Saturday's Blue Square South preview

Eastbourne Borough will be looking to close the gap on league leaders Lewes while relegation-threatened St Albans play host to Basingstoke Town.

Bath City v Lewes

Promotion play-off chasers Bath City can expect a stern test when league leaders Lewes make the trip to Twerton Park on Saturday afternoon.

Bath City find themselves in sixth place on the Blue Square South table and notched up 52 points from 32 fixtures.

At this crucial stage of the season both sides will be desperate to clinch all three points for different reasons.

If the Romans can lodge a victory this weekend, then the promotion race would certainly take an interesting twist.

Blue SQ have given the visitors odds of 8/1 on a 2-1 victory.

Bognor Regis Town v Dorchester Town

Bognor Regis Town will be looking to further distance themselves from the dreaded drop zone this weekend when they entertain strugglers Dorchester Town.

The Rocks are boosted by the return of Luke Nightingale, who is back to full fitness after a broken collarbone.

Mark Knee missed training on Tuesday with a calf problem but is hoping to be fit for the weekend but David Ray's dead leg he picked up at Sutton will keep him on the sidelines.

Scott Chamberlain and David Birmingham are both pushing for a starting berth after regaining fitness.

Dorchester captain Alex Browne returns after recovering from a concussion while Roy OBrien (ankle) and Jake Smeaton (groin) are expected to overcome slight knocks.

Striker Eric Manangu misses out as he serves the final game of the two-match suspension he incurred before joining the club.

Blue SQ have given the home side odds of 7/1 on a 2-1 win.

Braintree Town v Sutton United

Lee Patterson will be looking to steer his Braintree Town squad to a second consecutive victory on Saturday when rock-bottom Sutton travel to Cressing Road Stadium.

Patterson was happy to see his charges bounce back to winning ways on Tuesday evening with a convincing win against Weston-Super-Mare.

He told his club's official website: "The players all responded after the disappointment of Saturday.

"They were all genuinely down hearted in the dressing room at Bromley, but gave a positive reaction by winning in a convincing manner.

"We must now be more consistent and take last night's performance into Saturday's game with Sutton.

"Although they are bottom of the league this will be no easy game as they are scrapping for survival.

"Since we beat them in November they have changed quite a few players and they have picked up some good results.

"We are fighting for points for our own ambitions and we will need to take maximum points if we are to keep our season alive."

Sutton are expected to hand a starting berth to defender Karim El-Salahi, who has returned to the club on a loan agreement from Eastleigh.

Midfielder Jason Goodchild misses out as he serves a suspension while Phil Wilson will have to watch from the sidelines as he nurses a back injury.

Blue SQ have given the home side odds of 13/2 on a 1-0 victory.

Bromley v Welling United

This Saturday sees Bromley take on Blue Square South strugglers and local rivals Welling United at Hayes Lane.

Welling currently lie in 19th place in the Blue Square South, with 27 points from their 32 games.

The Lillywhites are in 10th place, with 49 points from 33 games, and a win on Saturday would take them 25 points ahead of the Park View Road side.

Welling new signings Michael Kamara and Elliot Bent are expected to play a part in Saturday's match, while both Omari Coleman and Amos Foyewa have been released.

Blue SQ have given the hosts odds of 13/2 on a 2-0 win.

Eastbourne Borough v Fisher Athletic

Eastbourne Borough will be looking to close the gap on league leaders Lewes with a winning result against Fisher Athletic on Saturday afternoon.

Eastbourne are currently in second place and trial Lewes by four points while their opponents sit in fifth place with 53 points from 33 games.

Fisher slumped to a defeat at the hands of Cambridge City on Tuesday evening and Manager Wayne Burnett will be keen to steer his side back to winning ways.

It is highly likely that the Fish will lose their promotion play-off berth if they suffer a second consecutive defeat.

Blue SQ have given the home side odds of 7/1 on a 2-1 victory.

Havant & Waterlooville v Bishop's Stortford

Shaun Gale's Hawks will be looking to further strengthen their play-off chances when Bishop's Stortford visit Westleigh Park.

Havant & Waterlooville have been in scintillating form of late and top the form chart in the Blue Square South division.

However, they are trail fifth-placed Fisher Athletic by two points and have three teams standing in the way of a play-off berth.

Meanwhile, the Bishops will be keen to return to winning ways after suffering two losses on the bounce.

Bishop's Stortford are on equal points with Havant & Waterlooville but have played one extra match.

Blue SQ have given the home side odds of 8/1 on a 2-0 victory.

Hayes & Yeading v Newport County

Hayes & Yeading United will be looking to record their second successive home victory when Newport County make the trip to Church Road.

Manager Garry Haylock steered his side to a 3-0 win over play-off chasers Bath City last weekend and will be keen for a repeat performance against the Exiles.

Newport currently occupy seventh place on the Blue Square South table and have collected 52 points from 30 fixtures.

They trail fifth-placed Fisher Athletic by just one point and a win on Saturday could potentially see them claim a play-off place.

Blue SQ have odds of 6/1 on this match ending in a 1-1 draw.

Maidenhead United v Eastleigh

Relegation-threatened Maidenhead United can expect another stern test when promotion hopefuls Eastleigh make the trip to York Road this weekend.

The Magpies have been struggling for consistency of late and have slipped closer to the relegation zone after losing at Eastleigh last weekend.

Manager Johnson Hippolyte will reshuffle his pack with a number of players unavailable for selection.

Darti Brown and Jamal Fyfield watch from the sidelines as they serve individual suspensions while Dwane Lee and Grant Cooper also miss out.

Lee Newman is on the treatment table with a groin injury and faces a late fitness test.

Ian Baird's men will be looking to collect all three points again in a bid to strengthen their promotion credentials.

Karim El-Salahi was recalled from his loan spell at Sutton United last week and could play again in the absence of injured centre back Chris Collins.

However, he may have to be content with a place on the bench after Weymouth defender Ashley Vickers signed for the Spitfires in midweek.

The 6' 4" central defender has signed for the rest of this season and the whole of next season.

Blue SQ have given the visitors odds of 8/1 on a 2-0 win.

St Albans City v Basingstoke Town

Caretaker manager Steve Castle is looking for St Albans City FC to post back-to-back league wins when they host Basingstoke Town.

"We've got to make sure we build on that result against Weston-super-Mare as we didn't after we beat Dorchester," Castle told the St Albans & Harpenden Review.

"We will enjoy that win but we have done nothing yet and we mustn't get carried away.

"I know we've got five games against teams with play-off aspirations but we've proved in the last four to six weeks that we can give anyone a game. We just need to concentrate."

Basingstoke head into the weekend's fixture after a tumultuous week which saw manager Francis Vines hand in his resignation.

Vines will stay with Basingstoke until the end of the season but players Jamie Whisken, Chris Tardif and Rob Watkins have been shown the exit.

Blue SQ have odds of 12/1 on this match ending in a 2-2 draw.

Thurrock v Cambridge City

Cambridge City will be looking to extend their winning run to four matches when they travel to Thurrock's Ship Lane on Saturday afternoon.

Manager Gary Roberts steered his side to a morale-boosting win over high-flying Fisher Athletic in midweek and is confident that his side can get a good result against Thurrock.

Roberts told his club's official website: "Next up for us is the short trip down to Thurrock and that is never an easy place to go.

"We go there in much better form than in the previous two occasions we've played them this season so we will be looking to go and win the game.

"It is a case of continuing our run of good results. We are now second in the form table and it's no fluke because we are playing some good stuff."

Thurrock are currently sat in 14th place on the Blue Square South table and have collected 43 points from 32 fixtures.

Blue SQ have given the hosts odds of 13.2 on a 1-0 win.

Weston-Super-Mare v Hampton & Richmond

Relegation-threatened Weston-Super-Mare will be looking to bounce back to winning ways this weekend when Alan Devonshire's Hampton & Richmond make the trip to Woodspring Stadium.

The Seagulls find themselves hovering just above the dreaded drop zone after two successive defeats and can expect another stern examination when promotion hopefuls Hampton & Richmond visit.

Manager Tony Ricketts is expected to hand a debut to new loan signing Ian Herring, who joined one month-long deal from Blue Square Premier side Salisbury City earlier in the week.

The Beavers beat strugglers Welling United 3-1 last weekend and will of course be looking to produce more of the same in a bid to strengthen their play-off position.

Blue SQ have odds of 13/2 on this match ending in a 1-1 draw.