Friday night football comes to the Acclaim Handling Community Stadium when Erith and Belvedere host Sutton Athletic in the Southern Counties East Football League Premier Division.

Currently in fifth place in the table, the Deres have played more games than the teams around them so they know that they need to keep winning if they are to secure a place in the play-offs. Their guests are three places lower with three points fewer but have played two matches less.

On Saturday, the young Deres (average age under twenty-one) won a hard earned point at far more experienced Snodland Town. That followed a two-nil victory at home to Tunbridge Wells.

Meanwhile, Sutton defeated Kennington one-nil with James Dyer scoring the only goal on the stroke of half time. It was their third consecutive home game and they have not played away since the end of January when they drew one-one at Phoenix Sports.

When Sutton hosted the Deres in September, the visitors claimed all three points courtesy of a first half stoppage time own goal. The Sutts hopes of getting something out of the game weren’t helped by having Joel Wakefield sent off with nineteen minutes remaining and Ryan Mahal sin-binned one minute later. He came back with five minutes left on the clock but was dismissed in stoppage time.

In last season’s meeting at Park View Road, the two teams drew two-apiece. Arlie Desanges put the visitors ahead in the eighteenth minute and England Kurti extended their lead nine minutes later. Tunde Aderonmu pulled one back just past the hour mark and added his second with fourteen minutes left on the clock.

At home, the Deres have been inconsistent with six wins, one draw and seven defeats whilst Sutton’s away form is decent having won six, drawn four and lost four.

Friday night games tend to be popular with ground-hoppers and football fans wanting to start their weekends early so Erith will be hoping for a bumper crowd and an exciting encounter.