This is the re-arranged fixture postponed a month ago due to a water-logged pitch. And that wasn’t the only recent fixture at Alwyns Lane which has fallen foul of the heavy rain, so it’s likely that it will be a strength-sapping surface. You may recall that in the reverse fixture in early November, Matty Burrows gave us a lead just before the interval which was overturned by a brace from Jack Mazzone and one by Lewis Flatman in the second-half.
Like The Magpies, Mark Harper’s Curfews were promoted at the end of last season: Tim’s team won SL Division One South while Harper’s heroes ran away with the Isthmian South Central title with just one defeat, bagging 100 points and scoring 103 goals.
The Curfews started the season well, but a plethora of cup ties, see a couple of paragraphs below, seems to have taken its toll as they have slipped down the table of late. Chertsey are currently just above the relegation zone in 18th with a W10 D4 L16 GF 51 GA 60 record. Interestingly, they’ve gathered more league points on their travels than at their Alwyns Lane home where their record is W4 D3 L7. Goals were a feature of their successful league campaign last time, as it is this time around, albeit at both ends though, with 111 goals being scored in their 30 games. Leading scorer is that man Mazzone with 21 to his credit in the league. It was Mazzone and Oliver McCoy who scored the goals which took all three points for The Curfews at Gosport on Saturday.
That result arrested a disastrous run of six successive defeats which saw Harper’s team slide down the table. That run included a couple of defeats at Alwyns Lane: 5-2 to Marlow on 25th Jan, and 2-1 to Walton & Hersham on 11th Feb. Prior to that at home, Chertsey had beaten Poole 2-1 with Mazzone bagging a brace. The four recent away defeats were at Supermarine (1-0), Plymouth (2-1), Hungerford (3-0), and, on 15th Feb, Sholing (3-0).
As mentioned earlier, Chertsey had good runs this season in both FA competitions. In the FA Cup they won three ties before bowing out to Sutton United in 4Q in front of a home crowd of 2,134. In the FA Trophy they won four times, including beating Bath City and Dagenham & Redbridge, and reached the last 32 before being thumped at Aldershot where on loan Jonny Stuttle bagged a brace for the Shots. The Curfews have a habit of doing well in cup competitions, having won the FA Vase in 2019.
Wimborne have taken eight points from their last four games: a 1-1 draw with table-toppers Merthyr, a 1-0 derby win over The Dolphins, a 1-1 Dorset derby draw at Dorchester, and Saturday’s 1-0 win over a resurgent Frome. Those results have seen The Magpies rise to 15th with a W10 D8 L13 GF 37 GA 47 record, on our travels it’s W2 D4 L8. The defence has looked solid, but will have to be on top form to keep Mazzone quiet. At the other end Matty Burrows’ electrifying performances are becoming a standard feature, and no-one works harder than target-man Will Fletcher. It’s a quick turn-round after Saturday’s bruising encounter with The Robins, so manager Tim Sills may turn to fresh legs.
There’s three places and four points between The Curfews and The Magpies going into this crucial game. Both teams will want to get something from it. If you can make it to Surrey to support the boys, you could be in for a cracking, competitive game. But have plenty of layers with you as the forecast is for it be a trifle nippy. So it’s layers and long-johns for me on our first-ever visit!
Chertsey’s ground: Alwyns Lane, Chertsey, Surrey KT16 9DW approx 85 miles
There are places available on the team coach – contact Paula if you’re interested.
Admission: Adults £12, concessions £8, U18s £3
Average att: 490
Weather forecast: clear; 6oC; <5% chance of rain.
