Match Guide - Festive Fixtures

It’s December, we have three games in six days starting on Boxing Day, and we come into them with the best record in the league over the last six games. Life is good.

The run of games features opponents Potters Bar, Kingstonian, and Cheshunt, and means that, as usual, we take on a host of local or London based teams over the festive period. 

Coming into the run following five wins from six, including two consecutive home wins against Billericay and Concord, the team are in good spirits and will be looking to replicate the positive results from the first half season against two of the three opponents. 

Potters Bar

We haven’t met Potters Bar in the league yet this season, however they did get the better of the Blues in the Velocity Trophy, running out 1-0 winners at the Maurice Rebak Stadium in October. The Bar started the season very poorly, losing their first six games on the spin. But they have since turned their form around to march up to 15th in the table, winning three of their last four games with Whitehawk, Kingstonian, and Canvey Island succumbing. 

Top goalscorer Temi Babalola will be looking to increase his tally against the Blues, while ex-Wingate man Alieu Njie will no doubt relish playing host to his former side. Recently joining Njie is another ex-Blue in Darnell Goather-Braithwate, who has joined from Kingstonian this month.

The game is on Boxing Day in Potters Bar, and tickets are only £7.50, so get yourself down to support the Blues for one of our shorter road games of the season. 

Kingstonian

There is another ex-Blue waiting on the 30th December, when Wingate travel to Teddington to face off against Kingstonian for the second time this season. This time in the form of manager Simon Lane, who spent time at the Blues in 2015/16. He leads a Kingstonian side that are currently in 20th position in the league, seven points away from safety, which is currently represented by Cray Wanderers. They haven’t won a league game in over two months, since they turned over Folkestone 3-0 at home. 

But if the game on the 30th December is anything like the reverse fixture from earlier in the year it will be a tough battle. Although the Blues ran out 2-1 winners, thanks to a brace from Ruben Carvalho, the game was far from smooth sailing; Ben Goode pulled out a number of good saves, and Eddie Dsane was his usual self up front for the visitors creating havoc for the backline. 

Kingstonian will be looking to this run of games to turn their fortune around, and as long as they continue to score goals at will (having put 4 past Cheshunt away from home a few weeks ago), they will fancy their chances against the Blues. 

Cheshunt

The final match in the run of games is on New Year’s Day, as Cheshunt visit the Maurice Rebak Stadium, looking for revenge following their 1-0 defeat at the hands of the Blues in Hertfordshire on a glorious summer’s day earlier in the year. 

It was a complete performance from the Blues, who martialled the game excellently, and took their chance to turn in a very solid away performance, something they’ve managed to repeat at places like Lewes, and Hastings. 

Cheshunt, much like Kingstonian, find themselves on the wrong end of some results, and too sit in the relegation zone. They have secured two recent big wins, against both Carshalton, running out 4-1 winners away from home, and against Kingstonian, where they managed to score 5 to turn the scoreline in their favour, winning 5-4 on a wild Tuesday night. 

Games against Cheshunt are usually tight and hard-fought, and so our New Year’s day date in Finchley will likely be another enthralling encounter between two clubs who know each other very well. Tickets are available online in advance here or on the gate on matchday.

As the season moves past the half-way mark, and with the Blues sitting in fourth place in the league, the second half of the year promises to provide plenty of moments that no-one will want to miss. Be sure to support the boys at home on New Year’s Day, and as we take to the road looking to pick up vital points as the season picks up pace. 

Happy holidays, and we can’t wait to welcome you back to the Maurice Rebak!