MFL Weekend Preview (Division One)

​Bilston Town V Droitwich Spa

Bilston Town will be looking for a result against Droitwich Spa to boost their play off chances. The Steelmen have an outside chance of making the play offs and are currently seven points off the top five. 

They will be disappointed with last weekend’s 3-3 draw against play off rival Wednesfield and will be looking to respond with a statement win against Droitwich Spa. There on a decent run of form with 10 points from their last five matches.

There’s a lot of quality for the Steelmen up front with Sam Yankson and Eesa Sawyers impressing and helping them challenge for the play offs.

Droitwich will be looking to respond to the 3-2 mid-week loss against Wednesfield with a result to cement their position in the play offs. The Salt Men are currently a point better off than Heather St John’s in 6th and will be looking to seal a top five finish. Their away form has not been too bad with seven wins and four draws from 16 matches.

There’s quality in the squad with Charlie Tilley impressing up front and being one of their main attacking threats.   

Coton Green V Allscott Heath

Coton Green will be looking to cause an upset against Allscott Heath tomorrow afternoon. It’s a busy weekend for the Green Army who have three games in four days starting with the Fazeley Charity Cup final this afternoon against Paget Rangers. There’s been notable progress under manager Nic Oakley and there on a good run of form with 10 points from their last five matches.

The hosts are in no real danger of relegation and are comfortably in mid table for the final few weeks of the season. It’s all about building for Coton Green and setting themselves up to challenge next season at step six. 

Allscott Heath will be looking to continue their excellent form tomorrow afternoon to boost their chances of a top three finish. The Shropshire side have been a brilliant addition to the MFL since being promoted from the West Midlands Regional League and are up there at the top of the table.

A top three finish feels achievable and would set up a home semi final match in the play offs.

The visitors have been one of the most consistent sides in the division with only seven losses from 31 matches. It’s been an excellent month for Allscott with 13 points from their last five matches.  

Coventry Copsewood V AFC Bridgnorth

Coventry Copsewood will be looking for a result against relegation strugglers AFC Bridgnorth tomorrow to have an outside chance of a top half finish. It’s been a solid season for the hosts in division one and there comfortably in mid table. They have picked up some eye-catching results over the last month such as beating OJM and Allscott Heath.

There’s quality in the team with Sean Kavanagh playing well up front and making things happen in the final third. He has 15 goals in all competitions and is one of their main attacking threats.

Despite it being a challenging season for AFC Bridgnorth, there’s still hope in avoiding relegation to step seven. If they could finish in 18th with a high enough points tally they could have a chance of a reprieve and there only a point off Paget Rangers.

They will be looking to build on the positives of the 2-2 draw against Smethwick Rangers last weekend and get a result against a good Coventry Copsewood side tomorrow afternoon.

Cradley Town V Wolverhampton Sporting Community

Cradley will be looking for a result tomorrow to get their play off push back on track. It’s been an excellent season for the Hammers in division one and they have an outside chance of finishing in the top five. There’s currently a five-point gap between them and Wednesfield in 5th with seven matches to go and a good run of form will give them a chance of the play offs.

Their home form at Beeches View Avenue has been one of their main strengths with eight wins and two draws from fifteen matches. They will be looking to respond to the mid-week loss at Heather St John’s and get a result against Wolves Sporting.

Wolves Sporting have a bit of breathing space over the bottom three with a six-point gap over Paget Rangers in 18th and have eight matches remaining. If they can get a few results at Pride Park alongside a few draws away from home, they should be capable of safety over the next few weeks.

The visitors will be looking to respond to the mid-week loss against league leaders Hinckley AFC with a result against Cradley Town. They have struggled away from home but are capable of causing a few upsets such as when they beat Coventry Copsewood in late January.   

Hinckley AFC V Nuneaton Griff

Hinckley are in a brilliant position to seal the league with a few matches to go and will be looking to get it wrapped up over the next few weeks. They have a 11-point gap over Ingles in 2nd with six matches to go. Consistency has been their main strength in division one with just four losses from 32 matches which has seen them go top of the league.

They have been reliable at home with eleven wins and three draws from 17 matches. They also have one of the best defences in the league with just 39 goals conceded which is excellent.

There’s quality in the squad with Lewis Rankin and Tom Weale playing well and standing out this season.

Nuneaton Griff are comfortably in mid table and are building for next season in step six. The visitors are in no real danger of relegation and can use the remaining matches as a way of preparing for the future. They have not been too bad away from home with only five losses from 16 matches and have been tough to break down with only 29 goals conceded.

They have gone a bit under the radar in division one but are having a solid season and can be a tough team to play on their day.

Shawbury United V Smethwick Rangers

Shawbury will be looking to respond to the loss against Coton Green last weekend with a convincing home win against relegation strugglers Smethwick Rangers. It’s mostly been a positive season for the Shropshire side who are in the top half of the table with six matches to go.

They have been tough to beat at home with just five losses from fifteen matches.

There’s quality throughout the squad with Marcus Dillon impressing on the wing and Emmanuel Williams playing well at the back. It’s been encouraging from Shawbury, and it will be interesting to see how they get on next season.

There’s a glimmer of hope for Smethwick Rangers in what’s been a challenging season. Despite the visitors being in the bottom three, if they can get a few wins and build on the 2-2 draw with AFC Bridgnorth last weekend they have an outside chance of finishing in 18th and a potential reprieve.

There currently three points off Paget Rangers in 18th with five matches to go.      

Stapenhill V Ingles

Stapenhill will be looking to build on the 2-2 draw against play off chasing Cradley Town with a statement result against Ingles tomorrow afternoon. The Swans have been good at Maple Grove throughout the season with seven wins and five draws from fourteen matches.

There comfortably in mid table and looking to build for next season at step six.

Ingles will be looking for a result to cement their position in the top three which would put them in a strong position for the play offs. It’s been an excellent season in division one from the Leicester side who have been challenging near the top of the table since the turn of the new year.   

Consistency and their defensive record have been their main strengths with only eight losses from 33 matches and just 43 goals conceded. It’s a team effort from the visitors who are well organised off the ball and look to make things happen from set pieces.

Jack Allen has impressed as an attacking threat for the visitors with 17 goals in all competitions.

Sutton United V Chelmsley Town

Sutton United will be looking for a result against Chelmsley Town tomorrow to have a chance of a top half finish in their debut season at step six. The hosts have competed well in division one since being promoted from division two last season and have looked comfortable at this level against a range of quality teams.

They have been solid at Coleshill Road with six wins and four draws from sixteen matches.

Joe Gildea has built on his excellent goal scoring form from last season in step seven and has 27 goals in all competitions.

It’s been another solid season at step six for Chelmsley Town who have a bit of breathing space over the bottom three. They have a 12-point gap over Paget Rangers in 18th and will be looking to see the campaign out with a few more wins to build for next season.

Their away form has been their main problem with seven points from 14 matches.

None the less, there’s positives for the visitors and the 2-2 home draw against Ingles stands out over the last month.  

Wednesfield V Heather St John’s

Wednesfield will be looking to build on their brilliant home win against Droitwich Spa with a result against play off rival Heather St John’s tomorrow afternoon. It’s been an excellent season for the hosts who are challenging for the play offs with eight matches remaining.

They have been brilliant at home with ten wins from sixteen matches to leave them in 5th and a point better off than Heather St John’s in 6th.

It’s a squad full of quality with Freddie Cockerell standing out up front with 22 goals in all competitions.

Heather has an outside chance of making the play offs with six matches remaining. The Saints are only a point off the top five and will have to rely on a few results going their way alongside going on a run of form over the next few weeks.

They have been ok away from home with six wins and three draws from sixteen matches.

Kyle Jardine has been excellent at this level and is the division’s top scorer with 43 goals in all competitions.  

OJM Black Country V Paget Rangers (Kick off, 6pm)

OJM will be looking to continue their excellent form against Paget Rangers at the Trevor Brown Memorial Ground on Saturday evening. The hosts are on a run of three consecutive wins and notably beat Ingles away from home in mid-week. There two points off the play offs with a few games in hand.

They have been consistent and tough to break down throughout the season which has aided their play off push. They have only lost six times from 28 matches and have the best defensive record in the league with just 30 goals conceded.

The hosts play a nice brand of attacking football and like to work the ball into the box.

Paget are in a good position to potentially avoid relegation if they can get a few results over the next few weeks. If the visitors can finish in 18th and have a decent points tally they might get a reprieve. 

Harry Jackson is one of their main attacking threats and has played well since rejoining the team a few months ago.

It’s mostly been a struggle away from home, but they have been better since the turn of the year with encouraging wins against Nuneaton Griff and Wolves Sporting.

It’s all about finishing above AFC Bridgnorth and Smethwick for the remainder of the campaign for Paget to have a chance of remaining in step six.     

Preview feature written by Rhys Beardmore for the Midland Football League