Wrap up warm. It’s set to be freezing, literally. To the north-west corner of Kent it is tonight as the Hawks continue their wintery calendar with a trip to Sevenoaks looking to return to winning ways.

Consecutive defeats for the first time this campaign, Shaun Saunders and his side will look to right the wrongs of Saturday’s top of the table defeat to Ramsgate with victory at The Oaks’ Bourne Stadium, which would send Whitehawk up to second.

Last time out

Frustrating, really. Much of the ball and more of the opportunities retrospectively in vain as Ramsgate counter-attacked to perfection in a 3-1 win for the visitors that further extended their lead atop the table.

An opening half that didn’t just click, Ramsgate stormed into the lead moments before the break through a scrappy Kane Rowland goal after Whitehawk had peppered the opposing box with crosses and reverse passes.

And when Nathan Cooper steered his Hawks level just after the restart, the emphasis was on continuing this momentum. But a Luke Glover error permitted Ashley Miller into chipping the ball over his head and into the netting behind. Huffing and puffing yet no way through for the hosts as Rowland wrapped things up with a thunderous strike inside the box.

The hosts

Moving swiftly onto Sevenoaks Town, a side that have picked up in form following a shaky start to proceedings that left them languishing near the rear of the table, Harry Hudson’s side now sit cosily in 10th position, eight points shy of a play off berth.

Unbeaten at home since a surprising 1-0 defeat to Corinthian on October 19, their inconsistencies have seen them lose to sides low down in the division, yet defeat the likes of high-flying Ramsgate 4-2 away. It’s difficult to call, but there is certainly a change of tide in Sevenoaks as we enter the festive period.

Forwards Fumnaya Shomotun and Freddie Parker both enter tonight with four goals apiece in the league, and the former added two on Saturday afternoon in a 3-1 victory over Haywards Heath Town on home soil. The Oaks have the joint-fourth worse offensive record in the league mustering 18 goals from their opening 15 games but, when firing, this is a team that will cause issues for defences.

Previous encounters

On their last trip to Sevenoaks, Whitehawk said to thee: 3-0 winners in December last year. It was Ross Standen’s side at their very best as Alex Malins recorded a debut goal, whilst Peter Gregory and Billie Clark added two more in the second half to send the Hawks home triumphant.

In the return fixture 613 flooded The Enclosed Ground for Non-League day in March of this year on a warm spring afternoon, but it would be a day to forget on the pitch as Sevenoaks ran away with a 1-0 win in a game of football that can be best described as poor.

So, onto tonight….it can only get better, surely?