TILBURY'S fragility after giving up a three goal lead last weekend will be put to the test when Thames neighbours Concord Rangers arrive at Chadfields on Saturday (7 November).

Concord made a decent start to the campaign in the Isthmian North, then faltered but now appear to be getting back on track.

They go into the derby on the back of a win at Little Oakley in midweek and a creditable draw against leaders Gorleston last weekend.

Tilbury have had a week off to lick their wounds after the 3-3 draw at high-flyers Newmarket and it would be a brave pundit who predicts the outcome of this weekend's encounter.

A midweek win for Buckhurst Hill dropped Grays Athletic into the drop zone in the same division, but the Blues will be buoyed by confirmation of the appointment of Lewis Clark as their new manager for the trip to another struggling side, Mulburton Wanderers on Saturday.

The two sides are separated by a point and a place at the wrong end of the table.

The clash at the Adobe Stadium will be the first ever meeting between the two sides.

Wanderers were created as a junior club in 1993 and have moved up through the Norfolk and Anglian Leagues. In 2018/19, they joined the Eastern Counties League Division 1 North. They then gained promotion to the Premier Division based on their performances in the two Covid interrupted seasons. Since then, they have been building, culminating in last season's treble-winning season.

Firstly, they romped to the title with some amazing stats; 87 points in 34 games to top the division by 21 points, 98 goals scored and just three losses. They then added the League Cup and to put sugar on top of the cherry on the cake, won the Norfolk Senior Cup at Carrow Road, defeating Dereham Town in a closely contested final.

This season has been a reality check and, after winning their first five games without conceding a goal, the season has taken a downward path and they have won just one of their last six outings.

Grays, with Clark permanently at the helm and a couple of good wins before last week's defeat at home to Sudbury, probably go into the clash as marginal favourites but it's another that's difficult to predict.

With three successive wins under their belt, momentum is certainly with Aveley, but they face a tough Isthmian Premier trip to seventh-placed Ramsgate, though the hosts have lost their last two outings, including a midweek Velocity Cup defeat against lower league Sheppey United.

A point for Rayleigh Town at Basildon Town in midweek was enough to see them demote East Thurrock Community FC to fourth spot in the Thurlow Nunn Eastern Counties South Division.

Rayleigh face a tough test at second-placed Stansted on Saturday so, despite having suffered successive defeats, Rock will have high hopes of climbing back above them with a positive outcome when they entertain AS London at Rookery Hill, but the visitors arrive in sixth place so will be no pushovers.