Such is the competitive nature of this season's Blue Square Premier, after the fixtures of this midweek only two sides remain unbeaten at home from seven games, while not a single team is yet to taste defeat on their travels.
Ebbsfleet United are the latest team to have lost their home record, after referee John Hopkins starred in their 1-0 defeat to Histon on Monday night. Seven Fleet players were booked, two to Darius Charles, along with three Stutes players as Damien Reeves struck the decisive goal just before half time.
Crawley Town still sit at the top of the division despite throwing away a two goal lead at home to Forest Green Rovers. In front of a pathetic crowd of 876, the leaders succumbed to Kaid Mohamad's long range effort two minutes from time to earn a point for Rovers. It also ended hopes of The Red Devils' sixth straight home win.
Kettering Town's 2-1 win at Eastbourne Borough lifts Mark Cooper's side to within a point of the top after Chris Beardsley and Craig Westcarr both scored for the second consecutive game. The win lifts them above Burton Albion, who could only draw 0-0 at Barrow.
Jon Challinor's first goal for the club ensured Cambridge United climbed back into the top five and ended Lewes' run of three without a defeat. The U's climb above Kidderminster Harriers after Ryan Brown earned Northwich Victoria a 1-1 draw in the last ten minutes.
The side with the best form over the last five matches comes in the unlikely form of Altrincham, whose thirteen points lifts them to the heights of fifteenth place. They inflicted Salisbury City's fourth straight loss with a 3-1 success at The Raymond McEnhill Stadium.
The Robins were aided somewhat by the fact they were playing against ten men for seventy-seven minutes, and nine men for half an hour, but it required a late flurry of goals to secure the points after it remained 1-0 inside the final five minutes.
Stevenage Borough also scored three times, for the fifth time in seven outings, as they inflicted more away woe on Mansfield Town. Steve Morison reached nine goals for the season by opening the scoring from the spot in a match that continued to swing as Mansfield then took a 2-1 lead, only for Borough to secure a 3-2 win.
Maxine Chanot's dismissal six minutes from time merely turned Mansfield's week from bad to worse, following their opening home defeat of the season and then the deduction of four points on Monday due to fielding an ineligible player for the opening two games of the season. The Stags now sit tenth, four points outside the playoffs.
One side enjoying a more successful week is Wrexham, who saw off York City 3-1 on Tuesday. Dean Saunders has secured maximum points from his first two games as manager, which is the first time in eighteen months that The Dragons have won consecutive games.
The weekend does not present itself as an opportunity to extend that run, as their home fixture with Histon has been called off due to five international call-ups, an unprecedented event in non-league football.
The final game of Tuesday saw Rushden and Diamonds see off Grays Athletic by a single goal. Rushden sit seventh, yet Grays and now four points from safety after losing away from home for a seventh game out of seven.
Thursday evening's game saw Torquay United extend their unbeaten run to seven fixtures, but they were denied a win by Phil Trainer's goal a minute from time, Oxford earning their first away point in three.
With eight Blue Square Premier fixtures taking place on Saturday and a further three on Sunday and one on Monday, sides will be desperate to keep up the pressure to climb the table. Any one of five sides could sit top of the league come the end of the weekend, any of the current top eight could be in the playoffs, while any of the bottom eight could end up in the relegation places.
Matt Ramsay
