There are big games, and then there are afternoons when the league table itself provides all the advertising required. On Saturday, Lowfield hosts precisely that as leaders Hoddesdon Town welcome second-placed May & Baker EC for a mouth-watering Eastern Counties League Division One South showdown between the division’s two outstanding early-season performers.

Only a single point separates the sides going into the weekend. Hoddesdon sit proudly at the summit with 19 points from seven league matches, having won six and drawn one, while May & Baker are immediately behind on 18 points after winning all six of their league fixtures so far and therefore still holding a game in hand. Both sides possess an identical goal difference of +15, with Hoddesdon having scored 19 and conceded just four while the Bakers have struck 20 and conceded five. That makes Saturday a fascinating clash of two teams who have barely put a foot wrong. Hoddesdon are unbeaten in every completed competitive match this season and have followed their opening-day goalless draw against Cannons Wood with seven consecutive victories across league and FA Vase, while May & Baker arrive at Lowfield having swept aside everything placed in front of them in league action.

1st Plays 2nd On Saturday

HODDY FLYING AFTER WOODFORD CUP SUCCESS

For Simon Riddle and his players, the challenge this week has been switching the focus straight back to the bread and butter of the league following another memorable afternoon in the FA Vase. Last Saturday’s excellent 2-0 victory away to Step Five Woodford Town, courtesy of goals from Jack Orchard and Connor Bolton, extended a remarkable start in which Hoddesdon have combined attacking flair with a resilience that has been every bit as impressive. The statistics underline just how consistent Town have been. Across their eight completed competitive matches recorded by the league this season, Hoddesdon have won seven, drawn one, scored 21 goals and conceded only four, while their last seven completed games have all ended in victory.

Jack Orchard Was Among The Goals Last Weekend

That run has included wildly different kinds of success. There was the free-scoring 6-2 victory at East Thurrock Community, the dramatic 2-1 home success against FC Baresi, the gritty 1-0 win at Marcelona, a disciplined 2-0 victory at Burnham Ramblers and then the 4-1 demolition of Enfield Borough under the Lowfield lights, when Connor Bolton helped himself to a superb hat-trick. The Woodford victory then offered a different test altogether. Facing opposition from a level above, Hoddesdon showed they could absorb pressure, compete physically and take their moments when they arrived, with Orchard’s opener and Bolton’s second-half strike securing progression and adding another impressive chapter to an already eye-catching campaign.

Simon Riddle believes that Saturday represents exactly the sort of occasion his players should embrace rather than fear.

“You look at the table and you can see immediately why people will be excited about this game. May & Baker have started brilliantly, we have started brilliantly, and two sides in that sort of form meeting at Lowfield should make for a fantastic afternoon.”

The Gaffer Is Hoping For A Cracker On Saturday

BOLTON LEADING A POTENT HODDESDON ATTACK

There can be little discussion about the man at the front of the queue when assessing Hoddesdon’s attacking threats. Connor Bolton has started the campaign in devastating form, with the league’s current player statistics showing nine goals from nine appearances in all competitions, meaning he is averaging exactly a goal per appearance. Bolton’s contribution has gone far beyond simply finishing chances, however. His pace, movement and willingness to attack defenders have repeatedly stretched opponents, while his ability to drift into dangerous positions has made him difficult to contain whether operating centrally or moving into the channels.

Bolton Leads The Scoring Charts For The Lilywhites

There is plenty more around him too. Harrison Cage has three goals from nine appearances and continues to offer a powerful threat from wide and deeper positions, captain Jack Gibbs also has three despite operating predominantly in defence, and Freddie Wilkinson has struck twice in eight outings. The emergence of goals from different areas of the side has ensured opponents cannot simply concentrate all of their attention on Bolton.

Behind them, Maurice Abana and Blue Gallagher have provided energy and control in midfield, while Blesson Asekolenga, Gibbs, Orchard and the defensive unit have helped give Liam Nugent the protection required to build one of the best defensive records in the division. The fact that Hoddesdon have conceded only four times across eight completed competitive fixtures demonstrates that the foundations of this run have been every bit as important as the goals at the other end.

Maurice Abana

THE BAKERS ARE ON FIRE

If Hoddesdon’s numbers are impressive, May & Baker’s make it obvious why Saturday represents such a formidable examination. Their official season totals show 10 victories from 11 competitive matches, with 36 goals scored, while September alone has already brought three wins and 13 goals. Their latest victories give a particularly clear indication of their attacking confidence. They beat FC Baresi 5-3 in the League Challenge Cup, travelled to Basildon Town and emerged from a nine-goal thriller with a 5-4 league victory, then defeated Harlow Town 3-2 in the FA Vase last Friday. Earlier league successes included a 4-0 win against Hertford Heath, 2-0 against Cannons Wood, 3-0 at Brimsdown, 2-1 against London Harts United, 3-0 against Enfield Borough and 3-1 against NW London. Their league record remains perfect, and they arrive at Lowfield knowing a seventh straight league victory would take them above Hoddesdon.

May & Baker's Season So Far

Yet it is not simply the quantity of goals that catches the eye. May & Baker carry numerous threats, with Akiljo Balliu and Max Hart both on three goals, Junayd Subhi also having three, Zivonimir Lopes contributing three overall and Joao Silva Cruz combining two goals with three recorded assists. One name, however, towers above all the others.

PAPO-NETTE BUSTER: THE FORMER MAN UNITED TRIALIST WITH 15 GOALS

Addae Paponette is the danger man Hoddesdon will have circled in red. The 20-year-old Trinidad and Tobago forward has made an extraordinary start for May & Baker, with the official league statistics crediting him with 15 goals from just 11 appearances, as well as two assists.

May & Baker's Addae Paponette Signed For Spanish Second Division Club Granada In 2024

His story makes those numbers even more interesting. Paponette was only 12 when, during a football trip to England in 2018, he attracted attention from some of the biggest clubs in the country. Trinidad and Tobago Newsday reported that he trialled with Manchester United and Preston North End and attracted interest from scouts connected with Manchester United, Sheffield United, West Bromwich Albion and Stoke City, with his athleticism, strength and agility drawing particular praise. His pathway later took him to Spain. In September 2024, aged 18, Paponette signed a two-year agreement with Granada CF after spending time on trial, initially joining the Spanish club’s under-19 and development environment.

There is international recognition on the CV too. Paponette made his senior Trinidad and Tobago debut in March this year against Bolivia, all be it in a friendly, giving him International pedigree at only 20 years of age. Now back in English non-league football, he is proving brutally effective in front of goal. Fifteen goals in 11 appearances represents comfortably May & Baker’s biggest individual threat and ensures Hoddesdon’s defence faces one of its toughest assignments of the season so far. And you have to give credit to the visitors for convincing a player of such obvious high class ability to play his football at this level of the pyramid.

Riddle is well aware that stopping the visitors cannot simply become an exercise in man-marking one striker.

“Paponette’s numbers speak for themselves and obviously you have to respect somebody scoring goals at that rate, but May & Baker are clearly much more than one player. They have goals all through the team, they attack with confidence and their results show how dangerous they are, so we have to defend collectively and be switched on from the first minute.”

A CLUB WITH MORE THAN A CENTURY OF HISTORY

Saturday’s visitors also arrive with a history stretching back more than 100 years. May & Baker were established in 1923 as a works football team connected to the May & Baker pharmaceutical and chemical company in Dagenham, part of a strong sporting tradition among the company’s workforce.

Their unusual identity remains reflected in the club crest, which contains the number 693, a reference to M&B693, the sulphonamide developed by the company and historically associated with the treatment of pneumonia. The football club progressed from the Essex Business Houses League into the Essex Olympian League, winning Division One in 2009-10, while the Saturday section evolved into May & Baker Eastbrook Community FC during the following decade. The Bakers won the Essex Junior Cup in 2016-17 and eventually moved into the newly created Eastern Counties League Division One South, where they have since established themselves. They now play at the Bobby Moore Sports Hub in Dagenham, having previously needed groundshares elsewhere while progressing through the non-league system.

There is also recent history between Saturday’s opponents which Hoddesdon will not need reminding about. May & Baker both a league and cup encounter last season, including a 3-0 home success in August and a 2-1 cup victory in September, although Hoddesdon later produced a thumping 5-1 Lowfield victory when the clubs met again in the league in October 2025.

Hoddesdon Were 5-1 Winners In October Of Last Year

LOWFIELD READY FOR A BIG AFTERNOON

What makes this fixture particularly enticing is the contrast between two confident teams with no obvious reason to alter what has already served them so well. Hoddesdon have balance, structure and a defensive record that has given their attacking players a platform, while May & Baker arrive armed with the division’s most prolific individual scorer and a team that appears perfectly comfortable turning matches into shoot-outs. For the hosts, there should also be an extra lift from being back at Lowfield. The 4-1 victory over Enfield Borough showed how enjoyable football under the lights can be at the Stewart Edwards Stadium, and Saturday now gives supporters the chance to create another strong home atmosphere for a match that looks like one of the standout fixtures anywhere in Division One South this weekend.

Hoddesdon Remain Unbeaten In All Competitions

Riddle would love to see the ground busy as his players attempt to protect top spot against the side breathing directly down their necks.

“The players have earned the opportunity to play in a game like this and we want them to go out there and enjoy the challenge. Lowfield can be a brilliant place when there is a crowd behind the team, so hopefully people come down, make some noise and give the lads that extra push because this should be a really good game of football.”

There are still months of the season ahead and far too many points available for one September afternoon to define anybody’s campaign. What Saturday can provide, however, is the clearest examination yet of two teams whose starts have demanded attention, with first against second, two prolific attacks and two highly confident squads all sharing the same Lowfield stage. Hoddesdon will enter it with belief strengthened by seven successive victories and an unbeaten record that has survived league football, difficult away trips and a step up in opposition in the FA Vase. May & Baker will arrive with six wins from six in the league, Paponette scoring for fun and every intention of becoming the first side this season to knock Town off their stride.

Lowfield is ready. So are two teams who have spent the opening weeks of the campaign setting the pace.

MATCH DETAILS
Fixture: Hoddesdon Town v May & Baker EC
Competition: Thurlow Nunn Eastern Counties League – First Division South
Date: Saturday 19 September 2026
Kick-off: 3:00pm
Venue: The Stewart Edwards Stadium, Lowfield, Hoddesdon, EN11 8PX
League Positions: Hoddesdon 1st – 19 pts; May & Baker 2nd – 18 pts
Ones To Watch: Connor Bolton – 9 goals in 9; Addae Paponette – 15 goals in 11
Forecast: Cloudy with scattered showers and a breezy afternoon, around 18°C at the warmest.

#COYL