Alfreton Town v Farsley Celtic (National League North) 

Alfreton Town were in dire need of a victory and a goal and they came in excellent fashion on Saturday. Billy Heath’s side had won three in 14 and were winless and goalless in their last four. They went 2-0 down away at AFC Telford United before Matt Rhead equalised. Seventeen minutes later, they were 3-2 ahead and saw out the game.  

Their opponents this weekend, Farsley Celtic, sit bottom of the league table and have the worst away record in the division, picking up one point from 13 games on the road since August. They stunned Kidderminster Harriers at The Citadel a couple of weeks back but have since lost against Spennymoor Town and Bradford Park Avenue.  

It probably says a lot about Alfreton Town that I’m not willing to back them to win on Saturday despite playing bottom of the table at home. However, goals are likely in this one. Farsley are without a clean sheet since 2^nd January – 11 matches ago. They have also scored in six of their last seven, six of those matches coming under the tutelage of new manager Russ Wilcox. 

Alfreton, meanwhile, have kept two clean sheets in their last 15 matches and just one at home all season. Goals have been an issue recently but scoring three on Saturday should be a confidence boost, as will having scored in five of their six matches against bottom half sides at home.  

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Brackley Town v AFC Telford United (National League North)

Brackley Town closed the gap on league leaders Gateshead in convincing fashion on Tuesday, putting five past Guiseley at Nethermoor Park – the first time they have scored more than three in a league match this season.  

While strong in all areas this season, Kevin Wilkin’s side have been particularly impressive on home turf, winning ten, drawing two and losing one of their 13 league matches at St.James’ Park. Key to that has been their incredible defensive record – Brackley have conceded just six goals in those 13 matches, keeping ten clean sheets. They have won their last three at home, including a convincing 3-0 victory against Bradford Park Avenue which meant their perfect home record against sides 13^th or lower continued.  

AFC Telford United, meanwhile, have not won a single football match on the road this season. They are also pointless in their four away matches against sides 9^th or higher and have picked up one point against top seven sides since the opening day home or away. They were at least finding a little bit form having picked up five points from their previous games going into Saturday’s home fixture with Alfreton Town. They managed to lose 3-2 despite taking a 2-0 lead in the second half.  

AFC Telford United picking up a result on the road against Brackley Town this weekend would rank as the biggest shock of the National League North season.  

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Bradford Park Avenue v Curzon Ashton (National League North)

Since the turn of the year, Bradford Park Avenue have won six and lost six and it is going a long way to securing their survival.  

Key to their improved form has been their home record. Bradford won just two of their first seven home matches this season but have since won five of seven. Notably, they have also scored two or more goals in five of those seven matches, including a thumping 5-0 victory against Alfreton Town. It’s their record against sides 10^th or below in the table that will give them confidence going into the weekend – they have taken 19 points from a possible 21 against the bottom 13.  

Things haven’t gone to plan for Curzon Ashton since Steve Cunningham departed for Buxton. They have won just four of their last 17 matches, drawing seven, and have lost their last two against lowly AFC Telford United and Gloucester City. While their away form reads four wins, four draws and five defeats, they have won just one of their last nine on the road and have been defeated by two of the bottom three on the road.  

Consistency has been hard to come by for Bradford Park Avenue but they have found comfort in familiar surroundings at the Horsfall Stadium.  

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Guiseley v Boston United (National League North)  

A prediction based more on the hosts than the visitors.  

Guiseley need results. While they might look at the two and / or three games they have in hand on most of the division, they are now 21^st in the league table, a point adrift of safety knowing that AFC Telford United have found form of late. The Lions have only lost one of their last four home matches, Tuesday’s 5-0 trouncing against title challengers Brackley Town, which will give them some hope going into Saturday. However, their record against the better sides in the division is abysmal – they have taken just two points from an available 45 against the top ten. They have also scored in just one of their eight home matches against the same opposition.  

Paul Cox has endured an indifferent beginning to life in Lincolnshire, seeing his side win three, draw three and lost two with one point taken from three matches on the road. The Pilgrims have struggled away from home this season, winning just three of 12 matches. However, Cox has overseen just three of those – a decent draw at Spennymoor Town followed by his only defeats to date away at Hereford and Kidderminster Harriers, two sides that are very strong at home.  

Saturday represents a great opportunity for Cox to pick up a first away victory as Boston United manager. 

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Chippenham Town v Dartford (National League South)

On 21^st January, Noor Husin left Dartford for Southend United and there were murmurs of discontent from Dartford supporters, concerned that he was the team’s primary creative outlet.  

Since then, Steve King’s side have won six, drew two and lost one to put themselves firmly back in contention for promotion – they are one point off third place Oxford City with two games in hand and seven points behind Dorking Wanderers and Maidstone United with a game in hand. Those six victories have come in the last seven matches, the only defeat coming against a Hungerford Town who have turned their home into a fortress recently. The signing of Marcus Dinanga has proved inspiring – he was named National League South Player of the Month having scored four in six matches in February.  

Dartford’s recent form has come largely because of the number of home matches played – seven of their last ten matches have been played at Princes Park Stadium. However, a deeper look at Dartford’s away record across the season shows that they have won seven and drawn two of their 11 matches against sides outside of the top five.  

Chippenham Town have slipped away from play-off contention in recent weeks, now four points adrift of seventh place Dulwich Hamlet having played a game or two more than the sides around them in the table. They are unbeaten in their last four at home but have drawn the last two, at home against Eastbourne Borough and Hampton and Richmond Borough, and are winless in four. Their home record has been patchy all season and they have won just three of seven matches since Boxing Day.  

Goals are proving hard to come by for Mike Cook’s side, three in their last six, while Dartford have well and truly found their mojo again.

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Dorking Wanderers v Hemel Hempstead  (National League South)

I’m backing a routine home win for the league leaders on Saturday.  

Dorking Wanderers have been outstanding at home this season, winning 12 and losing two of their 14 matches. Since the end of August, they have won 11, only slipping up against lowly Tonbridge Angels, who have an impressive record against sides at the top of the division. Dorking have also won 13 of their last 15 matches and tend to respond positively to setbacks – they have won their next home match after every defeat this season. And they lost away at promotion chasing Dartford on Saturday.  

Since their first win of the season on match day seven, Hemel Hempstead have been extremely inconsistent – they have won back-to-back matches just once and have not lost back-to-back matches. They have won six of their last 11 matches but each victory has been followed by a draw or defeat. Their overall away record has been strong – seven wins from 14 matches – but their record since Boxing Day reads two wins, two draws and two defeats. The most notable aspect of their form this season going into Saturday is that they have picked up one point from seven matches against sides in the top five.  There isn’t much in the numbers to suggest Dorking are about to be denied a 13^th home win of the season as they look to pull away from Maidstone United.  

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Dulwich Hamlet v Havant and Waterlooville (National League South)

Predicting what happens next with Dulwich Hamlet and Havant and Waterlooville is difficult.  

Both sides have struggled for consistent form this season and in recent weeks. Dulwich have won three, drawn one and lost four of their last eight. Their home record isn’t much better, one win, one loss and two draws from their last four. Havant and Waterlooville, meanwhile, have two draws and two losses from their last four on the road but have won two of their last three, having previously gone nine without victory.  

I’m going to predict goals in this one. Saturday’s visitors to Champion Hill have found their goalscoring boots in recent weeks, scoring seven in their last four matches with a number of new signings stepping up to find the net, including the experienced Stefan Payne. They have scored in each of their last four and eight of their last ten, conceding in each of those ten matches.  

Dulwich Hamlet finally ended a run of 15 games without a clean sheet in their recent 0-0 draw with St.Albans City and followed that up with a 1-0 victory against Braintree Town. However, both sides have been involved in low scoring affairs in recent weeks and Gavin Rose’s side reverted to type with a 2-1 loss at Hampton and Richmond Borough on Saturday. Both teams have scored in 12 of their last 16 matches.  

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Hungerford Town v Billericay Town (National League South)

Hungerford Town’s early season play-off push was halted by their difficulties at home. Now the Berkshire club can’t stop winning at Bulpit Lane.  

The Crusaders won just two of their opening nine home matches but have turned that around in 2022, winning all five home matches. That included big victories against Dulwich Hamlet and Dartford, two sides that could finish the season in the top seven. Despite their early season difficulties on home turf, their form has been strong against sides in the bottom half – they have won four of five matches against sides in the bottom eight and drew against the sides in 12^th and 13^th. Typically, Tonbridge Angels are the side to have ruined an otherwise near perfect record.  

Billericay Town are looking a beaten side now. Their inability to turn draws into wins is costing them – they have drawn seven of their last 13 matches and now sit six points adrift at the bottom of the table having failed to beat any of the seven sides immediately above them in the league table. The Blues have lost their last two on the road and a defence that was proving difficult to break has been breached 11 times in the last five matches.  

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Slough Town v Maidstone United (National League South)

Slough Town have been as inconsistent as they come in the National League South. They have won four, drawn five and lost six of their matches since back-to-back victories in November. They are winless in their last two having won back-to-back matches before that, those results coming on the back of a six-game winless run.  

The same can’t be said for Maidstone United who are beating almost everybody in their charge for the title. They have won 13 of their last 16 matches, only being denied in two away draws back in January and away at league leaders Dorking Wanderers, who they have since drawn level on points with. Their home form has been key to that – away from home their record reads four wins, two draws and one defeat since the start of that run.  

Slough have shown they are capable of upsetting the odds so I’m backing both teams to score in this one. Slough have scored and conceded in 23 of their last 25 matches, seeing 21 finish with both teams having scored. Since match day three, both teams have scored in all but one of their home matches and each of their five matches against sides in the top seven. Maidstone, meanwhile, have seen both teams score in five of their last seven matches and have conceded five of their last seven away matches. 

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Tonbridge Angels v Braintree Town (National League South)

Tonbridge Angels have been a side most feared by the sides near the top of the division and fancied by the sides around them in the league table.  

The Kent outfit have beaten league leaders Dorking Wanderers and play-off chasing Hungerford Town home and away this season and taken points off seven of 11 top half teams. However, their record against sides in the bottom half does not reflect positively on their bid for survival – they have won two of 12 matches against sides 11^th or lower in the table and both came against bottom of the table Billericay Town. They have drawn four and lost six of the others, including four defeats against the sides 16^th to 20^th.  

Braintree Town are picking up points and are close to having secured their survival for another season. The Iron have lost just five of their last 18 matches in the league and have won four of their last six – incredibly all 1-0 scorelines. One of those was an impressive away victory against St.Albans City too. They have only lost four of their last nine away matches and three of those came against sides currently sat in the top seven of the league table. They have also have a strong record against the sides in the bottom half, losing two of seven matches against sides below them in the league table and three of 11 league matches against sides 13^th or lower.  

Braintree Town can’t always be gambled on to finish victorious but they don’t lose many games, while Tonbridge rarely beat the sides around them.  

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