DIVISION FOUR PREVIEW: Goal-hungry Witham look set to top the table (From Wiltshire Times)

Div Four

DIVISION FOUR PREVIEW: Goal-hungry Witham look set to top the table

3:30pm Thursday 28th January 2010

FOLLOWING the withdrawal of basement side X Change FC from the Division Four line up, Somerset-based Witham Friary will find themselves in the number one spot come Sunday afternoon if, as expected, they get the better of bottom side Audley Spartans for a second time this season. Gladstone Rovers, who currently top the table, are in cup action so it will give both former leaders Lavington (Sunday) and Witham the chance to claim a three-way split of pole position.

Audley suffered a 14-1 defeat when the sides met earlier in the season and, with Richard Gould’s Friary now boasting home advantage, you would have to fear for the Spartans, who will be devastated to find that they are now bottom following the resignation of X Change.

The result should be a foregone conclusion with the likes of Simon Millard, Nick Mansfield, Clinton Hartley and Luke Stanley, who all scored in the earlier encounter, likely to get on the scoresheet again as Witham hunt down the 11 goals that will see them reach the century mark for the season in just nine games.

Kings Arms (All Cannings) v Lavington (Sunday)

LAVINGTON (Sunday) have not kicked a ball since the end of December when they defeated Kings Arms (All Cannings) 5-2, so they will be chomping at the bit to get back into playing mode at the weekend when their opponents are Jim Wilson’s Kings Arms side.

Arms can expect an onslaught from their guests at All Cannings, who will still be reeling from losing the number one spot in the table following the withdrawal of X Change. The match should go the same way as the earlier battle and it would be a massive shock if Lavington didn’t better their previous result against their hosts, who have won just one of their last nine matches.

Potterne B v Chippenham West End

LEIGHTON Joyce will be hoping that his Chippenham West End side can build on last week's stunning comeback win against Mash Tun Villa which saw them come from two down to win 5-2.

Joyce takes his team to the Northbrook, Market Lavington, for a meeting with Potterne B who have already beaten them 5-3 this season.

Unlike West End, Potterne had a two-goal lead against fellow promotion hopefuls Gladstone Rovers, but ended up losing 3-2 last week, so manager Paul Mason will be hoping that they can get their push for promotion back on track.

Potterne should take the spoils, but West End may just have enough fighting spirit in them to upset the odds and get a point from the game.

Somerford FC v Corsham Park Rangers

MARTIN Perrett’s Corsham Park Rangers and Gary Chandler’s Somerford side are fifth and sixth in the table respectively so the second meeting of the sides has a very good chance of ending up in a 1-1 stalemate as the first encounter did back in November.

Both teams are in good shape going into the game, Somerford have lost two in nine and have won their last two while their guests have lost two from 10 but are unbeaten in five so will be hoping to stretch their impressive run of results even further.

Corsham Park know that they have a long way to go to get back to those title-winning days but they are heading in the right direction and another win will consolidate their position in the top half of the table.