The Blues are bang in form! In fact, over the last six matches, nobody has a better set of results than Wingate & Finchley in the Isthmian Premier League. On Saturday we are back at home after two away matches and Hashtag United are the visitors, themselves in good form and hot on the tails of the playoff teams.
Our Opponents
Hashtag United are the most recently formed side in the Isthmian Premier League, being founded in 2016 by YouTuber Spencer Owen, and officially joining the non-league pyramid in the 2018-19 season. The club has seen significant success on the pitch, including 3 promotions in 4 completed seasons after they first joined the pyramid. In their first season in 2018-19, the Tags won Eastern Counties League Division One South (10th tier) before moving into the Essex Senior League where after two COVID-affected seasons, one being abandoned, the second (2020-21) saw Hashtag promoted on a points-per-game basis. After missing out on a playoff place in 2021/22, Hashtag were promoted from Isthmian North Division as champions, including a streak of winning 21 games in a row, in 2022/23. That title brought the Tags them to the Isthmian Premier League, where in their first season last year, they finished in 13th place, firmly in the middle of the pack, as their rapid rise up the pyramid slowed slightly.
This season, the Tags made a slow start to the season, and were even in the relegation zone briefly in the early monhts of the season but a resurgent few months sees them sat in 7th place with 55 points (W16 D7 L11). This puts the Tags two places and four points above the Blues, with both having played 34 times. With 8 games left, Hashtag are just five points behind the playoff places at the time of writing and will be looking to ensure they remain in the mix as the season reaches its conclusion.
Head to Head
Our first ever match with Hashtag last season saw the Tags win 2-0 at the Len Salmon Stadium, with an Alfie Cue brace being enough to secure all 3 points for 10-man Hashtag United. At the Maurice Rebak Stadium, it was a goalless stalemate last season, our only nil-nil in the whole of the 23/24 league campaign.
In the away fixture this season, we lost 4-1 at Parkside, Ogo Obi levelling things in the first half before the Tags scored three times in the second half to secure a convincing victory. We are still yet to taste victory against the Tags, hopefully Saturday will be the first time!
Last Time Out
The Tags come into this game in good form with two wins, two draws and only one defeat in their last five. There have been goals galore in those games, including a 5-3 win over Folkestone and most recently, two consecutive 3-3 draws, with Hendon and Dulwich Hamlet. Hashtag are the league's top scorers with 71 goals while conceding 58 makes them the leakiest defence in the top half.
Players To Watch
Andronicos Georgiou recently moved from the Blues to the Tags, and the attacking midfielder has plenty of flair on offer which Blues fans will know all too well. The former Stevenage man scored five goals in 32 games for the Blues this season, with a standout performance being his brace away at Dartford back in October.
As the league's top scorers, we should be aware of the forwards that the Tags have at their disposal - Misha Djemaili has 20 goals in all competitions this season, the 24-year old has really found his shooting boots, having previously been deployed in midfield roles. A former Crystal Palace academy player, Djemaili joined the Tags last season and has flourished, with a hat-trick in a 4-3 win over Cheshunt proving to be one of the highlights of an excellent season so far. Djemaili also scored twice against the Blues back in November.
For the Blues, we have a former Tag in our ranks, and Camilo Restrepo will be looking to prove his value against his former employers. His goal against Horsham last weekend took his tally to four goals in 17 games so far since signing for the Blues. Was it a shot, or was it a cross? We'll let you decide.
Tickets can be purchase in advance here and fans are reminded that all pints are reduced to £4.50 before 2.15pm so get in early to take advantage of our early bird offer! Cash and card is accepted throughout the stadium, and we look forward to welcoming you to the Maurice Rebak Stadium for Saturday's game. Come on you Blues!
Photos courtesy of Martin Addison.
Comments