Ah, Non-league Day.

One that has been marked in the calendar since the earliest days of Summer, it may not be as hot as the last but on the field the intensity is as fiery as ever as Cray Valley PM come to town.

And, yet again, it’s a home game against promotion-chasing opposition. But the Hawks have been exceptional on home soil, arriving into Saturday’s show six games unbeaten.

Forced to take a break on Saturday after our clash at East Grinstead Town was postponed due to the rains, the players are well rested as the 5th placed ‘Millers’ storm into East Brighton.

And storm indeed, as Tommy Osborne’s side sit top of the form table with five wins and one draw from their previous six matches.

Last time out

Feels a while ago, doesn’t it? 11 days have passed since that nail-biting victory over Chatham Town that saw the defence at their glittering best, resolute for the duration in a 1-0 win.

Luke Glover returned to the side following an injury to Sam Freeman, as the league’s best defence prevailed courtesy of a Reece Butler own goal that spawned from a fabulous Luke Robinson cross that clanked the post.

Chatham came close on a number of occasions, clipping the bar near the end, but the Hawks held on as they soared to second, only to drop back down to 4th position after every team in the top seven secured victories on Saturday.

The visitors

Cray Valley PM are a side that have quietly kept pace with the playoff race throughout, but only now do they emerge as real contenders after a fantastic run of results.

Arriving on the back of 3-0, 5-1 and 3-1 wins over Burgess Hill, Ashford and Haywards Heath respectively, the wind is certainly in their sails as they journey down from the southeastern corner of the capital tomorrow morning.

The league’s second top-scorers with 59, they also boast the best goal difference with Ade Adeyemo’s 12 league goals leading the line. Daniel Bennett and Adam Coombes both have 11 to their names as their frontline carries much threat with playoffs firmly in their sight.

Previous encounters

In recent years the two teams have rarely met, with this the fifth meeting since the beginning of the 2019/20 season.

The Hawks have the slim edge over Saturday’s opponents with one win, that coming via a 2-0 scoreline in 2019 at The Enclosed Ground, whilst the remaining three matches have all ended in score draws.

But this is Non-League Day, with both teams fighting for promotion. By far the most important meeting between the sides, a packed Din End would go a long way to ensuring an ideal result.

And you can still buy your ticket! Skip the queues by clicking this link: https://whitehawkfc.ktckts.com/brand/match-tickets