City surge into the play-off zone
Jimmy Wild’s double fired Chichester City into the Isthmian south east play-off places – and now fans are wondering whether they can stay there.
Wild scored twice and Joe Clarke was also on target in City’s 3-0 win at Merstham, a match that was hastily rearranged for Tuesday night after being rained off on Saturday.
It was Chi’s fourth win in five and made it six unbeaten, while it was an eighth away win in 15 for them this season.
The race for the final play-off place is tight – with Three Bridges and Herne Bay right behind City and level on 47 points.
But it gives Miles Rutherford’s troops plenty to play over the final nine games, a sequence that starts with Burgess Hill Town’s visit to Oaklands Park on Saturday.
Rutherford is philosophical about the run-in – saying the division remains a very unpredictable one.
"We’re just taking it game by game but are all right at the minute,” he said.
"We went through a spell where we weren’t working hard and we were losing games – now we are working hard and are getting results. That’s a big factor.
"The players are enjoying playing and we’re not conceding too many.
"But there are bound to be ups and downs between now and the end.
"There will be games we exepct to win but lose, and games we expect to lose but win, that is what hppens in this league.
"You look at our next two – Burgess Hill at home on Saturday then Horndean away the following week. We could get six points – or no points.
"If we end up in the middle and get three out of six that won’t be a bad return. But you can’t get ahead of yourselves – there are no easy points to pick up.”
The goalscoring form of recently returned Wild has been a big boost – he has scored six in a five-match run that has yielded 13 points out of 15.
And the squad have key players like Lloyd Rowlatt and Ethan Prichard returning to fitness after long lay-offs.
Rutherford said: “Jimmy wasn’y fully fit when he came back but is much sharper now and is just enjoying playing for us.”