There are good teams in this division and then there are top teams. Chatham Town, hastily expanding on the banks of the River Medway, have been prolific in recent years. There’s possibility of back-to-back-to-back promotions, which is frankly absurd, though could be a reality with Kevin Hake’s side sat in 2nd, chasing after league leaders Hornchurch.

Whitehawk returned to some kind of winning way on Tuesday night in the Velocity Cup, overcoming Kingstonian via a penalty-shootout. There was some good football on display despite the late setback, with confidence from midweek hopefully trickling into this weekend’s stern test.

Team news

Shaun Saunders might have a bit of a selection headache on Saturday with plenty of Hawks available to him. Tommy Brewer and Joey Taylor were absent for Tuesday’s clash, whilst 17 year-old Josh Nandhra impressed on his starting debut.

Stefan Wright returned to the starting XI on Tuesday and will be searching for a starting place, while Jaden Perez and Cameron Tutt have both returned to their parent clubs following their respective loan spells at The Enclosed Ground.

Chatham Town have today announced the arrival of left-back Lesley Duru, who most recently played for Berkhamsted, and can also add Chesham and Sevenoaks Town to his CV as he joins up with the matchday squad travelling to the Sussex coast.

The Opposition

Joining the Hawks on route to the Isthmian Premier last season, Chatham blitz the division last season as they go in search of yet another promotion. They’ve got the set up already, and a team that certainly carries plenty of quality, as they look to close the gap on Hornchurch.

Defeat in their most recent fixture at home to out-of-form Hashtag United raised plenty of eyebrows, but manager Kevin Hake will be looking to get back to winning ways as soon as possible with plenty of players at his disposal.

One to Watch | Jack Evans

There’s quite a few that could take this title, yet we thought to give it to a midfielder who is arguably the best player in this division. He’s the life of The Chats’ midfield, and is a constantly roving player who passes well and has a real eye for goal.

The 30 year-old spent his youth years with neighbours Gillingham, and featured seven times for the Kent club. He moved to the other part of Medway in 2019, but only after a busy spell at a wealth of non-league clubs including Tamworth, Sutton United and Eastbourne Borough.

Recent Form – WLWWL

1/1 | Dulwich Hamlet (H) | Won 2-1

6/1 | Bognor Regis Town (A) | Lost 2-1

13/1 | Cheshunt (H) | Won 3-2

27/1 | Canvey Island (H) | Won 5-1

30/1 | Hashtag United (H) | Lost 3-2

Previous Meetings

The first meeting between the two sides came in 1994, with the Hawks recording a 1-0 FA Vase win courtesy of a Michael Thomas strike as the Hawks booked their place into the third round of the competition.

In more modern history, this the fourth meeting between the two sides in the previous two seasons, with Chatham claiming a 2-1 home win last season and a 1-0 home victory earlier in the current campaign.

The Hawks did win last season’s clash at The Enclosed Ground by another 1-0 scoreline; Reece Butler scoring one of the great own-goals on 11 minutes to help the Hawks on their way to the Isthmian Premier. 

How to Follow

If you can’t make it to The Enclosed Ground this weekend, then you can follow the action via our X (Twitter) channel, which can be found here.