NPL Preview: Plumtree and Kimberley battling it out at the top

After dropping points last time out the Plums will be keen to get back to winning ways, whilst Ordsall will want to halt their losing streak, a run that has now reached five matches and left them 24 points from safety.

Kimberley Institute have been the form team of the second half of the season so far and it’s now weeks since they tasted defeat. It’s a sequence that has seen them rise into second place after taking advantage of slip ups by three of the top four last week. They host Attenborough this weekend, who have lost four of their last five games, dropping into the relegation places in the process.

Whilst the two teams going head to head at Caythorpe may be tied for third, they appear to be heading in opposite directions of late. Visitors West Indian Cavaliers will be looking to start another winning streak after they fell to Clifton Village, a first defeat in five. Caythorpe have been underperformed by only the bottom two sides since the half way point of the season.

Having won their last two outings, Cuckney are back into fifth and in position to take advantage of the result above them to move up further.

They host Radcliffe-on-Trent, who have given themselves breathing space over the bottom three with a run of three straight home wins. The bad news is, they haven’t won an away game all season, and have lost the last three.

Sixth and seventh go head to head at the Notts Sports Club as Nottinghamshire Academy host Welbeck.

The pair are separated by one point, but will be in contrasting moods. Academy had a comfortable win last week, while Welbeck were thumped.

The final game of the day takes place at Clifton, where Clifton Village welcome Farnsfield.

Both sides have had something of a renaissance since the turn of the season, each winning three of five. Clifton now hover in eighth, as far ahead of ninth as they are behind seventh. Farnsfield have lifted themselves out of the bottom two, albeit by just a point, but it is the first time all season they have been in such a position.