MFL Weekend Preview (Division One)

​Allscott Heath V Nuneaton Griff

Allscott Heath will be looking for a result against Nuneaton Griff tomorrow to cement their position in the play offs. They currently have a five-point gap over Cradley Town in 6th with ten matches to go. A play-off appearance would be an excellent achievement for the Shropshire club since coming up from the West Midlands Regional League last season.

They have been strong at home this season with nine wins from thirteen matches. Another strength has been their defensive record at home with just 23 goals conceded.

There in a good run of form with 12 points from their last six matches.

Nuneaton Griff are comfortably in mid table going into the final few months of the season. They will be looking to respond to the 2-1 loss at home to Allscott Heath last weekend with a statement result against one of the form teams in the division.

The visitors have not been too bad on the road and have impressed defensively with just 27 goals conceded from 14 matches. There in no relegation trouble which should give them some freedom tomorrow to take the game to Allscott Heath and look to cause an upset.  

Droitwich Spa V AFC Bridgnorth

Droitwich will be looking for three points tomorrow against relegation strugglers AFC Bridgnorth. The Saltmen have been good in division one throughout the season and are in the hunt for the play offs over the next month. They have a three-point gap over Cradley Town in 6th and have a few games in hand over the Hammers.

It’s going to be an interesting end to the season for Droitwich with a play-off appearance being a success and a top three finish being a bonus. Ideally, they would want to finish in the top three as it would set up a home semi-final match which plays to their strengths. They have lost once from eleven matches at the Droitwich Spa Leisure Centre. 

There in a good run of form going into this match with thirteen points from their last five league matches. They will be looking to keep it going against AFC Bridgnorth tomorrow and finish the season strongly.

It’s been a tough month for AFC Bridgnorth with one point from their last six league games.

They have an eight-point gap to make up to get out the relegation places in division one. With eight matches remaining and Wolves Sporting having a few games in hand, safety would be a brilliant achievement if they can find some form between now and late April.

One of their main issues has been away from home with just one win from 15 matches in the league.  

Ingles V Smethwick Rangers

Ingles will be looking to build on their eye-catching win against Wednesfield in mid-week with a result against Smethwick Rangers tomorrow afternoon. It’s been an excellent season from the Leicester side and a play-off appearance would be a brilliant achievement. They currently have a seven-point gap over Cradley Town in 6th.

Their main strength has been at the back with one of the best defensive records in the league. They are well organised off the ball which has contributed towards their success at home with seven wins from 14 matches. It’s been a team effort from Ingles, and they have also been clinical in front of goal to be in a strong position for the play offs.

It’s been a challenging few months for Smethwick Rangers with one win from their last six league games. At this stage of the season, the visitors are mainly playing for pride and to finish with the highest points tally possible. Relegation to step seven is looking more realistic as the weeks go by. None the less their capable of getting results at step six on their day.

They have a ten-point gap to make up with seven matches remaining. One of their main issues has been away from home with two wins from fifteen matches.    

OJM Black Country V Heather St John’s

OJM Black Country will be looking to continue their good form against Heather St John’s at the Triplex Sports Association tomorrow afternoon. There challenging for the play offs and are only four points off the top five with twelve matches remaining. 

There one of the form teams in the division coming into this weekend with 13 points from their last six league games. The win on Monday against Paget Rangers will give them a bit of confidence going into this match against the Saints. 

Their main strength has been at the back with the best defensive record in the league with just 29 goals conceded from 26 matches.

Heather St John’s have an outside chance of finishing in the play offs. They would have to get on a run of form and hope for results to go in their favour to close the gap on the top five. The visitors are three points off Wednesfield in 5th but have played two matches more.

Their away record has been the big issue which has stopped them being higher up the league. Five wins from fifteen matches is ok but could be better with their form at St John’s Park being excellent.

If they can beat the teams around them, they have a good chance of challenging for the play offs.

Stapenhill V Hinckley AFC

Stapenhill will be looking for a statement result against league leaders Hinckley AFC tomorrow afternoon at Maple Grove. The Swans are comfortably in mid table and in no danger of relegation for the remainder of the season. Similar to Nuneaton Griff, they have got the freedom to go for it and cause problems for Hinckley AFC. 

The story of the season for Stapenhill has been similar to Heather St John’s with an excellent record at home and an ok record on the road. They have been strong at home with seven wins from twelve matches and just 15 goals conceded.  

It’s all about building some form and taking the positives going into next season for Stapenhill. Tomorrow is a good opportunity to test themselves against one of the top teams in step six. 

Hinckley AFC have a good lead at the top of division one and will be looking to wrap up the league as soon as possible. They currently have a ten-point lead over nearest challenger Ingles in 2nd with nine matches remaining. Similar to Droitwich, it’s an exciting end to the season for the visitors who are also in the semi-finals of the league cup and a game away from playing at the Bescot again.

If they could get promoted a few weeks early, it would give themselves additional time to prepare for the challenges of step five next season.

They have been excellent away from home and have managed to get over the line when it’s mattered. Ten wins from twelve matches away is brilliant and they have been solid at the back with just 15 goals conceded on the road.   

Wednesfield V Cradley Town

Wednesfield will be looking to respond to the mid-week defeat against Ingles with a result against Cradley Town at the Cottage Ground tomorrow afternoon. It’s been a tough week for Wednesfield but there still in the hunt for the play offs and two points ahead of Cradley Town in 6th.

How they respond to the home losses against Sutton United and Ingles will decide if they get in the play offs. They have been good at home throughout the season in general with nine wins from 15 matches.

Regardless of what happens over the next month, to be in the hunt for the play offs is a brilliant achievement for Wednesfield. It’s going to be an intriguing end to the season for the supporters and looking like it could go to the final day.

Cradley are another team that have impressed this season in division one and are challenging for the play offs. The Hammers have been one of the stories of the season at this level and have been challenging near the top of the table following a challenging 22-23 season. Their similar to Wednesfield and that fifth spot is wide open at the moment.

They have been good away from home with seven wins and three draws from fourteen matches.

It’s brilliant that Wednesfield and Cradley are challenging for the play offs. Both teams have built on their mid table finishes from last season and contributed to a crowded play-off race in division one.        

Preview feature written by Rhys Beardmore for the Midland Football League