Last weekend’s non-league calendar was condensed with neither the National League North or South in action, but they’re back! The previous non-league weekend preview article was headlined by Boreham Wood’s trip to Solihull Moors and with a brace from Danny Newton, the latter prevailed. Dagenham and Redbridge were involved in the other game previewed and they meet Solihull this time around, but attentions turn elsewhere!
Chesterfield vs Torquay United
Non-league football is rarely afforded airtime but the National League has, more often than not, had a game shown at 17:20 on Saturday by BT Sport every week. Chesterfield and Torquay United are the two teams under the microscope this weekend and their clash will indeed be in that TV slot. The pair are both promotion hopefuls and have, in the recent past, played in the football league. Chesterfield have got off to a flyer this term under James Rowe, he may well show to the rest of non-league football that the old adage is true, if you’re good enough, you’re old enough. At 38, this is just his second managerial role following a brief spell with Gloucester City. That being said, Chesterfield are top of the table with five wins and two draws to their name, an impressive run in which they’ve upheld a remarkable level of consistency.
Whilst Chesterfield have kept five clean sheets in the first seven games, and are playing swashbuckling football under Rowe, Torquay United have stumbled out of the blocks under a wily veteran. There aren’t many more experienced managers than Gary Johnson out there and whilst his soon Lee is at the helm of promotion hopefuls Sunderland, Gary himself has a big job on his hands. They led the pack for large parts of last season but a poor conclusion saw them come up short in the playoffs, and that heartbreak may have seeped into this campaign. They beat Southend 1-0 at Plainmoor thanks to a last gasp strike from Connor Lemonheigh-Evans in their last game but prior to that, defeats to Solihull, Grimsby and Woking have them down in thirteenth. It is still early days but if this tough trip pans out how one would expect, they’d be thirteen points behind the league leaders already. Would that be an insummoutable task at the non-league level?
AFC Telford United vs Brackley Town
Dropping down the non-league ladder to the National League North and whilst they’ve not had the best of starts to this season, AFC Telford United boast a strong home record. It is hard to get a good a grasp on their position in the table though because they’ve played just four games, whereas others have played six or seven. Their opponents tomorrow for example, have played seven and are sitting pretty in second. With Dagenham losing last time out, Brackley Town had a chance to jump above them. A 3-1 loss against Darlington means they remain below them, an early red for James Armson making that an uphill battle.
The previously mentioned home form of Telford isn’t something that should be overlooked. They have lost both of their away games but with an emphatic victory over Chorley as well as a tight draw with Hereford at News Buck Head, there could be something there going into this game. Brackley have five wins, a draw and a loss to their name, with all games being narrow in truth- their five wins all coming by a single goal. The table points towards a Brackley win but non-league football is full of surprises and the sample size is too small as well as skewed inaccurately.
Chelmsford City vs Dulwich Hamlet
Lastly then, going in a linear direction across the non-league ladder to the National League South and two of the form teams are going head-to-head. Dulwich Hamlet are unbeaten in their last three games and they travel to a Chelmsford side who haven’t tasted defeat in their last four. There are a number of sides currently on eight points, Dulwich and Chelmsford being two of them, but the latter have played a game more. It was an underwhelming start for Chelmsford, with losses to Slough and Maidstone United but as previously mentioned, Robbie Simpson’s side have since been getting the results. Simpson is another very young manager and this is his first managerial role, coming off the back of a playing career that saw him play for the likes of Coventry, Leyton Orient, Exeter and of course, Chelmsford.
Prior to the curtailing of non-league football last season amidst the pandemic, Chelmsford were 13th whilst Dulwich were 12th so the two are perhaps on a similar level this time around too. Goals certainly aren’t an issue, a 6-0 thumping away from home for Dulwich over Hemel Hempstead being a standout result. In this drubbing, Danny Mills netted a brace and amazingly, all six goals came in the second half. In their last game too, they beat Hungerford Town 3-1 with Mills again on the scoresheet. Meanwhile, it was a dramatic 3-2 win on the road for Chelmsford, an early double from Charlie Sheringham setting them on their way before a nail-biting finale. The two are no strangers to goals and good performances so it will be intriguing to see how they fare against each other.
