Harborough Town all set for a showdown with title rivals

Harborough Town are set to host another huge encounter at the Harborough Town Community Stadium as they take on high-flying rivals Hinckley Leicester Road.

The two clubs have been slugging it out at the top of the table for the majority of the season and this weekend’s showdown could prove to be the decisive moment in the title race.

Mitch Austin’s Bees go into the clash with a three-point lead of Hinckley, who have a game in hand although Harborough hold a superior goal difference.

Both clubs look certain to be promoted at the end of the season with the champions going up automatically while whoever finishes as runners-up should also move up to Step 4 with the 10 second-placed teams with the best points per game ratios across Step 5 set to be rewarded with promotion.

But both clubs will be desperate to clinch the crown after highly impressive campaigns in which both have only lost twice in the league.

One of Harborough’s defeats was in the reverse fixture back in September when Hinckley ran out 2-1 winners.

However, Austin’s team have gone from strength-to-strength since then although they were held to a goalless draw at Long Buckby last Saturday while Hinckley closed the gap with a 3-1 success at Godmanchester Rovers on Tuesday night.

Lutterworth Town secured a 2-0 win at Potton United in the United Counties League Premier Division South on Saturday thanks to goals from Marshal Keenan and Abdul Rahman Sunmonu.

But that was followed by a 3-2 penalty shoot-out defeat after a 2-2 draw at Pershore Town in the semi-finals of the Smedley Crooke Memorial Cup last night (Wednesday).

The Swifts are without a league game at the weekend.

In UCL Division One, meanwhile, Lutterworth Athletic secured an impressive 2-0 victory at Dunkirk FC with Will Blockley and Jack Astill on target.

Athletic face a tough test this weekend when they head to high-flying Belper United.