Vanarama Make Their Team Of The Weekend Picks!

We were at a packed-out Grosvenor Vale for the late game, broadcast on DAZN, as Dean Brennan’s Bees romped home 3-0 against Wealdstone in a feisty affair.

Each week, title sponsors Vanarama provide their Team of the Week for the three divisions and use this column to justify their selections...

Vanarama National League

Forest Green Rovers might have won 2-0 at Gateshead but keeper Jed Ward was kept busy. The hosts racked up 27 shots, had 73 per cent of the ball and recorded an expected goals (xG) score of 1.45.

Is there a player in better form right now than Gus Scott-Morriss? The Southend United full-back made it eight (8) for the season in his side’s 4-2 win at Solihull Moors. He also completed 18/29 passes and 7/9 into the final third.

Lachlan Byrd helped Aldershot Town put the brakes on York City who started the day as league leaders. He was successful in 14/17 defensive actions and recorded nine interceptions – ranking fifth among all National League centre-backs on Saturday.

The bragging rights belong to Barnet after their win at Wealdstone – a game in which there’s no love lost. Adebola Oluwo hardly put a foot wrong for the visitors, completing 9/9 defensive actions successfully – all without committing a foul.

Trailing 2-0 with keeper Cam Gregory dismissed, few would have fancied Boston United to leave Altrincham with anything on Saturday. But Cameron Gregory kickstarted a fightback that saw the Pilgrims head home with a share of the spoils. No left-back attempted (7) or completed (3) more dribbles on the day.

A tireless display from Harry Phipps helped Dagenham & Redbridge eke out a third successive victory – 1-0 at Hartlepool United. He was successful in 17/19 defensive actions, ranking second among all central midfielders on Matchday 11. Nobody in his position won more defensive (9) or aerial duels (8) either.

Florent Hoti was FC Halifax Town’s matchwinner as the Shaymen won 1-0 at Maidenhead United. He completed 29/32 passes for the visitors to record an overall pass completion rate of 90.61% – ninth among all central midfielders.

Tom Tonks might only have played 17 minutes of Tamworth’s game at Braintree Town, but what a cameo it was! If you haven’t seen it already, check out the 33-year-old's match-winning strike. Audacious does not do it justice and, for that alone, he makes the cut.

It’s now seven for the season for Eastleigh talisman Paul McCallum who snatched a brace in the Spitfires’ 4-2 win over fellow high-flyers Rochdale. That’s three in his last four for last season’s Golden Boot winner whose goals have already been worth 13 points this season.

The nicest story of the weekend came at Boundary Park where Oldham Athletic’s Mike Fondop was playing in front of his father for the first time. He marked the occasion with the game’s only goal against Yeovil Town – from an xG of just 0.88 – to complete an unforgettable day.

Completing the XI is Aribim Pepple who had a hand in three of Southend United’s goals in their win at Solihull Moors. The Canadian scored twice and assisted another. No striker recorded a higher xG tally than Pepple (1.07).

Vanarama National League North

Nobody had beaten Scunthorpe United before Saturday – but that is no longer the case after Scarborough Athletic's 1-0 win.

Teenage centre-back Mackenzie Maltby helped the Seadogs secure the win, succeeding in 17/20 defensive actions, enough to rank fourth among all National League North centre-backs.

Eight proved to be the lucky number for previously winless Oxford City who cruised past Needham Market 3-0.

Zac McEachran was at his best for the Hoops, scoring one and making another. He ranked second among all attacking midfielders in the North for completed passes with 32. Only Kidderminster Harriers’ Maz Kouhyar provided more shot assists (4) than McEachran’s two.

South Shields and Chorley shared six goals in a topsy-turvy game that saw the balance swing back and forth until the fifth minute of stoppage time.

That was when Sam Hodgson scored the second of two for the Mariners and no winger had more penalty area touches than his five. His xG tally of 1.21 was a positional high in the division, too.

Vanarama National League South

Weymouth had loanee goalkeeper Will Buse to thank for a hard-earned point in a 1-1 draw against Worthing on Matchday 11.

The Yeovil Town keeper, already in his second loan stint of the season, made five stops for the Terras, impressively denying Mo Faal, Danny Cashman and Tommy Willard.

Boreham Wood are two from two since Luke Garrard returned. It was a first league win for the birthday boy who turned 39 on Sunday after watching his side demolish Welling United 6-0.

Skipper Jack Payne was one of six different scorers for the Wood, completing 44/47 passes to rank fourth among all central midfielders in National League South. Nobody completed more ball recoveries in the opposition’s half (8).

Tyler Harvey was Truro City’s match winner at Aveley on Saturday. His xG was just 0.99 but his post-shot xG, which considers on-target efforts only, was 1.72. That uptick suggests some impressive finishing from the 29-year-old.