We enter this fixture just one place and six points behind our hosts, with a game in hand over them too and therefore this really is must win as we try to force our way back into the top five. Earlier in the season we enjoyed a dramatic 2-1 win at home with Bailey Eden grabbing an 88th minute winner at the start of November, a result that raised many eyebrows in non league circles, with AS London being the form team, buoyed by some high profile new signings.

AS London Football Club are based in Tottenham and play at the New River Sports Stadium (formerly New River Community Sports Centre). The stadium has a capacity of 5,000 with a grandstand that seats 1,000. The stadium has a 3G artificial pitch surrounded by an athletics track.

The club was formed in 1991 as a group of friends organising matches on a Sunday under the name of Park View FC. In 2003 the club affiliated with the Middlesex County Football Association (MCFA) and joined the Ghana Football Society. In 2007 the club joined Division One Central & East of the Middlesex County League, going on to win the division at the first attempt, but then left the league. They entered Division One of the London Commercial League in 2012, and were runners-up in 2013–14. The club then switched to the Amateur Football Combination, entering Intermediate Division One North. After winning the division at the first attempt, the club were promoted to Senior Division Two North and went on to win a second successive title, earning promotion to Senior Division One. They subsequently won the Division One title in 2016–17 and then entered the English football league system, joining Division Two of the Spartan South Midlands League. The club were unbeaten Division Two League Champions as well as Division Two Cup Winners in their first season in the league, earning promotion to Division One.

In June 2024 Park View was renamed to All Stars London (styled as AS London) for the 2024/25 season. The club in its early years drew many of its players from the Ghanaian community in London but can now boast of a diverse mix and are slowly becoming one to watch this season in the Eastern Counties Division One South.

AS have the talented Alie Bangura in their ranks, and he himself has an impressive record in front of goal, with 16 in 20, coupled with 11 assists. Alie has previously played for Hemel Hempstead and enjoyed a promotion winning season with Berkhamstead, helping them reach Step 3. He also had stints with FC Romania and Leighton Town. Most recently, he was at Leverstock Green in Step 4, signing for them in June of this year before making the switch to AS London, and so plying his trade at Step 6 will undoubtedly be a huge advantage to him and his new club. AS London have secured a number of players from the higher echelons of non league football and the results speak for themselves.

However, the standout player has to be Reece Simpson. Simpson has excelled this season and is currently the top goalscorer in the league, with 26 goals in 31 appearances from 29 starts. Reece also captains the side and truly leads by example. He grabbed a goal last Saturday, although it was in a 3-2 home defeat to NW London, a surprise result to many of the 15 spectators in attendance.

Indeed, AS London have now lost their last three games in a row, two in the league and the most recent defeat, a 3-2 loss on the road in the Semi Final of the Middlesex Cup on Tuesday evening. The clubs official X account, which you can follow HERE, said after the defeat 'Our cup run has come to an end after a hard-fought match against Civil Service. We dominated the first half but failed to convert our chances, which ultimately cost us. Civil Service doubled their lead in the second half, but Reece Simpson made an instant impact after coming on, curling a shot past their keeper to bring us back to 2-1. Ayub Kadiri then equalized, forcing the ball into the net to make it 2-2.'

They continued 'Unfortunately, bad defending allowed their striker to break through and score again, making it 3-2. Despite having chances late in the game, we couldn't find the equalizer, and they held on to advance to the finals.This marks three consecutive defeats for us, a streak we haven't faced before. We now look ahead to this weekend's important match against playoff rivals Hoddesdon at home, where we aim to bounce back and regain momentum!!'

A warning shot, indeed!

Hoddesdon will need to be in top form for the trip to North London, as despite the form, AS London remain a real threat and one of the best sides in the league. On multiple occasions this season, they have scored six, seven, and even eight goals in a game, and the firepower is obvious to all. The home form is pretty decent too, P13 W9 D1 L3 F42 A17, meaning they average 3.2 goals scored per game and just 1.3 goals conceded per game, at their North London base. The likes of Evander Lopes, Ayub Kadiri, Mohamed Mahmoud and Francisco Figuereo have all made significant goal contributions for our hosts this season and so they don't just rely on Simpson to put the ball into the back of the net.

Hoddesdon themselves have their own goal threat however.

I'm not sure how many more superlatives we can throw at Connor Bolton this season. He leads our goalscoring charts with 16 goals this campaign, putting him joint 4th in the hunt for the league Golden Boot, alongside the afore mentioned Bangura. 'Bolts" notched again last Saturday, rescuing a point at home to lowly Southend Manor, a deft header from a miscleared corner, which can be viewed HERE. It's an even bigger feat when you consider he has only started 22 games this season, coupled with the position he actually plays for the team, meaning it really is a phenomenal effort. He has already eclipsed the 13 goals in 37 appearances he registered last season, and it is hard to see how anyone will catch him this time around, despite decent cameos from the likes of Bennison (5), Clarke (5), Brown (4) and Gibbs (4).

In this fixture last season, it was a very different team, and indeed club, that Hoddesdon faced. They were called Park View back then, and found themselves firmly in a relegation battle with just three games to go. Hoddesdon themselves were chasing down a 9th placed finish and were desperate for the win.

The winning goal came in only the 11th minute when Blue Gallagher drove the ball into the net via a deflection, from the edge of the box. It followed a very bright start in which Conor Casey started and finished a good attack where his goal-bound effort in the third minute, was headed off the line with the keeper beaten.More opportunities followed but with attacks regularly breaking down in the last third, no more goals were forthcoming before the half-time break.

The second half followed a similar pattern but, with tempers beginning to fray in the hosts’ ranks, much of the play lacked fluency and fragmented. The Lilywhites continued to look the more likely to score, though, and they had enough chances to make the points safe. But Conor Casey lobbed over the bar when through on goal in the 61st minute and Dion Laughton hit the underside of the bar in the 83rd minute and then blazed over the bar from close range in the 87th, when set up by Syd Barker, after he had surged forward from inside his own half and pulled the ball across the front of the six-yard area.

The Lilywhites had done enough to win but they really should have made the margin of victory a bit more comfortable. Park View ultimately ended the season third from bottom and in a relegation place but were rewarded with a reprieve in the summer, before rebranding as AS London. Hoddesdon will be hoping to keep their impressive record against this side in tact and bring all three points home at the weekend.

Kick off is 3pm and The New River Stadium, White Hart Lane, N22 5QW charges Adults £8 | Concession £5 | Under 16s Free. All travelling support is welcome.

Enjoy the game.

#COYL