It has been nearly a month since our last home fixture, the goalless stalemate against Hashtag United. The Maurice Rebak Stadium has been a positive place this season, particularly on the pitch as 10 of the team's 17 league wins have come at home, and the Blues will be looking forward to this match having had a number of postponements throughout February, both home and away.
Our Opponents
We are still yet to play Bognor Regis this season, such has been the impact of the rainfall for the groundsmen and women across the clubs in the Isthmian League. At this point, some clubs are running out of Tuesday nights to fit in their rescheduled matches! Bognor Regis are sitting 12th in the league at the time of writing, arguably occupying the final spot of the chasing pack for the playoff positions. With up to 3 games in hand on teams above them, Bognor are certainly in with a shout for a playoff position at this stage, particularly after a spell at the beginning of 2024 which saw them win 6 matches in a row in the league, propelling them into the playoff equation, and seeing their manager Robbie Blake awarded the manager of the month accolade.
Since that sixth win, the curse of the manager of the month award appears to have struck as the Rocks' form has become slightly more patchy. Starting with a 6-1 drubbing in the Sussex Cup at the hands of Step 4 Littlehampton Town, followed by a draw at struggling Cheshunt, a disappointing 3-2 defeat at home to bottom side Kingstonian, a home draw against Potters Bar and most recently a late, late defeat to champions elect Hornchurch last Saturday as the Urchins scored in 95th and 98th minutes to steal all 3 points at the MKM Arena. Last season, Bognor finished 14th place, 2 places and 4 points above the Blues.
Head to Head
There were convincing home victories apiece last season. On the road early in the season, Wingate went down 3-0 at Nyewood Lane due to a Nathan Odokonyero brace and Isaac Olaniyan goal putting the match to bed before the hour mark. The Blues got revenge in February with goals for Elliot Long, Luke Ifil, Antonis Vasiliou and Sammy Ompreon rounding off a successful month for the Blues which saw them take a giant step towards safety last season.
Last Time Out
There was late drama at the MKM Arena on Saturday as a 91st minute red card for midfielder Craig Robson paved the way for a Hornchurch comeback with two late goals after Bognor had taken an early lead against the top of the table side.
The Blues took all 3 points in Canvey Island on Saturday thanks to goals from Ruben Carvalho and Anointed Chukwu. Hear more from Ruben and midfield enforcer Christian Frimpong in the post-match interview below.
Players To Watch
Bognor moved to sign South Korean midfielder Seung-Woo Yang from National League side Eastleigh last week to boost their options in this area. He will be competing with the likes of Bournemouth academy graduate Matt Burgess, who won the Rocks' player of the month award for February, for a place in the Bognor midfield.
Elliot Long scored in the home clash against Bognor Regis last season and he will be looking to get back on the scoresheet this weekend to continue his push for the league's golden boot award, as well as battling with Ruben Carvalho and Anointed Chukwu for the club's top scorer award this year.
Adult tickets can be purchased on the gate or in advance here and concession tickets can be bought on the gate with valid ID. Under 18s go free. Keep your eye on our social media channels for live match updates as well as a link to radio commentary.
Photos courtesy of Martin Addison.
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