FC Halifax Town have the National League’s top spot in their sights this weekend as Pete Wild’s side host Eastleigh at The Shay. Read on for your regular weekend preview of the key games, and match odds courtesy of Betfred
By Steven Oldham
Halifax are the only one of the division’s top four sides in action this weekend, with league leaders Chesterfield away at Chelsea in a mouth watering FA Cup third round match.
Boreham Wood are also still involved in the world’s oldest knockout competition and will host AFC Wimbledon. Wrexham are also inactive this weekend.
The Shaymen will look to take full advantage of this and victory will see them rise to the top, albeit with the chasing pack having games in hand on them.
Unbeaten in five, Halifax have been made to work hard over the last couple of games while taking a point from both Chesterfield and Grimsby Town.
This is no home banker - Eastleigh have only lost one of their last six games, and kept three clean sheets in that time.
Back-to-back wins over Torquay United and Weymouth have lifted them to 12th, with The Spitfires one of a clutch of teams in a packed midfield.
Halifax did the double in this fixture last season and will need to continue that winning trend if they want to go top by Saturday night.
Match odds: Home Evens, Draw 12/5, Away 5/2
This game at Hayes Lane could prove crucial in the outcome of both sides as they chase promotion.
It’s seventh vs ninth, with two points and one team separating the pair ahead of play.
Victory for the home side would bring them right into title contention once more, with only three points covering from Halifax in second down to Bromley in seventh.
A win for Solihull would see them leapfrog their opponents and back into the playoff places.
Bromley ended the year with a surprise defeat to Maidenhead United, and were held by Southend United on Boxing Day.
Solihull are also without a win in their last two matches, drawing with Eastleigh and narrowly losing to Stockport County.
Match odds: Home 23/20, Draw 23/10, Away 12/5
This is the weekend’s key game at the wrong end of the table as Weymouth host Southend United.
Only one point separates these two sides, with Weymouth currently in the drop zone. A win for the home side would see Southend replace their hosts in the bottom three.
The Terras endured a miserable festive period, with the team on a six game losing streak and not picking up a point in December.
However, Brian Stock’s side have picked up points against the teams in and around them so far this season - beating both King’s Lynn Town and Aldershot Town in back-to-back games.
The Shrimpers are the division’s lowest scorers to date, finding the back of the net only 16 times in 19 games. Their recent schedule was interrupted with a number of Covid cases causing fixtures against Barnet and Bromley to be called off.
Match odds: Home 7/4, Draw 23/10, Away 7/5
Both of these sides will be targeting this game to get back to winning ways and boost their faltering play-off chances.
The Bees haven’t scored in their last couple of games, having won the three that preceded defeat to Yeovil and a goalless draw with Boreham Wood.
Barnet have made real progress under Dean Brennan and will come into this game as favourites against an out of form visiting side.
Altricnham have only picked up two points from their last six games, with their last win coming in mid November at Weymouth. Should they break that run and win on Saturday, Phil Parkinson’s side will overtake Barnet in the table.
Match odds: Home Evens, Draw 5/2, Away 12/5
Users must be 18+. If you are having trouble with gambling then help and advice can be found at begambleaware.org. Please Play Responsibly.
