After an excellent double-header over the long weekend, there is plenty of excitement and anticipation surrounding this Blues squad going into the final few weeks of what has been an excellent season. Next up for the Blues is a trip to Concord Rangers, who are currently bottom of the table and will be desperate to take 3 points on Saturday as they look to beat the drop.
Our Opponents
Concord Rangers' history dates back to the 1960s, the Beach Boys are named after Concord Beach, on the south coast of Canvey Island. Concord reached the National League South for the first time in their history after a playoff victory from the Isthmian Premier League in 2012/13. Rangers spent 9 years at that level before relegation last season alongside Cheshunt and Dulwich Hamlet.
This season has been a struggle for Concord Rangers, made even more difficult by a particularly wet British winter which has seen numerous postponements, meaning the Beach Boys have struggled to get any momentum all season. Concord have not managed to get out of the relegation zone all season, but due to games in hand, still have a fighting chance of staying up, if they can secure a decent number of points from their last 7 games.
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Did you know?
Danny Cowley was manager of the Beach Boys from 2008-2015 before working his way up to the EFL with teams such as Lincoln City, Huddersfield Town and Portsmouth.
Head To Head
Back in December, Wingate & Finchley secured victory thanks to goals from Anointed Chukwu and Luke Deslandes, after Duane Acheampong had been sent off for the visitors.
Our last visit to Concord Rangers came in 2012/13 season, with Rangers running out 4-1 winners on that day.
Last Time Out
Concord Rangers thought they had snatched a point against playoff contenders Carshalton Athletic on Friday, equalising in the 87th minute through an own goal, but Carshalton snatched the victory in the 94th minute through in-form forward Oluwabunmi Babajide. On Monday, an Alfie Cerulli brace secured all three points for Billericay against Concord Rangers in an Essex derby in front of nearly 1,000 supporters. It was against Billericay that Concord secured their last points this season, winning 2-1 back in February.
For the Blues, we managed to become the first team this season to beat Hornchurch on their home patch, with a 2-1 win on Saturday thanks to an Elliot Long brace. We followed this up with a 3-1 win over local neighbours Potters Bar Town. Goals coming from Ruben Carvalho, Alex Solomon and Ben Frempah.
Players To Watch
One of the shining lights for Concord Rangers this season has been the performances of striker Harrison Day who has 16 goals this season in all competitions. At the other end of the pitch, 19-year old Mason Terry is between the sticks for the Beach Boys, on loan from West Ham, and he will be tasked with keeping the Blues front three at bay on Saturday.
Elliot Long was back on the scoresheet on Saturday with a brace which took him past 20 goals this season and he will be looking to score as many as possible before the conclusion of the season as he remains in with a chance for the league golden boot.
Photos courtesy of Martin Addison.