Form sides clash in key game at The Pilot Field

Matt Bodkin on the ball for Hastings United against Guernsey on Sunday. Picture courtesy Scott White

United will host fellow play-off hopefuls Carshalton Athletic in a clash between two of Ryman Football League Division One South’s form sides. Kick-off at The Pilot Field is 7.45pm.

Carshalton have won their last six matches to rise to third in the table, while United have won five and drawn one of their last six to climb to seventh.

The battle to get into the top five is really hotting up, with just two points covering Greenwich Borough in fourth and Lewes in eighth.

Harry Stannard tries to take on the Guernsey defence during Sunday's 1-0 victory. Picture courtesy Scott White

United are very much in the thick of that scrap. They are now just two points behind fifth-placed Corinthian-Casuals and possess a vastly better goal difference than all of the clubs around them.

A win tonight would lift United into the play-off spots regardless of the outcome of a crucial game elsewhere between Greenwich and sixth-placed Hythe Town.

But it’s sure to be tough, particularly as United have had very little recovery time since their 1-0 win at Guernsey on Sunday - their fourth consecutive victory and clean sheet.

If you like goals, this should be a good game to watch. The two teams have scored 179 league goals between them this season, 96 of which have come from United, and the reverse fixture on Bonfire Night ended in a 4-4 draw with defender Steve Watt netting a hat-trick for United.

United will hope to welcome back goalkeeper Lenny Pidgeley and full-back Johnny Akoto after both missed the weekend match in the Channel Islands.

Ryman Division One South top 10 (played-points): 1 Tooting & Mitcham United 34-77 (+52 goal difference), 2 Dorking Wanderers 34-74 (+44), 3 Carshalton Athletic 35-67 (+37), 4 Greenwich Borough 33-63 (+29), 5 Corinthian-Casuals 34-63 (+18), 6 Hythe Town 33-62 (+24), 7 HASTINGS UNITED 33-61 (+48), 8 Lewes 34-61 (+6), 9 Cray Wanderers 33-56 (+11), 10 Walton Casuals 36-56 (+5).

United’s development squad, meanwhile, lost 3-0 at home to East Grinstead Town in the Ryman Development South Division last night.

See our comprehensive sports coverage in the Observer every Friday.

Don’t miss out on all the latest breaking news where you live.

Here are four ways you can be sure you’ll be amongst the first to know what’s going on.

1 Make this website your homepage

2 Like our Facebook page at facebook.com/pages/Sport-Sussex

3 Follow us on Twitter @SportSussex

4 Register with us by clicking on ‘sign in’ (top right corner). You can then receive our daily newsletter AND add your point of view to stories that you read here.

And do share with your family and friends - so they don’t miss out!