With the season narrowing down towards its conclusion, this race to become National League Champions is as close as its ever been with up to five sides fighting it out to be crowned 2019 champions.
Ampthill, Old Elthamians, Rosslyn Park and Blackheath have broken away from the pack and look set to take it down to the wire.
Remaining Fixtures
vs Darlington Mowden Park (A)
vs Rosslyn Park (H)
vs Birmingham Mosely (A)
vs Sale FC (H)
vs Loughborough Students (A)
The Big Game
With just five points separating the two, the fixture at home to Rosslyn Park could prove to be a crucial one, with the loser likely to miss out on a possible promotion.
Potential Banana Skin
15th placed outfit Loughborough Students currently sit just three points above bottom side Esher and will be desperate to gain as many points as possible as they look to avoid relegation.
They have also shown the potential to cause an upset having already beaten both Chinnor and Rotherham this season.
Old Elthamians Remaining Fixtures
vs Cambridge (H)
vs Caldy (A)
vs Cinderford (H)
vs Bishop’s Stortford (A)
vs Rotherham Titans (H)
The Big Game
Following relegation from the Championship last season, Rotherham Titans were widely expected to bounce straight back but a poor start saw them languishing in mid table. Form has picked up in recent weeks however and they will be a stern test for the South East London side.
Potential Banana Skin
Old Elthamians have a fairly benign run-in – barring Rotherham – with all four opponents currently sitting in the bottom half of the table. However, Sale will have the advantage having taken home victory when the two sides met earlier in the season, winning a classic 42-38.
Rosslyn Park Remaining Fixtures
vs Plymouth Albion (H)
vs Ampthill (A)
vs Cambridge (H)
vs Caldy (A)
vs Cinderford (H)
The Big Game
The aforementioned grudge match with Ampthill could well be the fixture that decides this season’s winner. In the reverse fixture earlier in the season, Rosslyn Park won 10-6 in a very low scoring affair.
Potential Banana Skin
Plymouth Albion have won three of their last five games which has seen them jump up to 8th in the table and just five points behind Chinnor in 5th. Plymouth have shown on multiple occasions this season that they have the attacking quality to beat the top sides, but their leaky defence has prevented them from stalled them.
Blackheath Remaining Fixtures
vs Loughborough Students (A)
vs Bishop’s Stortford (H)
vs Chinnor (A)
vs Rotherham Titans (H)
vs Esher (H)
The Big Game
On paper, the East London side have the toughest run-in and with them being eight points behind leaders Ampthill, promotion looks a real stretch. The showdown with Rotherham is likely to decide their season, should they get past Chinnor who are also towards the top half of the table.
Potential Banana Skin
Bishop’s Stortford have remained remarkably consistent throughout the season, mainly due to their outstanding defence that has seen them concede just 495 points this season, a record bettered only by Ampthill.
Verdict
As it stands, all four sides have a chance of gaining promotion into the championship but Blackheath’s extreme fixture list puts them at a real disadvantage.
Old Elthamians have the easiest of the run-ins, but last weekend’s loss to Ampthill will have had a huge impact on the squad’s confidence.
Ampthill will be the favourites to take home the title and their monumental clash with Rosslyn Park should decide who does end the season with glory.
