Local clubs seek fast start to new year

Bexhill United are at home to Langney Wanderers and Little Common go to Seaford Town in Division One, while Westfield are at home to bogey team Rottingdean Village in Division Two. All three matches will kick-off at 11am.

Bexhill will be hoping that a new year can bring a change of fortunes after enduring a tough end to 2016. The Pirates lost all four of their matches in December and have fallen to eighth in the table.

Joint manager Ryan Light said: “We just need a win now to get us out of this little slump we’re in. When you get a win in this league, you normally follow it up with two or three. If we can get that win, there’s no reason why we can’t have a good January and February.”

Bexhill will be eager to atone for a 5-0 loss in August’s reverse fixture.

“We’ve got a bit of unfinished business with Langney Wanderers,” Light added. “We played excellent football that day, but they were very sharp in front of goal. I think we’re a better side now than we were then.

“They (the players) are all very positive. They believe they can get a win against Langney Wanderers and get us back on a winning run.”

Matt Cunnington is unavailable, but Connor Robertson should be back and Kevin Barden may be fit enough to return from a knee injury.

Common, by contrast, are three points clear at the top of the table having won all of their last seven league matches, the latest of which was a 2-1 victory away to Bexhill on Boxing Day.

Although 13th in the table, Seaford picked up a point in August's reverse fixture and have made several additions to their squad since then.

Common full-back Louis Walker will be available again after suspension, but the game will come too soon for injured defender Zack McEniry.

Westfield, who are fourth in their division, will defend their unbeaten home record against a Rottingdean side which has beaten them four times in the last 16 months.

Sam Winter is set to return, but Lewis McGuigan and Adams are struggling with injury problems, and Asher Grindle serves the final game of his ban.

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