Blue Square South Boxing Day Preview

There's a full round of Blue Square South fixtures to look forward to on Boxing Day.

Bishop's Stortford v Braintree Town

Bishop's Stortford play host to Braintree Town at Woodside Park on Boxing Day as they look to build on their weekend victory.

The Bishops collected all three points at Sutton united on Saturday thanks to an injury time strike by Greg Pearson and they currently occupy 7th place on the log with 32 points.

Braintree could hand debuts to two new signings while three players have gone out on loan.

Liam Bailey has agreed a one-month loan to Ryman League Division One North side Wivenhoe Town while Steve Good and Eugene Ofori have been made available for loan to Ryman League Premier Division side Heybridge Swifts.

25-year old striker Tony Boot who has joined the Club from Billericay Town and 27-year old Garry Cross sings on after leaving Hornchurch recently.

Bognor Regis Town v Havant and Waterlooville

Bognor manager Micky Birmingham will be keen for his side to produce another solid performance when the Hawks visit Nyewood Lane on Wednesday afternoon.

The Rocks managed to earn a point in a tough match against promotion-chasing Bath City on Saturday and will surely be high on confidence heading into this encounter.

Birmingham will once again have a fully-fit squad to choose from when mid-table Havant visit.

Havant boss Shaun Gale may have to make do without midfielder Charlie Henry, who limped off in the 19th minute against Eastleigh on Saturday.

Bromley v Thurrock

Bromley ended a run of five consecutive defeats at the weekend and will be keen to build on that result when Thurrock visit Hayes Lane in midweek.

The Ravens won 2-1 at Cambridge City and the result saw them move up to 8th place on the Blue Square South table.

Thurrock currently find themselves in 16th place with 21 points from 19 encounters.

Dorchester v Bath City

Struggling Dorchester face a stern test when high-flying Bath city travel to the Avenue Stadium on Boxing Day.

The Magpies will have to make do without the services of striker Dani Rodrigues as he had to return to Portugal due to family reasons.

However, Jamie Gleeson and new signing Bradley Middleton are likely to be included in the squad.

Bath City will miss the services of Lewis Hogg after the midfielder was shown a straight red for kicking out at an opponent.

Eastleigh v Basingstoke

Promotion chasers Eastleigh and Basingstoke prepare for their boxing day clash on Wednesday with just one point separating the two sides.

Eastleigh suffered a narrow defeat to Havant at the weekend and currently find themselves in 6th place with 33 points.

Basingstoke could only manage a goalless draw against Weston-super-Mare on Saturday and will be keen to return to winning ways at Silverlake Stadium.

Hampton & Richmond v Sutton Utd

High flying Hampton & Richmond prepare for the visit of rock-bottom Sutton United to Beveree Stadium on Boxing Day as they look to close the gap on league leaders Lewes.

The Beavers did well to record a 0-0 draw with Eastbourne Borough on the 15th of December and win against Sutton on Wednesday would see them collect 38 points from 19 fixtures.

Sutton narrowly lost out to Bishop's Stortford at the weekend and have every right to feel aggrieved as they matched their opponents for the whole match but lost out to a 90th minute winner.

Lewes v Eastbourne Borough

This promises to be one of the most exciting encounters of the day as leaders Lewes play host to second-placed Eastbourne Borough.

The Rooks cruised to a comfortable win over Fisher Athletic on Saturday with Paul Booth on target once again.

Eastbourne will hand late fitness tests to Ben Austin (hamstring), Darren Baker (knee damage) and Scott Ramsay (calf injury) after they all missed Saturday's game against Crawley Town.

Head coach Nick Greenwood told the Eastbourne Herald: "We will just have to see how they respond to their fitness tests.

"But a big plus is that there were no further injuries sustained against Crawley and Neil Jenkins got a full 90 minutes under his belt without any repercussions."

Maidenhead Utd v Hayes & Yeading, 15:00

Maidenhead United will be looking to open a bigger gap on the dreaded relegation zone with a good result against mid-table Hayes & Yeading.

The Magpies staged a late comeback to snatch all three points at Thurrock at the weekend and will be keen to follow up with another good result on Boxing Day.

Hayes & Yeading beat leaders Lewes in their last league match, which took place on December 8th and manager Garry Haylock will be keen for his side to repeat that performance.

St Albans v Cambridge City

The Saints will be looking to record their fifth successive win at Clarence Park this Wednesday when Cambridge City travel to York City.

Maximum points would haul St Albans out of the drop zone and manager Dave Anderson believes his side can do it.

"We played very well against Torquay and it was not their reserve side by any stretch of the imagination," Anderson told the St Albans & Harpenden Review.

"We knew they were going to have more of the ball and we changed the system a little bit, as you have to with Conference sides.

"It was a very satisfying day all round and gives us confidence going into the Christmas period.

"It's important we transfer our cup form to the league and a couple of wins would take us away from the bottom and into the pack above us. The sooner we do that, the better as it will ease the pressure on us."

City suffered a defeat at the hands of Bromley on Saturday and they now hover dangerously close to the drop zone with 20 points from 19 fixtures.

Welling v Fisher Athletic

Struggling Welling prepare for the visit of Fisher Athletic to Park View Road on Boxing Day and a loss would see them slip even closer to the dreaded drop zone.

The Wings last played on the 15th of December and they lost out to a 85th minute winner against Basingstoke at home.

Fisher hold a four-point lead over their opponents but the wrong result here would bring them within striking distance of the bottom four.

Weston-Super-Mare v Newport County

The Seagulls entertain Newport County at Woodspring Stadium on Wednesday as they look to open a bigger gap on the relegation zone.

Weston recorded a goalless draw against Basingstoke at the weekend while Newport coincidentally played their last league fixture against the same opponent.

However, Newport lost 3-1 to Basingstoke on the 8th of December and have had a break from the league since then.