Football preview - Sidley/Common

Sidley have 70 points from 33 Sussex County Football League Division Two matches, while Common are two worse off from the same number of fixtures.

A draw for Sidley away to fifth-placed Loxwood tomorrow (Saturday) will be enough unless Common win by a nine-goal margin at home to 10th-placed Rustington.

Sidley will go up if they come in the top three having met the new ground grading criteria, but Common are ineligible for promotion as they don't yet possess the required facilities.

Blues boss John Lambert said: "We're definitely going there to try and win it. We don't go anywhere looking for a point, we never have done. We feel we've got the players that can go anywhere in this league and win a game."

Sidley will still be without Chris Agutter, Kevin Rose and Danny Spice through suspension, but Nathan Russell and Rhys Whyborne are expected to feature, while Kevin Barden should return to the squad.

Lambert's side boasts the excellent record of having lost only once on its travels all season (against Common on Easter Monday) and has won its last three matches, scoring 12 times in the process.

Loxwood led the table for much of the term, but a 2-0 defeat in a very close reverse fixture on February 20 was the start of a run of four points from a possible 24 which saw them tumble out of contention for a top three spot.

Freescoring Common, meanwhile, will be eager to add to their impressive record of 93 goals in all competitions fresh off keeping their first clean sheet since November 28 against Westfield in midweek.

But opponents Rustington are unbeaten in their last five fixtures, a sequence which includes wins over leaders Rye United and Sidley, as well as draws against third-placed Worthing United and Loxwood.

Manager Mark Linch said: "It won't be easy for Sidley to get a point at Loxwood, but all we can do is win our game. As a group of players we're quite laid back about it, the pressure's not on us."

Whatever happens tomorrow, it will still be Common's highest ever finish in the Sussex County League. Their previous best was fifth in 1977-78, their very first year in the league when they went by the name of Albion United.

Russell Eldridge and Steve Morris will be available, and Richie Gray and Jared Lusted should be fit, but Brad Poole is unlikely to shake off a back problem. Common's match will kick-off at 2pm and Sidley's will begin an hour later.

Worthing are also very much in the equation. Currently trailing Sidley on goals scored, they entertain Rye tomorrow and Littlehampton Town, who Sidley thrashed 7-0 last weekend, on Monday morning.