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A look forward to the games taking place in the National North League this evening written by NL's Richard Dorman:
Another packed midweek programme in the Enterprise National League North gets under way tonight. Barely is there time to wring out the kit from the weekend, before we're back to action once more!
So what’s in store this evening?
Hereford are back on top after winning 2-1 at Macclesfield on Saturday... and with only three points covering the top four places, Aaron Downes’ side can’t afford to let up. AFC Telford United make the 50-mile trip to Edgar Street, where they’ll need to find a way past a defence that has conceded just seven all season.
Second-placed Oxford City have enjoyed their travels: they’ve won five of their seven away games. But they're back on their own patch tonight - where they have just two wins in five league games to date. So they'll be aiming to find home comforts - with this evening's game against Merthyr Town being the first of three in a row at the MGroup Stadium.
Nobody is on a quicker rise than Hednesford Town, who beat Spalding 2-0 for a fourth straight win. They head to Bedford Town, who won at Scarborough on Saturday, just days after going out of the FA Cup on penalties to Cray Wanderers.
There’s a new chapter at Darlington, where Steve Watson left last week. Terry Mitchell’s first game in interim charge brought a 3-0 win over Spennymoor. Dylan Stephenson scored a hat-trick, and it was the Quakers’ first home win since March. They visit Morecambe - who won 3-0 when the sides met in the FA Cup on the Lancashire coast earlier this month.
Spennymoor Town remain bottom and welcome South Shields, who make the short trip down the A1(M). Shields won this fixture 6-0 last Boxing Day, and shrugged off back-to-back losses to leapfrog visiting Chester at the weekend.
Speaking of which: Chester, now seventh, host a Marine side that went into last Saturday on a six-game winning run in all competitions.
Radcliffe have won all three games under new manager Grant Shenton, the latest at Brackley. They host a Chorley side who have had a tough week, going out of the FA Cup at Worcester City and then losing 3-2 at home to Buxton.
Buxton host a Harborough Town side who have only played at home in October - winning three times and drawing against Worksop at the weekend. Worksop Town welcome King’s Lynn Town, who are unbeaten in five, and Brackley Town go to Spalding United, who have lost to Hednesford and to Alvechurch in the FA Cup over the past week.