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Saturday's Blue Square South preview wrap

There are two ties between teams battling it out for the play-off spots this weekend. Fourth placed Chelmsford City take on fifth placed Maidenhead United while second placed Hampton & Richmond take on Eastleigh, who lie third.

Table-topping AFC Wimbledon are expected to maintain their lead, but could be in for a tricky time at Weston-Super-Mare.

Chelmsford City head coach Glenn Pennyfather has revealed extra work on defensive duties was a feature of Thursday night's training session as the Clarets look to arrest an alarming run of results by returning to winning ways at home to Maidenhead United this Saturday.

With just one league clean sheet since the turn of the New Year, Pennyfather is aware of the slim margins of some of Chelmsford's recent losses and he hopes the City back line will revert back to their solid early-season form ahead of the arrival of Johnson Hippolyte's men at the weekend.

"I'm getting bored every week of saying after games that we've conceded sloppy goals as these things weren't happening in the first half of the season," he explained after what he described as a productive session on the training field. "We worked on a few defensive bits and pieces tonight and reminded everyone in the back four what their roles and responsibilities are."

Maidenhead recorded a disappointing 1-1 home draw with relegation-threatened Thurrock on Tuesday night but showed what they are capable of last Saturday as they ground-out a more pleasing goalless draw at third-placed Eastleigh.

With Bognor Regis Town and Fisher Athletic looking doomed to relegation at the moment, the scrap to avoid taking the third demotion is set to be very intense.

Thurrock are currently in 20th position, but are a mere three points behind Basingstoke Town and Havant & Waterlooville.

The Fleet have a tough away trip to Worcester City having taken six points from their last five games, with their only defeat coming at the hands of runaway leaders AFC Wimbledon, but achieved only one point from the previous six games.

Thurrock manager Hakan Ramis-Hayrettin's main hope for success will be 11-goal striker Stadhardt who has netted in the last two games. New signing midfielder Leon Lalite impressed on his debut against Maidenhead and will again be involved.

Worcester central defender Tom Kemp returns, while Dave Bampton has had an injection into his injured ankle and should feature in the squad. Craig Brown, Dan Polan and Louis Bridges did their case for a first team start no harm by all scoring in the reserves' 3-1 win against Halesowen on Monday night.

Matt Dinsmore is still a month away from returning while John Curtis has joined Conference side Wrexham. Ollie Barnes and Shabir Khan play their last game before being suspended for two games and one game respectively.

Ramis-Hayrettin will take heart from the fact that Basingstoke Town face an even tougher test as they come up against play-off hopefuls Hayes & Yeading who will be boosted by the return of Toby Little, who played 60 minutes in the reserves victory on Monday evening at St Albans.