Non-League Day, and a big crowd is expected to swell The Enclosed Ground tomorrow for the visit of high-flying Hornchurch.

The Hawks are flying too as of late, swooping into Saturday with an impressive eight-game unbeaten run in the league that keeps the hopes of a surprise play-off charge just about alive.

And after three consecutive games on the road, the Hawks are here to stay for a little while with three-straight home games in seven days, with an idea of how the season will shape up to come by the end of next week.

Team News

Joey Taylor and Imran Kayani missed Tuesday’s trip to Bognor Regis Town, and will miss the next couple of matches as they continue to represent their respective nations.

Lloyd Dawes will be assessed before Saturday’s clash after hobbling off on his own accord in midweek, having just returned from a lengthy lay-off.

Kai Jennings starred in the midfield on Tuesday in his first Whitehawk start, and he will be pushing to keep his place for the visit of the league leaders.

The Opposition

Well, they’re rather good. Too good, really, for this division having lost just twice in the league all season long, though one of those was just a few days ago along the coast in Hastings.

That snapped a 14-game unbeaten run in the Isthmian Premier. The result? Top of the table, by a country mile. With games in hand and 11 points clear there’s little doubting Daryl McMahon’s side will be playing National League South football next season.

This might have been in slight doubt upon the departure of manager Steve Morison, who joined League Two Sutton United at the start of the year. But the response has been electric, with McMahon suffering his first defeat coming 49 days into his tenure.

One to Watch | Liam Nash

Hornchurch’s top scorer, Nash has been with the club since October 2020. A highly prolific striker who rose to prominence at Maldon & Tiptree, he scored an incredible 36 goals in 47 appearances with the Essex club. This caught the eye of many bigger clubs, and he turned professional in 2017.

He joined Gillingham where he made 15 appearances, before spending some time in Ireland at Cork City before returning to England. He spent time at National League sides Hemel Hempstead, Dartford and Concord Rangers where he continued his impressive goal scoring record.

Recent Form | WWWWL

17/2 | Haringey Borough (H) | Won 3-0

27/2 | Concord Rangers (A) | Won 3-0

9/3 | Bognor Regis Town (A) | Won 2-1

16/3 | Billericay Town (H) | Won 4-1

19/3 | Hastings United (A) | Lost 1-0

Previous Meetings

The sides last locked horns back in December, when an excellent Whitehawk performance earned the Sussex side a point in a battling 0-0 draw.

Before that, the Hawks last faced the Urchins during the 2019/19 season, with the Hawks earning a fine 2-1 win in Hornchurch, after drawing 1-1 in the reverse fixture on home soil.

How to Follow

If you can’t make it to The Enclosed Ground for Saturday’s Non-League Day, then you can follow the action via our X (Twitter) channel, which can be found here.