Vanarama Make Their Team Of The Weekend Picks!

The Sussex side thrashed former leaders Hemel Hempstead Town 5-2 at Vauxhall Road. In the North, there was another big clash at the summit as Chorley overcame King’s Lynn Town to go joint top with Scunthorpe United.

And who could forget the FA Cup heroics of our National League representatives, with Tamworth, Dagenham & Redbridge, Oldham Athletic and Wealdstone all beating EFL sides to reach round two.

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 North & South

It was a frustrating afternoon for Scunthorpe United who were held to a goalless draw with Radcliffe in the North. Goalkeeper Ross Fitzsimons helped preserve a point with the Iron facing chances worth 1.75 expected goals (xG).

On the other side, Radcliffe centre-back Rick Smith was imperious as the Boro picked up an invaluable point. He completed 16/17 defensive actions successfully and won seven defensive duels – ranking third among all centre-backs in the division.

In National League South, Dorking Wanderers edged a seven-goal thriller against Farnborough 4-3. Brennan Camp bagged two from three attempts for Marc White’s side. No centre-back had more shots on the day. His xG of 1.29 was behind only Slough Town’s Lexus Beeden (1.58) among centre-halves.

Dillon Morse was on target as South Shields won 3-0 at Warrington Town – their first away win since August. Morse was successful in 7/8 defensive actions, winning 100% of his aerial duels.

In midfield, nobody won more defensive duels on Saturday than Truro City’s Dan Rooney. He was successful in 7/9 while contesting more loose ball duels (9) than anyone else in his position.

Dubem Eze was on target as Chorley beat King’s Lynn Town 2-1 in the battle at the top of the North. No attacking midfielder in the division attempted more shots (4), completed more dribbles (3) or recorded more progressive runs (4).

Ali Al-Shabeeb scored as Darlington ended a four-game winless streak with a 2-0 win over Farsley Celtic. No winger could match the industrious Al-Shabeeb for successful defensive actions (9), interceptions (5) or aerial duels won (2).

Chippenham Town enjoyed their trip to Welling United, winning 4-0. No one more than Tom Owen-Evans who had a hand in three of the goals, scoring twice and assisting another. An xG of 1.08 was the highest recorded by any wide midfielder in the South.

Callum Stewart has handled the step up to the North with Leamington impressively and added two more to his tally in Saturday’s 2-1 win over Peterborough Sports, reaching 11 for the season. He was also successful with 13/17 defensive actions – ranking first among all wide midfielders in the North.

There was a brace too for Chester’s Charlie Caton in the Seals’ 3-0 win over Hereford. No winger tried more shots (4), but he only took four penalty area touches. An xG of 1.15 was No.1 for players in his position.

Eastbourne Borough put on a five-star showing at Hemel Hempstead Town, beating the former leaders 5-2 to go top of the pile themselves. George Alexander stole the show with a hat-trick from just three shots. His seven penalty area touches ranked first among all strikers in the South, as did his xG of 2.16.