Tenth placed Maidstone United host Welling United who are three places and three points behind them in a National League South game on Saturday.
Whilst they are close to each other in the league, the two teams are poles apart in the form guide. The Stones have lost their last four games with the most recent, a five-one trouncing at Weymouth. That defeat could have been far heavier had Chris Lewington not pulled off two penalties,
Meanwhile, Welling have only lost one in their last seven including three wins and a draw from their last four away games.
Before that they were in the relegation zone with their only victory on the road all season, a two-one win at bottom of the league Hungerford Town. Prior to their two recent home defeats, Maidstone had only lost twice at home from fourteen so they will be looking to bounce back.
In the Weymouth match, Head Coach Hakan Hayrettin was without Andre Boucard and Ibby Akanbi through injury while Zihni Temelci was only fit enough to take a place on the bench and come on for the final thirty minutes. Suspension caused captain George Elokobi and defender Noah Chesmain to miss the game and both will be absent again against Welling as they finish their bans.
Welling manager Brad Quinton has almost an entire squad from which to choose with only Romoney Crichlow-Noble likely to be unavailable following the fractured cheekbone sustained at Dulwich Hamlet three weeks ago. That caused Quinton to rush Rob Swaine back, earlier than he might have liked, for their last game, a one-nil victory over another in-form team, Chippenham Town. Cameron James and Diaz Wright will remain as part of the squad as their loans from Colchester United have been extended until 31st March.
Last Saturday, Welling’s game at home to Havant and Waterlooville fell foul to Storm Jorge so although it might mean that they lost a little bit of momentum, it will have enabled Quinton and his coaching staff to have had two full weeks to work with his squad.
When the two teams met on a balmy Tuesday evening back in August, it was the first league meeting between the teams this century and it was a tight encounter. Aaron Cosgrave got on the end of Luke Rooney’s quickly taken free kick to slot home the only goal of the game eight minutes into the second half.
It could well be another closely fought match as the season heads into the final quarter.
Picture supplied by Dave Budden.