RAIN REIGNING OVER LEAGUE
Top goal scorer charts updated (see below)
The games are meant to be coming thick and fast, with fixtures just about every day, apart from Sundays. But once again, the preview is at the mercy of the weather and postponements that have blighted the season.
Division One:
The top two are at home as they jostle for top spot. Shildon host fourth-placed Birtley Town who have won four and drawn one in their last five. Shildon’s bid for automatic promotion stuttered with their loss to Guisborough Town last Saturday. Meanwhile, Whickham travel to Bishop Auckland who have a couple of games in hand over the Railwaymen.
It’s also home turf for West Auckland and Heaton Stannington, who face Carlisle City and North Shields respectively. Guisborough’s match will be on familiar territory for the Priorymen. Their “away” match against Crook Town has been moved back to the King George V ground to help combat the fixture backlog, with Millfield still suffering from the effects of the rain.
The division’s fixtures start tonight with Seaham Red Star’s trip to Redcar Athletic. Elsewhere, tomorrow it’s Whitley Bay v Boro Rangers – both on the outer edges of the promotion picture; Sunderland RCA v Penrith and West Allotment Celtic v Tow Law Town.
Division Two:
It’s a familiar situation for Blyth Town: mathematically guaranteed of the Division Two title with at least a draw in their match against fourth-placed Horden (or if Blue Star fail to win tonight). The title’s already as good as theirs, given that they have a game in hand over Blue Star and have better goal difference to the tune of 51.
The fight continues for the remaining promotion play-off places – available for the teams from second to fifth. Blue Star are in action tonight, up against Billingham Town at Scotswood, while tomorrow Bedlington Terriers are also at home for the first time in over a month, having to play a number of “home” matches at the Hub and Morpeth’s ground. They play Chester-le-Street United.
Unbeaten in five, Easington Colliery sit in fifth place; they play at Newcastle University; Billingham Synthonia are at home to Esh Winning while Yarm & Eaglescliffe will be looking to keep in touch at home to Brandon United. Chester-le-Street Town play tonight against Prudhoe YC Seniors. Also tonight – at the Sunderland Hub – is Washington v Jarrow.
The rest of the fixtures are: Boldon CA v Thornaby, FC Hartlepool v Sunderland West End and Redcar Town v Ryton & Crawcrook Albion.
The latest goal scorer charts – up to and including April 11 – are here: