In honour of the first live-action Socrates meetup, we’ve delved into the best of non-league this week, with out usual nod to Europe and Asia along the way, plus pressure in the East Midlands as two old rivals go head to head in this week’s Six Picks for the weekend.
Japan v Qatar
Asian Cup quarter finals, 1.25pm, Friday 21st January
It took a couple of games but Japan finally clicked into gear by thrashing an already-eliminated Saudi Arabia 5-0, with Shinji Okazaki netting a hat-trick. If this Japan - the one that impressed at the World Cup - turns up then the Blue Samurai should be a shoe-in for the semi-finals.
But this doesn’t mean Japan should take the host nation lightly. Many pundits thought the best Qatar could do would be to avoid the wooden spoon in Group A. Instead Bruno Metsu’s team finished as runners-up and have confidence and form behind them, especially after dispatching an under-par Kuwait in their final group game. Japan will be the favourites, but, buoyed by success, the Qataris may have one big performance in them.
Derby County v Nottingham Forest
nPower Championship, 1pm, Saturday 22nd January
A potential cracker of an East Midlands derby to kick off your Saturday lunchtime with all sorts of sub-plots bouncing around. Derby boss Nigel Clough is under plenty of pressure from the Rams faithful after what started as a promising season has unraveled with his side tumbling down the table, although such is the tight nature of the Championship that a couple of wins or losses could see Derby on the edge of the playoffs or drop zone.
Forest, meanwhile, are motoring on towards the playoffs having not lost since the end of November, with loanee Marcus Tudgay particularly impressive, and have just added to their strike force with pacy USA striker Robbie Findley on a free from Real Salt Lake. Forest won the reverse fixture 5-2 and a similar result would not be welcome in the Clough household.
Lewes v Staines Town
Blue Square Bet South, 3pm, Saturday 22nd January
We’ll fess up. It might be a little bit of a lie to call this as one of the games you should be watching this weekend, but we’d recommend making your way down to the south coast as the cream of the football blogosphere will be there for the first Socrates matchday meetup.
So, what can our intrepid bloggers expect at The Dripping Pan. Well, it’s no exaggeration to say Lewes aren’t an overly good team. You have to go back to November 13th for their last win in the league and the Rooks sit bottom of the table, with manager Tim O’Shea trying to make the best of a difficult hand.
Staines Town, on the other hand, can be brilliant over one game and have scored four on several occasional this season, but the Swans are also very inconsistent and are just as liable to ship a hatful. This should make for an open game with a few goals. It’ll probably be 0-0 now.
Ebbsfleet United v Bromley
Blue Square Bet South, 3pm, Saturday 22nd January
Of course, if you can’t make it to Lewes, you could do worse than this Kent derby of two play-off chasing teams with very contrasting fortunes. Bromley started the season in blistering form, storming to the top of the table. But recently, their form has tailed away and the Lilywhites look devoid of confidence, while manager Mark Goldberg has recently walked out after an internal dispute.
At the other end of the spectrum are an Ebbsfleet side who have licked their wounds following their relegation from the Conference last season and manager Liam Daish has yet again built a side from scratch. The Fleet have designs on a play-off spot at the very least and are playing some of the best football in a couple of years. Fleet will fancy their chances in this one as they look to keep the pressure on at the top of the table.
Cray Wanderers v Kingstonian
Ryman Premier Division, 3pm, Saturday 22nd January
And keeping up the non-league excellence this weekend, Bromley’s tenants, Cray, are looking pretty handy themselves in the Ryman Premier and have been slowly creeping up the table to mount an unexpected assault at the playoffs, scoring more goals than any other team in the division in the process.
Making the trip to Hayes Lane is Kingstonian, another club sharing with a higher-placed club and also with designs on the top five. Until recently, the K’s have kept in touch at the top but Sutton United have now opened up a six point gap over their South London rivals. Alan Dowson is one of the few managers who consistently plays 3-5-2, and for this alone the K’s are worth checking out.
Naval v Portimonense
Portugese Liga Sares, 8pm, Saturday 22nd January
A proper basement battle in Portugal as both sides look to gain some precious points that would see them at least make a fist of their respective bids for safety. The ugly ducklings of Naval picked up one of their two victories against Porimonese in the second game this season but Carlos Mozer’s team are yet to win at home and are rooted to the bottom of the table.
For their part, Portimonese are looking to ensure that their first season for twenty years in the top flight isn’t a brief stay and a win here could take them to within two points of 14th placed Rio Ave. But with the Algarve team not having won in the league since September 26th, and yet to register a win on the road, this will be a tense two hours at the bottom of the league.
Tags: Bromley, Cray Wanderers, Derby County, Ebbsfleet United, Japan, Kingstonian, Lewes, Naval, Nottingham Forest, Portimonese, Qatar, Staines Town