Many will be wondering if the midweek hangover has subsided sufficiently ahead of the visit of Tower Hamlets this weekend, as the Lilywhites return to league action at Lowfield after their cup final heroics.

The celebrations went well into the early hours of Thursday morning, as Simon Riddle's men partied the night away back at Lowfield, following the win over Royston at The County Ground, to secure the Herts Senior Centenary Trophy for the fourth time in the club's history. An early goal from Jack Riddle was matched by Royston in the 83rd minute and so the final went to penalties. Liam Nugent, not the for the first time this season, managed to save one, denying Royston's 12th penalty, sparking wild celebrations amongst players and supporters alike, as Riddle put yet another pot on the already over crowded Hoddesdon mantelpiece. And whilst the win will be cherished for many years to come, focus has to return to league form and securing another 3 points on the road to safety.

Hoddesdon have put themselves in a very good position in recent months, but the job is not quite done yet and another win this Saturday will help to further cement their Step 6 status for next season.

Opponents Tower Hamlets come to town struggling for form, with just two wins in the last ten games. Indeed, last time out, a 2-0 home defeat to a resurgent St Margaretsbury will have further dented confidence, a loss that firmly drags them back into a fight for league survival that they certainly wouldn't have wished to be involved in, at this late stage of the season.

Our visitors league record this season reads Played 35, Won 11, Drawn 5, Lost 19 whilst registering 38 points with a goal difference of -25. In that time they have scored 59 league goals and conceded 84. The last time these two sides met, it was the old combination of Bolton to Riddle that bore fruit in 86th minute to secure a hard earned draw at the Mile End Stadium on the 21st of February.

The Lilywhites came through a very difficult night with a late goal that salvaged a point from a game that could have been out of sight for them early doors. Inside ten minutes they had created three very good chances but, as is so often the case, they failed to convert any of them into goals. At this stage the Lilywhites were totally on top and on a good surface, all of these chances might easily have been taken. It seemed as if it was only a matter of time before the Lilywhites opened the scoring but, after Blue Gallagher had hit the bar with the keeper beaten from 20 yards on the quarter-hour mark, the Lilywhites committed the cardinal sin of switching off at the back and conceding a goal, totally against the run of play, following a break up the right. This goal changed the game entirely and although the hosts posed no more serious threats, they now had something to hold on to. They tightened up at the back and with the heavy pitch and some inconsistent refereeing annoying both sides, the game became very scrappy. Matters got worse for the Lilywhites when Jack Riddle was sin-binned in the 35th minute for dissent, reducing them to ten men for the remainder of the half.

The second half saw the Lilywhites back on top and putting pressure on the home goal. They raised their level but time was running out when they finally broke the deadlock and found an equaliser. A free-kick was won on the right-hand side of the box and when it was delivered into the area by Conor Bolton, Jack Riddle was on hand to slide the ball past the keeper. In the final analysis a point was a good return for a difficult night’s work and meant that the Lilywhites had turned one of their games in hand into a point.

For the return game at Lowfield, we look at our opponents away record. In reality, they have struggled on the road with four wins, one draw and nine losses, scoring 23 and conceding 40. Their last away win came on the 18th of November, a 3-1 win against Park View. In fact, their first four games of the new season were away games, suffering four defeats whilst conceding twelve goals and scoring two.

That said, Hoddesdon would be foolish to think that this game is already in the bag.

Solomon Asomah remains a real threat to the Lilywhites, having scored 19 goals in 32 appearances this season in all competitions. Connor French also has 11 goals in 26 games and so our opponents still have the firepower to come to Lowfield and give the lads a run for their money.

Tower Hamlets Football Club is based in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The club was granted senior status after winning the Middlesex County league's Premier Division in 2009, and were promoted to the Essex Senior League. At the end of the 2019-20 season, Tower Hamlets FC were transferred to the Premier Division of the Southern Counties East League after moving to Phoenix Sports ground in Barnehurst from the Mile End Stadium. In 2021-22 season Tower Hamlets FC finished at the bottom of the league and were relegated to step 6 and are currently members of the Thurlow Nunn League First Division South, playing back at the Mile End Stadium.

Manager Kiernan Hughes-Mason, alongside Assistant Manager Connor French, will be hoping that they can stem the tide of some recent bad results and get back to winning ways against the Lilywhites. When the two sides met just over a month ago in the afore mentioned 1-1 draw, Tower Hamlets occupied 10th place in the league and looked far from in any kind of danger. However, many sides with games in hand, including Hoddesdon, have clawed back points whilst Tower Hamlets own form has dipped, and they now sit in 16th position, just 3 points above the drop zone.

But in Hughes-Mason, they have a man who knows his onions.

Their gaffer is somewhat of a non league journeyman, having begun his football career at the age of seven, playing alongside Jack Wilshere and Emmanuel Frimpong in the youth ranks at Arsenal. At the age of 14, he was deemed too small by the club and released. He then joined local rivals Tottenham Hotspur for a season but failed to earn a scholarship at the club. Following his release, Hughes-Mason was offered a scholarship with Millwall. The Hackney born 32 year old also notably played professional football for Cheltenham Town and Grimsby Town, as well as having brief spells in New Zealand with North Wellington and Tasman United. He has spent most of his career in non-league football and has played for Tooting & Mitcham United, Chelmsford City, Kettering Town, Welling United, Concord Rangers, Hayes & Yeading United, Maidstone United, Leatherhead, Walton Casuals, Hastings United, Grays Athletic, Barking, Hythe Town, Hashtag United, Saffron Walden Town and Tilbury.

You can follow Tower Hamlets on Twitter/X HERE.

For Hoddesdon, the mood in the camp will certainly be buoyant after the jubilation of a cup final win on Wednesday. That energy must be channeled into winning as many of the remaining nine league games as possible. Mathematically, the Lilywhites can still finish inside the top 6 with a points haul of 67, although that requires 9 straight wins and results to go our way elsewhere. Whilst highly unlikely, that mindset will help the lads finish as high up the table as possible and put the icing on what has turned into a season to remember.

The race for the clubs 'Golden Boot' is still well and truly open, despite Connor Bolton (10) being four clear of Dion Laughton (6). With 9 games still to play, that could certainly change and with Bolton turning provider rather than goalscorer in recent games, the chasing pack will be sniffing. Bolton however, will be keen to keep the lads at bay and is certainly capable of extending his figures.

A man of the match performance from Bailey Eden in the cup final, further solidified his value to the team and underlined just what a brilliant player he has been for us this season. Both tenacious in defence and attack, the son of former Lilywhite hotshot Simon Eden has firmly placed himself at the forefront of the managers thoughts when selecting his best side.

Bad news reached us after the cup final however, Nazarii Krutko being ruled out for the remainder of the season with a broken hand, suffered during the game at The County Ground, and everyone at the club wishes him a speedy recovery. We look forward to seeing him again next year as his performances this season, specifically since the turn of the year, have been excellent.

Everybody at the club was saddened on Friday evening as we learned of the passing of Soner Ali. Soner was instrumental at our club for many years, both with our youth section and helping to facilitate our inclusive team on Saturday mornings, giving football opportunities to those with special needs. Soner will be remembered fondly by us all for his hard work and dedication to helping others and there will be a minute's silence before kick off on Saturday in his memory.

Kick Off on Saturday is 3pm and the clubhouse bar and tea bar will be open, serving hot and cold refreshments. Sample our draught range at the bar, with Spanish favourite Cruzcampo Lager, Greene Kings delicious Ice Breaker IPA and Inch's Apple Cider at the taps this weekend.

Entry
Adults £8 / Concessions £5 / Under 12's £2

Youth team players can gain FREE access with up to two parents when wearing their Youth Team shirt.

We accept Cash and Card at Lowfield (excludes American Express)

Enjoy the game.

#COYL