Hawks boss Paul Doswell previews this weekend’s National League South play-off clashes

Doswell is aiming for the sixth promotion of his career - and the second via the play-offs - when the Hawks enter the National League South play-offs later this month.

As a result of finishing second in the table, they are due to host the winners of this Sunday’s quarter-final between fifth-placed Slough and sixth-placed Dartford on Saturday, July 25.

If successful, Hawks will also host the final the following weekend - and again it will be behind closed doors at Westleigh Park.

In a ‘normal’ season, Hawks would have attracted several thousand spectators to the games. But now, as we all know, life is anything but ‘normal’ ...

Doswell admits the circumstances surrounding the play-offs have affected the way he is viewing them.

‘It’s hugely different this year, it’s such a strange situation,’ he said.

‘If we win and go up to the National League, then brilliant.

‘If we don’t go up, that’s ok with me.

‘I trust my team, I know what they can do during a regular season, but this is all about who can do it on the day.

‘The advantages we would have had - being at home with 4-5,000 fans - has gone, and we will be playing a team who have already played a competitive game.

‘There’s lots of little things.

‘Whoever ends up going up has probably had a stroke of luck along the way.

‘If we didn’t go up, we will go again next season. I have a feeling next season will be financially hard for a lot of clubs so at least we’ll be saving some money in travelling more locally.

‘The circumstances surrounding these play-offs has changed the way I feel about it.

‘But obviously we want to go up, we’re geared up for the National League. Perhaps but saying all this I’m trying to take some of the pressure off …’

Normally, Doswell would be at Arbour Park this Sunday to cast his eye over Hawks’ potential semi-final opponents.

That is not possible, so instead he will be watching the game on tv - all South games are being streamed by BT Sport and Sportradar.

He believes it will be a close contest.

‘Slough play a conventional 4-4-1-1, they’re more physical than Dartford but they play a style I like,’ said Dosewell.

‘They have great crossers of a football and three or four very talented players.’

Dartford were the form team when the season was halted in mid-March, having won 10 of their last 13 games.

Among those wins were a 5-1 success at Chippenham, a 4-2 win at play-off rivals Dorking, a 4-0 beating of Welling and 3-0 victories over Tonbridge, Chelmsford and Oxford City.

‘Dartford are a good young side who like to play attacking football,’ said Doswell.

‘They can beat anyone on their day, and they’ve had a few since Steve King took over.

‘They’ve beaten teams by three or four but I don’t think they’ll find Slough so easy to break down.’

Slough play on a 3G pitch but Doswell insists that is unlikely to give them much of an edge.

‘The pitch I don’t see being a great advantage,’ he said. ‘Dartford have a 3G pitch next to their main one and they train on it two or three times a week.’

Dartford have two big goal threats in their side - ex-Ipswich striker Darren McQueen and Elliott Romain.

Both men have struck 16 league goals this term, with only Hawks’ Jonah Ayunga and Joe Iaciofano of St Albans - both with 17 - having scored more times in the division.

Doswell will certainly be aware of McQueen’s ability, having signed him during his time at Sutton United.

Hawks fans may also remember Romain for his last appearance at Westleigh Park. Playing for Maidstone in a National League game in November 2018 he was sent off after only 34 minutes. Trailing 1-0 at the time, the Stones were eventually thumped 5-2.

Sunday’s other semi-final sees fourth-placed Bath City welcome seventh-placed Dorking.

The latter are bidding for an astonishing 12th promotion since being formed by current chairman/manager Marc White in 1999.

They started out in the Crawley & District League, and if they win their next three games will be just one step away from the Football League - a meteoric rise unsurpassed in football history.

All three games will be away, though, with a semi-final trip to Weymouth awaiting the winners of the Twerton Park encounter.

Though Bath would be most people’s favourites - having finished 13 points ahead of Dorking - Doswell has a different view.

‘Both teams like to get the ball down and play,’ he said.

‘Bath have got Tom Smith, who’s scored 18 goals from midfield, but I have a funny feeling Dorking will win. That might surprise a few people.

‘If I was a betting man, I’d go for Dorking - they could be dark horses here.

‘Marc White is a wealthy guy and that’s enabled him to sign players like Jason Prior from us and Alfie Rutherford from us.

‘But I have a lot of time for Marc, he deserves a lot of accolades. He’s taken them on a brilliant journey, starting out virtually with jumpers for goalposts.

‘Dorking’s problem is they are so minded to go forward they don’t always close the door at the back.

‘But they went to (higher division) Stockport and beat them 4-0 in the FA Trophy, they went to (higher division) Notts County last weekend and beat them 3-1 …’

Dorking possess the leakiest defence of any of the South play-off teams, having conceded 56 goals in 2019/20 - 19 more than Hawks let in.

They were thrashed 6-0 at Westleigh Park last August, while they also slipped up 5-3 at home to Slough and 4-2 to Dartford. They were also held 4-4 by Billericay.

In the final reckoning, Dorking only had a goal difference of plus two having lost their final five league games of the campaign.

Hawks, meanwhile, have been installed as the bookies’ favourites after finishing four points clear of both Weymouth and Bath in the table. And the team who have finished runners-up have gone on to win the play-offs in eight of the previous 14 seasons since the South and North structure was created in 2005.

‘We’re the favourites because we finished second,’ said Doswell. ‘If I was a bookie, I’d make us favourites as well. But here the form goes out of the window, I don’t think there’s any favourites, it’s too tight to call.

‘All you can hope for is your big players do it on the day - your Ayungas, your Kedwells.

Doswell has an experienced core to his squad with the likes of thirtysomethings Danny Kedwell, Simon Walton, Dean Beckwith, Nicky Bailey, Wes Fogden, Anthony Straker and Ross Worner. Their experienced could be crucial in the coming weeks.

‘Experience is really important, but don’t ever dismiss young legs either - some days they can be better than experience,’ Doswell explained.

‘I saw Frank Lampard say the other day that experience can be over-rated, but we’ve got a nice mixture of experience and younger lads.’