

Currently, the Cheshire outfit are only three points behind Sedge, but in this fantastic run they have been on, the two defeats which they have suffered have come against teams in the top six. Can Chester gain a result against one of the stronger sides tomorrow and edge closer to a top three finish?

Wharfedale v Sedgely Park

It was the same old story for Wharfedale last weekend. The Yorkshire side fell to yet another away defeat – this time against Scunthorpe - and this latest loss was their 13^th in a row on their travels. However despite all their woes on the road, Dale still remain 12 points clear of the drop with four games to go.

It is certainly not the worst position to be in at this stage of the season and one major positive for James Doherty is that his side welcome Sedgley Park to the Avenue tomorrow having won their last seven matches on home soil. A win this weekend could see Dale secure their safety if other results go their way and with home advantage proving key over the last couple of months, you wouldn’t put it past them gaining yet another victory in front of their own supporters.

Sedgley Park’s four game winning streak came to a shuddering halt last weekend at home to Sale FC and now the men from Park Lane will want to kick-off this final month of the season by returning to winning ways.

The news broke last week that former Stockport Coach Matt Bebbington will be taking over at the club next season so Sedge will be keen to end this term on a high as they look to start building for life under Bebbington. They travel to Skipton this weekend having won just five games on the road which is the joint lowest in the top half and with Leicester Lions and Chester breathing down their necks, they will be eager to hold on to third spot in the division.

Leicester Lions v Preston Grasshoppers

It has to be a must win game for Preston Grasshoppers this weekend. As things stand, the divisions’ bottom club are 11 points off safety with four matches left to play and this Saturday, they know that they must better or match the results of Harrogate and Scunthorpe to stay in this division for at least another week.

However, Garth Dew’s men will be purely focused on themselves and their away trip to Leicester Lions. Hoppers’ last win came against Leicester just over a month ago so they know they have the capabilities to beat the Midlands side, but Preston are fully aware that they might need to secure only their second  away win of the season otherwise it could be the final nail in their coffin.

Last weekend, Leicester Lions Head Coach Andy Key confirmed that he will be joining Championship side Rotherham Titans at the end of this season, but with a month left of this current campaign, he will be keen to end his time at Westleigh Park on a high.

He will certainly want an improvement in his final four games in charge of the Midlands side. The Lions have been incredibly inconsistent of late winning four and losing four of their last eight matches, but they still remain fourth in the table and only two points behind Sedgley Park. Leicester finished third last season and they will be aiming to match that achievement this time around.

Luctonians v Tynedale

Luctonians’ two game winning run was ended by Hinckley last weekend but you’d like to think Alex Davidsion’s men have done enough to stay up. Currently, the Lucts are 11 points clear of the bottom three with four games left so if results go their way tomorrow, they will have secured their safety in this division for yet another year.

It has been a tough eight months for the Herefordshire side. A long list of injuries has meant they were never going to match their achievement of sixth place from the last campaign, but a recent upturn in performances and results has guided Luctonians out of trouble. This weekend, they welcome Tynedale to Mortimer Park aiming for their sixth home win this term.

There are currently only three teams in this division who have won their last five games on the bounce; Caldy, Sale and this weekend’s visitors to Mortimer Park, Tynedale. The north-east outfit are certainly one of the in-form teams heading into the final month of the season and they have actually picked up seven wins from their last eight matches.

Their superb recent run of form has further cemented Tyne’s place in the top six and it seems like we are now starting to see what the north-east side are really capable of. Tyne have also won the third highest amount of away games (7) this season and  they will fancy their chances of adding to that this weekend.

Stourbridge v Otley

A run of six straight defeats was ended last weekend by Stourbridge as they beat Preston Grasshoppers away from home and now the Midlands side will want to finish this season with a flurry. They will be keen not to let this campaign end on a negative note, because for the majority, it has been another strong showing from Neil Mitchell’s side.

For large chunks of this term, Stour were challenging for a top two spot, but recent results (especially against their rivals) ended their hopes of a play-off spot for another year. Currently, Stour are seventh in the league, but they do have one of the best home records this season having won 10 of their 13 matches at Stourton Park.

Otley will know how strong Stourbridge have been at home this season so they will have to perform at their very best to get something from the Midlands tomorrow. The Yorkshire side have lost their way towards the end of this season and it is something Otley have done in each of the last two campaigns.

The men from Cross Green will keen to buck that trend this term and they will be aiming to put a halt to a four game losing run which they are currently on. Otley occupy 10^th place in table as things stand, but a second away win of the season would be the perfect start to the final month of this campaign.

South Leicester v Scunthorpe

When they needed it most, Scunthorpe put in one of their best performances of the campaign. A first win in seven matches against Wharfedale, means the Lincolnshire side are now only two points from safety with four games to play heading into April.

They have a good chance of avoiding relegation after last week’s win, but they travel to South Leicester with just two away victories to their name all season. A third victory on the road could see them jump out of the bottom three for the first time since the end of last year.

South Leicester will be hoping for another couple of wins from their final four games of the season to secure a well-deserved top-half finish. After a tough campaign at this level last year, South have taken the next step up in National Two North and now they will want something to show for it.  

A top eight finish would be a great achievement for South and after missing the chance to all but confirm their place in the top-half last Saturday against Tynedale, the men from Welford Road can move closer to their target this weekend by securing their eighth home win of the campaign.

Sheffield Tigers v Hinckley

Like Scunthorpe, Sheffield Tigers have given themselves a fighting chance of avoiding immediate relegation back down to National Three. The Yorkshire side secured a superb victory over Otley last Saturday which leaves them five points from safety as we kick off the final month of the season.

The Tigers welcome Hinckley to Dore Moor having won their last two fixtures which is actually the best run of form of any side in the bottom half of the table. Sheffield look as though they have found their roar again at just the right time in the campaign and a third straight win for the first time since last term could see them move out of the bottom three.

Hinckley were promoted alongside Sheffield Tigers and the aforementioned Scunthorpe 12 months ago, but despite coming up via the National Three North play-off, the Midlands side have been the best performers.

They secured their status in this division last weekend with a win over Luctonians and now Chris Campbell and his side can enjoy the final four matches of the season and rightly so. Hinckley travel to Dore Moor tomorrow searching for their first away win in just under three months.