On Tuesday, Hampton & Richmond Borough make the short trip to the Meadowbank Stadium to face Dorking Wanderers for a 7:45pm kick-off in the Enterprise National League South.
It has been quite the whirlwind for the Beavers over the past week. Following that agonizing 4-3 defeat at home to Truro City, HRBFC responded with real character on the road, battling to a hard-fought 2-2 draw against Billericay Town. A tough 1-0 loss at Braintree Town on Saturday was an unexpected step backwards.
Up until then, the performances had been promising, proving the side can compete with those towards the higher end of the table. The performances against Truro and Billericay were testament to that, and had things gone differently, the Beavers could potentially have picked up six points rather than one.
“Against sides higher in the league we have played well,” said interim co-head coach Craig Saunders. “That's something mentally that this group has; they turn on a bit of a performance as we saw at Billericay on Tuesday night and for long periods against Truro."
Despite that though, the Beavers remain 22nd, six points adrift from safety with a game in hand.
Meanwhile, Marc White's Dorking side, who remain as attack-minded and chaotic as ever. Sitting seventh in the table, Wanderers have cemented themselves as the division's entertainers, ranking as the second-highest scorers in the league with 31 goals in 14 league matches. Only Billericay have more with 32.
Dawid Rogalski leads the way, having already notched eight goals this campaign alongside dangerous right winger George Nikaj, who boasts four goals and five assists. A familiar face will also feature in the opposition ranks, with former Beaver Theo Widdrington having recently switched from HRBFC to Dorking.
While Meadowbank can be daunting, the Beavers can draw confidence from recent history in this fixture. Hampton produced a memorable performance against Wanderers in August of last year, storming to an emphatic 3-0 win, something they will be keen to replicate under the lights tomorrow evening.
Let's get behind the lads, pack out the away section at Meadowbank, and roar them on.
UTB
Written by Joel Moore