Two From Five To Follow Grays Through The Blue Square Trap Door.

17		Barrow	40	11	12	17	42	62	-20	45
18		Histon	42	11	12	19	42	63	-21	45
19		Eastbourne Borough	42	10	13	19	41	68	-27	43
20		Gateshead *	41	12	7	22	45	66	-21	42
21		Forest Green Rovers	42	11	9	22	47	74	-27	42
22		Ebbsfleet United	42	10	8	24	44	79	-35	38
23		Grays Ath *	42	4	12	26	32	89	-57	22

Have the goals of Moses Ashikodi come too late to save Ebbsfleet?

Below them only one point separates the next three clubs. An inferior goal difference is all that is keeping Forest Green in the drop zone after a late winner from Conal Platt gave them a vital three points against Crawley Town on Tuesday night and they do appear to have, on paper at least, the easiest run in of all the teams around them. With another home match to come against crisis club Histon this weekend before a last day trip to doomed Grays, manager Dave Hockaday is confident his team can pick up the minimum of four points they need if they are to have any hope of surviving.

Forest Green Rovers manager Dave Hockaday is hoping to mastermind a great escape for his troops.

Gateshead, under the leadership of former Newcastle United player Ian Bogie, appear to have the toughest run in of all as after the six-pointer against Ebbsfleet they face home matches against Champions-elect Stevenage Borough and then AFC Wimbledon. Depending on the result on Saturday they may well have to win at least one of those games to avoid an immediate return to the Blue Square North, a tall order even if The Dons have nothing but pride to play for now having seen their play off dreams disappear in recent weeks.

Gateshead manager Ian Bogie looks confident his team will survive.

Eastbourne looked in serious trouble until a shock 3-1 win over promotion chasing York City at Priory Lane last weekend moved them out of the bottom three but they only have two matches left; Kettering Town away on Saturday before a last day meeting with another of the teams hoping for promotion, long time leaders Oxford United. However one more win would probably be enough to see them safe and with The U’s preparing for the play offs you would not bet against them getting it there.

Has Eastbourne manager Garry Wilson done enough to keep his side up?

Elsewhere out-of-form Histon need three more points from their last two matches to make their survival mathematically certain but a terrible run of only one win in twelve matches has dragged them right down into the dogfight.  Manager Alan Lewer, who only took over in January, faces a tough run in as they travel to fellow strugglers Forest Green on Saturday before a last day meeting with a Barrow side who also need one more win to guarantee their safety. With problems behind the scenes at the club following the recent resignation of members of the board you would not bet against them losing both matches and slipping into the bottom three.

Histon manager Alan Lewer appears happy enough here but he has a tough job on his hands to keep his side up.

So it is any two from five to join Grays through the relegation trap door. Ebbsfleeet look doomed and Forest Green appear favourites to join them, but as we have seen many times before strange things can happen at this time of the season so I would not write off either of them just yet. I guess the results this weekend will tell us much more…