On Saturday November 1st Hampton & Richmond Borough travel to the south coast to take on 8th placed Worthing.
After defeat to high-flying Hornchurch, the Beavers have slipped to 14th in the table and are continuing the search for their first league win since August.
The 1-2 loss in East London came against a side with real quality in the Urchins, who showed their quality on an individual level. However, the first goal came courtesy of an unfortunate mistake from centre back Harry Thomas who gave the ball away in his own box after some casual passing from the Beavers.
The second came just eight minutes into the second half, with young wing back Charlie Pegrum starting and finishing a well-worked move as he coolly passed the ball past James Holden.
Midfielder Harry Gardner got one back through a perfectly executed freekick in the 77th minute, but it was too little too late for the Beavers who could not grab another and salvage a draw before the 90 minutes were up.
Going to Worthing the Beavers may well be without yet another forward option as Craig Fasanmade went down with a head injury within fifteen minutes. He joins Davide Rodari and Reece Grego-Cox on the sidelines, but the latter is edging ever closer to a return.
Ben Parkinson was an early substitute and had a promising game it what was his second appearance and first significant bunch of minutes at the National League level.
Our opponents for Saturday have had a busy October, playing six matches, and winning their last three on the bounce.
The Mackerel Men have best Chelmsford City, Chesham, and Dover in recent weeks, and earlier in the season have accrued a 4-3 win away at Horsham and a 5-2 win away at Dagenham and Redbridge too.
Their recent victory against Dover was their first positive result at home since the 2nd of September, and they gave won more points on the road in the National League South this season than at the Sussex Transport Community Stadium.
Worthing have had three different players in the NLS Team of the Week 3 weeks in a row including last season’s Director’s Player of the Year Joe Cook, Players’ Player of the Year Jack Spong, and new signing, Toby Byron who has a 64% win percentage since arriving at Woodside Road, signing from Wingate & Finchley for an undisclosed fee.
Young striker Brad Dolaghan came through the ranks for the Rebels and signed for West Ham United briefly before rejoining his boyhood club, winning an FA Trophy medal at Aldershot in between.
This season he has seven goals in sixteen appearances.
Former Hampton & Richmond Borough captain Odei Martin-Sorondo is back at the Rebels for his second stint and has made fourteen appearances this season so far.
Hampton & Richmond will be hoping to record only their second win ever over Worthing, having faced them six times, losing four of those encounters.
The Beavers will have to dig deep to stop the recent run of bad form, but Alan Julian and his men have remained positive in the face of a lot of bad luck.
Up the Beavers.
By Jack Lonergan