Premier Preview: Top 4 separated by 4 points

South Shields currently maintain their position at the top of the table, but hit a stumbling block in their hopes of claiming the title as a midweek clash against Ashton United saw the Mariners fall victim to a late 1-0 defeat.

Kevin Phillips, South Shields’ head coach, said that his side looked tired against Ashton United and that the playing conditions hampered his player’s performance.

"We knew it was going to be a tough match, on a cold Tuesday night, the pitch was terrible but we knew that so there was no excuse.

"I think we looked tired... the performances that we have had lately, we have had to dig really deep, especially at the weekend.”

The Mariners make the long journey down to the West Midlands as they do battle against Stafford Rangers.

Stafford are unbeaten in 10 consecutive league games, winning four of these fixtures, which has moved them into ninth place, seven points behind a play-off position.

On the other hand, Ashton United, will host Stalybridge Celtic in the Tameside derby. If being separated by a short distance geographically was not enough, the Robins leapfrogged over Stalybridge with the win over South Shields into 13th place, just one point ahead of the Celts on 39 points.

Second place Buxton are also on the road as they face off against Bamber Bridge this weekend.

The Bucks are currently unbeaten in six games, but their four game winning streak was halted by Atherton Collieries last weekend. Sitting three points behind South Shields, Buxton forward Jamie Jones Ward will be hoping to push his team on by adding to his impressive 17 goal tally this season.

Matlock on the other hand have been struggling to pick up three points from their fixtures. The Gladiators’ last win came on the 22nd January against Bamber Bridge and since then have only picked up three points from their last five encounters.

Conversely, Atherton Collieries welcome Hyde United to the Skuna Stadium this weekend. A must win fixture for Hyde, who sit precariously close to the relegation zone, just three points in front of Witton Albion, who themselves have three games in hand over the Tigers.

Elsewhere, Gainsborough will host third placed Matlock Town in their bid to push further up in the table. Despite being 17th in the league, Gainsborough have only lost one of their last five games, picking up 8 points out of a possible 15.

Nantwich Town have picked up their form as of late, claiming two wins from their last three fixtures in their bid to avoid a relegation battle. They face a tough test as they host Whitby Town, who sit in sixth place, just three points behind Warrington Town who occupy the last remaining play-off spot.

Bottom of the table Grantham Town will be hoping to recover from their ‘6-point’ defeat to Witton Albion last weekend as they face a home encounter against Morpeth Town who sit in 10th place.

Finally, Basford United will travel to Bury as they face off against Radcliffe. The Boro have only claimed three points in their last five outings which has seen them lose ground in the league table.