On Saturday 24th January Hampton & Richmond Borough will travel to Wiltshire to take on 16th placed Salisbury.
It was a 1-0 defeat on Tuesday night against a dogged and well-drilled Chesham United side who handed HRBFC their third defeat in three games since the beginning of the year.
Salisbury have had a great start to to their 2026, winning one of the games of the season so far when they bested league leaders Worthing 5-4 on the 10th of January. There were five lead changes, with Salisbury grabbing a late winner in the 5th minute of added time through Josh Hedges to secure the victory.
They then followed it up with a 1-0 away victory against Dagenham & Redbridge via debutant Nathan Odokonyero who joined the club on a permanent deal from Worthing for an undisclosed fee on the 9th of January.
Despite a good start to the new year, Salisbury struggled in the early months of the campaign, Only winning two matches before November 8th. Their uptick in form has seen them move steadily up the table in the winter months and away from the relegation zone, but they still have the third poorest goal difference in teams outside of the relegation zone and have scored the second fewest goals in the league with 26.
Recent signing Odokonyero has been brought in to rectify that situation. The 23-year-old has scored 15 goals in 55 appearances in the National League and National League South.
Other recent reinforcements include young forward Mo Dabre from Sutton United, and Malachi Ogunleye in midfield. The 18-year-old joined from Bournemouth on loan and has started all ten games he has featured in since his arrival in mid-December.
The reinforcements have added to the goal threats of Noah Coppin, who has ten goals in 31 appearances this season, as well as midfielders Josh Hedges who has five, and former Beavers midfielder Josh Keeya with four.
Last time out against the Whites it was a 0-0 draw on the opening day of the season as both teams were adjusting to new circumstances and squads, most notably the return of Dom Revan, Keeya and Mike Atkinson to the Bev, who has since returned on a more permanent basis.
In his post-match interview after Chesham, manager Alan Dowson acknowledged that his side is in a relegation battle, and he is very keen to start seeing his sides give 7/10 performances more consistently.
Let’s hope that starts this Saturday.
We will be back at the Bev Tuesday 27th January to take on league leaders Worthing in what will be another tough challenge. Secure your tickets for that one HERE!
Up the Beavers!
By Jack Lonergan