The Isthmian Premier Division top two go head-to-head on Saturday as Jay Saunders’ league leaders welcome second-place Brentwood Town to the Alcaline Stadium.

After Aveley, Cheshunt, Burgess Hill Town and Dulwich Hamlet had all taken top spot in the opening few weeks of the season, our visitors went top of the Isthmian Premier Division over the August Bank Holiday weekend and remained there until last month when Invicta took top spot following our 3-0 win at Potters Bar Town.

The sides are the Premier Division’s two highest scorers, with Invicta (53) and Brentwood (46) some way clear of Dartford’s 38 goals. Invicta also boast the best defensive record in the division, having conceded just 17 goals in 18 games.

Follow Online

Can’t join us on matchday? You can keep up with the action online.

• Matchday updates will be available via our X account @fifc.
• Follow either our Instagram or Facebook accounts for updates from our stories.
• Live score updates will also be available on Football Web Pages.
• Highlights will be available after the match on Invicta TV.  Click here to subscribe so you never miss and of the action.

From The Manager

Jay Saunders spoke ahead of Saturday’s match: “November was a fantastic month for us. We set a target for the boys of maximum points for the month and they maybe looked at us a bit funny but we felt that we could do that and credit to the players, everyone has worked their socks off to make that happen. But as we said to the players after the Chichester game last week, we’ve achieved nothing yet, we have to keep going and take each game as it comes.

“We’ve had a good week’s training, prepared the lads for what is obviously a big game. It’s going to be a real tough test – they’re a very good side, they score a lot of goals and they are where they are for a reason. We hope the fans will be out in numbers, they’ve been superb all season and we’ll need their backing again on Saturday and we’ll go out there looking to repay that support.”

The Opposition

Brentwood Town were promoted to the Isthmian Premier Division as 2024/25 North Division Champions and have taken to step three like a duck to water. The Essex side were unbeaten until mid-October and were leading the way until Invicta took top spot last month. A run of three consecutive defeats in early November knocked The Blues off the summit, but with seven points from the last three games Brentwood head into Saturday back in form.

Recent Form

11/11 – St Albans City (A) – Won 3-2
15/11 – Hornchurch (H) – Drew 0-0 (lost 4-2 on penalties) (FA Trophy)
18/11 – Maldon & Tiptree (H) – Lost 3-0
22/11 – Chichester City (A) – Won 5-2
25/11 – Newmarket Town (A) – Lost 3-1 (Velocity Cup)
28/11 – Aveley (H) – Drew 3-3

The Manager

A former Northern Ireland international with 19 caps, Keith Rowland appeared for AFC Bournemouth, West Ham United and Queens Park Rangers during his playing career. After working as a coach and then assistant manager at Braintree Town, Rowland moved into management with Wingate & Finchley in 2016 and has since led Aveley and Tilbury before taking charge at Brentwood in 2023. Rowland took Brentwood to the Isthmian North play-off final in his first season, losing on penalties to Bowers & Pitsea before going one better last season by winning the division.

One To Watch

Daniel Ogunleye is the current Isthmian Premier Division top scorer with 13 goals in 19 appearances so far. A former youth player at Forest Green Rovers, Ogunleye is currently in his third spell at Brentwood, having also appeared for Coggeshall Town and Herne Bay. The 23-year-old forward fired 43 goals last season to lead The Blues to the Isthmian North Division title and the step up to the Premier Division hasn’t put a stop to his goal-scoring exploits.

Familiar Faces

Midfielder Ade Cole made 34 appearances for Invicta during the 2023/24 season before departing in February 2024. Ade joined Brentwood at the start of the year and made 20 appearances as they won the Isthmian North Division, also winning promotion with SCEFL Division One play-offs with Soul Tower Hamlets.

Recent Meetings

Saturday will be the first ever meeting between the two sides, with Invicta set to visit The Brentwood Centre Arena for the first time in March.