Vanarama National League Matchday 26 preview: London & South East

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Another week poses another quick turnaround for National League sides, and here is how the teams from the London & South East region shape up for the next batch of midweek matches. 

Aldershot Town v Southend United

Southend United will look to make it four National League wins on the bounce as they travel to Aldershot Town. 

The Shrimpers recent form has eased worries of relegation for now, but Kevin Maher will be aware that they can ill afford to be complacent and get dragged back into trouble. In addition to this, with the pressure of a fanbase who are used to nothing but EFL football, there will be extra emphasis on finishing the season strongly; not only to give the fans reason for optimism but to enable the club to attract players that will make them more competitive for next season. 

However, the Shots have seen their own upturn in form, and as such have eased their own relegation fears with just one defeat in their previous ten National League matches. 

This match pits Southend up against their former manager in Mark Molesley, who was drafted in to help stabilise the Shrimpers in the Football League in 2020/2021. Despite a treacherous off-field situation, there was still an expectation that Molesley would keep Southend United in the division. It was only in April 2021, with the club languishing in 23rd, that the club would finally bite the bullet and relieve Molesley of his duties. 

Molesley would subsequently take charge of Aldershot in September, and after a victory at Roots Hall, completing the double over his former club would certainly just taste that little bit sweeter. 

22-year-old former Watford youngster Sam Dalby has started to find his feet in recent games, scoring three in his last seven, with the striker having a relatively dry start to his Southend career. Blues fans will hope that Dalby can continue to improve and help them secure a positive end to their 2021/2022 campaign. 

Bromley v Woking

Two of the region’s teams go face to face at Hayes Lane on Tuesday, with both sides buoyed by a win at the weekend. 

Andy Woodman’s Ravens earned a sensational victory at Blundell Park to complete a dramatic double over the Mariners. Goals from George Alexander and Jude Arthurs were enough to override Jordan Maguire-Drew’s opener. 

The victory moved Bromley into 4th place in the National League, a lofty height that leaves them surrounded by clubs with both huge backing and expectation. After claiming a playoff place in the National League for the first time last season, the Ravens will be looking to do the same again and, just maybe, achieve a fairytale promotion to League Two. 

Meanwhile, Woking head into the game off the back of their first win of the calendar year, as they eased past an underwhelming Wealdstone side at the Laithwaite Community Stadium. 

New loan signings David Longe-King and Nicke Kabamba made an impact on their debuts as Alan Dowson’s side coasted to a 2-0 victory. 

Incredibly, Bromley could go joint top of the league with results all going their way, and a victory would absolutely put them in the promotion mix. Woking will look to close the gap on the playoff sides as the season approaches the business end. 

FC Halifax Town v Boreham Wood

Luke Garrard’s Boreham Wood side look to get back on track following a disappointing draw with lowly Weymouth as they go head to head with Halifax in arguably the game of the round. 

After Saturday’s underwhelming performance, the Wood will have to refocus immediately as this upcoming test poses massive implications for both the promotion and playoff battles. The reverse fixture in mid-September produced an entertaining 2-2 draw at Meadow Park, with Josh Rees and Scott Boden on target for the hosts. 

Despite Saturday’s result, Boreham Wood still boast a remarkable record of just two losses in all competitions all season. As such, Garrard and his coaching staff are challenged with the thankless task of managing a squad through a promotion battle in the league, FA Trophy commitments all with the pot of gold in the form of a fairytale FA Cup tie against AFC Bournemouth. 

Rotation and keeping players fit and healthy will be imperative if Boreham Wood are to continue battling on all fronts and succeed this season. 

That being said, the Londoners will need their very best to beat an exciting Halifax side, who are joint top for a reason as they have only lost five times themselves this season and have enjoyed a higher win conversion rate than their opponents.

Matthew Warburton has found some red hot form for the Shaymen with five goals in seven games, and alongside the likes of former Plymouth, Cambridge and Morecambe player Jordan Slew, Halifax are certainly building a potent attacking force. 

A victory for the Wood would keep their destiny in their hands in regards to the ever-warming title race as they have games in hand on their immediate rivals. 

Wealdstone v Notts County

Lowly Wealdstone have lost five games from their last six and face being potentially drawn back into a relegation battle as the season ploughs towards its most crucial period. 

The part-timers have struggled massively over the festive period, after going on an excellent run that drew them away from danger. Stuart Maynard will need to motivate his players once again as they welcome the might of Notts County to Grosvenor Vale. 

Currently enjoying a six-game winning streak, the Magpies will see this as another opportunity to keep the pressure on the division’s frontrunners. With a strike partnership of Callum Roberts and skipper Kyle Wootton returning 20 goals so far this season, it is no wonder that County are one of the most free-scoring teams in the National League. 

Wealdstone’s attacking deficiencies were glaringly evident in the game at Woking, and as the league’s joint third-lowest scoring team this fixture certainly makes for grim reading for Stones fans. As a result, it is absolutely imperative that Maynard’s side get off to a good start and keep the game tight, as an early concession would surely be disastrous. 

That being said, the Stones will take some comfort from the reverse fixture at Meadow Lane, where they did in fact take the lead and pushed the Magpies all the way, ultimately in vain, in a 3-2 loss. With the game played on home turf, the Wealdstone players will look to make the home advantage count and take their chances in order to cause the upset. 

Weymouth v Dagenham & Redbridge

The Daggers were blunted by two early Stockport goals in their last outing and will look to get their playoff charge back on track with victory at the Bob Lucas Stadium as they take on relegation-threatened Weymouth. 

Early goals from Ashley Palmer and Will Collar were enough to see Stockport emerge from East London with three points in front of the BT Sport cameras, and in truth, Daryl McMahon’s side never really got going. This brought to an end a six-game unbeaten run in all competitions, that included the Daggers progression to the last 16 of the FA Trophy. 

In fact, the weekend loss was Dagenham’s first in almost exactly two months, perhaps indicative of their relative inactivity over what would usually be a busy festive period. Although, postponements have been a theme throughout the league and the East London outfit are the joint-second most active side in the division currently, with 24 games under their belt. This means that Dagenham are in a spot of catch up, with teams above them all possessing games in hand. 

With that in mind, the necessity of leaving Weymouth with three points will not be lost on the players, supporters, and Daryl McMahon himself. This is because, as Boreham Wood may well find out, dropping points to teams eight points from safety can seriously damage your hopes of succeeding and is likely to gift those around you an upper hand. 

Star-man Angelo Balanta will look to improve on his 12-goal return from last year and finds himself already with eight goals in 17 appearances. Strike partner Josh Walker is also on seven and both players will see this as an opportunity to prey on a leaky Weymouth defence and help their side return to winning ways. 

The Terras will not roll over though and will be buoyed by an excellent performance at Meadow Park on Saturday. As always, home games are key for teams battling it out at the bottom, so Weymouth will be targeting this game for three points. As well as their defensive issues, Weymouth have also struggled for goals this season and will hope for players like Josh McQuoid to step up and lead them to a vital victory. 

Once again, here is a full list of games involving the London & South East teams for Matchday 26:

Aldershot Town v Southend United 

Bromley v Woking 

FC Halifax Town v Boreham Wood 

Wealdstone v Notts County 

Weymouth v Dagenham & Redbridge 

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