Barnet v Dover Athletic  

Barnet have been brought back down to Earth recently following a run of one win in 12 matches in the National League.  

Excuses can be made for recent results. For starters, injuries have had an impact, as evidenced by Brennan having to occasionally select XI’s with only one natural central defender and no natural striker available. There have also been well documented off-field issues and four of their six most recent defeats came against sides in the top seven with another coming away at in-form Southend United.  

They have been more settled of late. Ross Marshall and Reece Grego-Cox have had a positive impact since joining the club. Sam Beard and Reiss Greenidge have returned in defence while Kian Flanagan, Rob Hall, Daniel Powell, Ephron Mason-Clark and Adam Marriott have all been deemed fit enough to start recently. The Bees came from two-nil down to draw with Torquay United and did everything but score against King’s Lynn Town in their last home game.  Brennan has spoken about playing on the front-foot against sides lower down the table and Dover Athletic are as poor as they come in the National League having accrued one win and five draws from their 30 league matches. Barnet are much stronger playing against sides in the bottom half – they have won six and drawn four of their 12 matches against sides 14^th or lower – and Brennan should have close to a full squad to choose from for this one, including attacking depth on his bench. 

Chesterfield v Southend United  

Finding a word to sum up the last month and a half at Chesterfield Football Club is difficult. 

There was defeat at Maidenhead United, James Rowe’s suspension and eventual dismissal, a four-game winless run during which Paul Cook was appointed, they conceded a 98^th minute winner against Weymouth, twice let a 2-0 lead slip after having a man sent off and saw their talisman and National League top scorer Kabongo Tshimanga’s season ended by a broken leg.  

However, victories against Yeovil Town (1-0) and local rivals Notts County (3-1), have steadied the ship a little bit as they head into their fifth consecutive league match at home. The returns of Laurence Maguire from injury and Tom Whelan from Eastleigh have improved the spine of the team while a tweak to the system (previously 3-4-1-2 and now a variation of Cook’s preferred 4-2-3-1) has given them more attacking impetus.  

They meet an unstoppable force at the weekend in Southend United. The Shrimpers are unbeaten in 11 matches and earned all three points in seven of those. However, only three of those matches came against sides in the top seven and two of those were draws. Southend have also won just three of their last seven away matches despite their extended unbeaten run – against Weymouth, who sacked their manager post-defeat, Dover Athletic and a struggling Woking. Finally, they have drawn their last two and were without Sam Dalby, Kacper Lopata and Tom Clifford last weekend. Unbeaten runs always come to an end and Southend are facing their toughest test since the 4-1 loss at Notts County.  

Chesterfield have had their troubles recently but remain one of the best sides in the National League and I fancy them to make it three wins on the spin. 

Grimsby Town v Woking  

Grimsby Town are finally finding some form as they reach the cliched business end of the season.  

Paul Hurst’s Mariners won two, drew one and lost nine of 12 league matches between late October and January, a run that saw them not only lose their position as league leaders but also drop out of the play-off places. However, the Blundell Park outfit have won four of their last five, scoring twice in each of those matches and even seeing off Notts County away from home. They were unfortunate not to beat King’s Lynn Town in the other of those matches. Star man John McAtee is back amongst the goals, having scored three in his last two, while on-loan Aston Villa man Arjan Raikhy is having a positive influence in the middle of the park.  

They take on Woking this weekend, now managerless after the Cards’ board made the decision to part company with Alan Dowson. Despite the goodwill for Dowson at the club, results had become hard to ignore. They were winless in seven, had won two of their last 14 and just five of their last 22 in the league. Of those victories, four came against sides in the bottom seven and the other against Southend United pre-Kevin Maher. Outside of their crazy week in September / October, Woking haven’t picked up a single point against top 10 sides since the end of October and any potential new manager bounce is likely to have to wait too with assistant manager Ian Dyer in caretaker charge.  

I’m backing the side in form on Saturday.  

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Notts County v Yeovil Town  

Notts County’s struggles for consistent league form continued again in midweek with their four-game unbeaten run ending at Chesterfield. While their unbeaten runs this season have spanned seven, five, six and four matches, they have only won more than two games in succession once and have now lost seven of their 29 league matches – as many as Chesterfield and Boreham Wood combined.  

Their struggles, however, have often come on the road. The Magpies have the third best home record in the division, averaging 2.2 points per game on home turf and that record improves further against sides 10th or lower in the table – they have won seven of their nine matches against such opposition. The only defeat came during Woking’s wild week back in September / October.  

Yeovil Town, meanwhile, come into this game having won just one of their last 11 league matches. That sole victory came against Woking and while they have recovered some defensive solidity recently – they have conceded just five goals in their last seven – they have been toothless in front of goal, scoring just seven goals in their last 11. This isn’t a new issue either – Yeovil scored just 20 goals in their opening 18 matches.  

County have scored in every home match this season and it’s hard to imagine Yeovil Town being able to ask the same questions posed by Chesterfield or Grimsby Town in recent weeks (pressing high, set-pieces). Home victory.  

Solihull Moors v King’s Lynn Town

Of the sides in the current top nine, it’s Solihull Moors that have been able to go about their business with the least noise or pressure. Whether that is to do with geography, because they have a budget that isn’t quite as big as Stockport County, Chesterfield or Wrexham but still big enough to expect a challenge or because they tend to pick up the results they are expected to pick up is unknown.  

What we do know is that Solihull Moors have a very, very strong home record since their 4-3 loss against Weymouth on match day three. The Moors have won nine, drawn one and lost two of their matches at the ARMCO Arena with the two defeats coming against Stockport County (1-0) and Chesterfield (2-0, man sent off after 27 minutes). They have also scored at least two goals in eight of their nine victories, the outlier being a 1-0 victory against fellow promotion contenders FC Halifax Town.  

It doesn’t bode well for a King’s Lynn Town side that are winless in five and sit 15 points adrift of safety. Their 3-0 victory against fellow relegation strugglers Weymouth now feels a long time ago and a 4-1 defeat against Maidenhead United and 2-0 loss at Wrexham suggest that belief is waning. The Linnets have picked up a solitary point in 16 matches against sides in the top 12, conceding two or more in 11 and seven of the nine played on the road.  

Aldershot Town v Stockport County 

Stockport County have turned from goal machines to as resolute defensively as they come in the National League.  

The Hatters conceded in six of Dave Challinor’s first eight matches but have since conceded just three goals in nine matches, keeping seven clean sheets. Notably, the three goals they conceded came against Chesterfield and Bromley, the only opposition they have played in this period inside the top eight. Stockport have needed those clean sheets at home but on the road, they seem to play with more freedom, winning each of their last four on the road by more than one goal and winning seven of eight matches in total since Simon Rusk’s departure.  

Aldershot Town are winless in six home matches, drawing five and conceding in five, the only clean sheet coming against Dover Athletic. The Shots have struggled recently, their run of five wins in eight matches being replaced by a run of one win in eight and they have lost three of their last four. Notably, two of those defeats came against Grimsby Town and Wrexham – they had only played one top nine side in the previous 12.  

Stockport have won all 12 matches played against bottom half opposition since the end of October and every away match against the same opposition this season.  

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