Crunch Easter Monday clash in Havant & Waterlooville's National League South play-off bid
Jamie Collins’ side will travel to relegation-threatened Hungerford Town (3pm) in search of a much-needed victory following 11 National League South games without one.
Having looked nailed on for a play-off spot earlier in the campaign, Hawks now find themselves with much work to do if they’re to make the top seven.
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Hide AdCurrently in ninth place, they are three points outside the play-off spots with five games remaining.
But it’s very much still all to play for because just four points separate Braintree Town in fifth and 11th-placed Tonbridge Angels.
On paper at least, today’s game represents a good opportunity for Hawks to return to winning ways and banish the disappointment of Good Friday’s 2-2 draw at home to Weymouth.
James Roberts twice put Hawks ahead in their latest setback, yet twice they were pegged back by the third-from-bottom Terras, the second time by a 90th-minute Keelan O’Connell equaliser.
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Hide AdHungerford are one place and one point worse off than Weymouth, albeit with two games in hand.
Their form is mixed, losing their last two matches but winning the two prior to that.
Hawks assistant manager Ian Baird gave an honest assessment of their current fortunes when speaking to the club after the draw against Weymouth.
He said: ‘We didn’t close out the game. We made a couple of mistakes just prior to that (Weymouth’s late leveller), game management comes into it.
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Hide Ad‘Once again we’ve not kept a clean sheet and football’s all about both boxes.
‘When you get chances you take them. We don’t take the chances and I can’t remember the last time we did actually keep a clean sheet.
‘And if you don’t keep clean sheets and you don’t finish your chances, you end up where you’re meant to be.
‘At this moment in time we’re meant to be where we are because we’ve not done well enough.’
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Hide AdAll of Hawks’ play-off rivals are also in action this afternoon.
Fifth-placed Braintree Town host champions Ebbsfleet United, while St Albans City, who are sixth, travel to bottom side Concord Rangers.
Seventh-placed Worthing, who hammered Concord 7-0 on Friday, are away to Cheshunt and eighth-placed Eastbourne Borough head to Welling United.