Table-topping County travel to second-placed Chorley on Saturday in a game that will have a huge say on who will end the season crowned Champions. We head in to the game one point clear of the Magpies, who have led the table for most of the season, knowing a win would put us on the verge of finally ending our stay in the National League North. In simple terms it doesn’t get any bigger!
An inconsistent start to the season saw the Hatters trailing Chorley by a daunting 16 points just ten games in to the season, but a 3-0 victory over the then league leaders at Edgeley Park at the end of October proved the catalyst for a sensational turnaround in form for County, that now sees us in control of our title destiny with just three games to go.
Last week’s disappointing home defeat at the hands of Blyth was just our third league defeat since that day, a run that has seen us win 17 of our last 25 league games, picking up eight points more than any other side over that period. County can be confident of bouncing back from that frustrating afternoon against Blyth however – the Hatters haven’t lost back to back league games since losing to Alferton and Kidderminster in August.
Chorley meanwhile come in to the game without a win in three games, having missed the opportunity to move back to the league summit last weekend, going down 5-3 in a thrilling game at Altrincham.
A 17-minute hat-trick from Matty Warburton gave the Hatters a 3-0 victory over Chorley back in October.
The threat in their team comes from various sources; Marcus Carver and Josh Wilson both chipping in with 13 goals this season, whilst Alex Newby has helped himself to 12.
Their home form is strong – the best in the division in fact – but Saturday sees them coming up against the league’s best travellers in the Mighty County, who always win away! In our 19 away league games thus far this season, we have conceded just 16 goals – by far the best in the league.
Despite losing our first four meetings with Chorley in non-league football, County have only lost one of our subsequent seven meetings with the Magpies – that painful play-off defeat last season – and haven’t lost at Victory Park since 2015. Keeping that unbeaten run going could prove crucial on a day where anything other than a defeat would leave County on the verge of ending the season in glory.
As we approach the biggest seven days in the last decade of County’s history, and with the Blue & White Army once again travelling in force, Saturday promises to be an utterly thrilling occasion in front of a sell-out crowd at Victory Park, where the price of victory could become the stuff of legend for these County players.
