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Monday's Blue Square Bet North preview

Hyde have a chance to extend their league lead to five points when they host Solihull Moors at Ewen fields on Monday.

Hyde's last match was a 3-1 win over Altrincham on Saturday, and Scott Spencer will be hoping to add to his two goals in that match.

Solihull, for their part, are solidly safe from the drop zone, and will look to finish the season as high on the table as possible.

Second-placed Guiseley will be aiming to shrink Hyde's lead when they tackle Altrincham at Nethermoor Park.

The Lions are trailing by two points, and should Solihull do them a favour and beat Hyde, the Tigers could find themselves leading the bunch. As it is, their play off place is all but assured, as their closest chasers are eight points back.

Altrincham are in eighth place and not really in the race for the play-offs, unless some dramatic points are dropped above them.

Third-placed Nuneaton Town will come up against Worcester City, as both sides look to secure play-off spots.

Nuneaton are fairly secure in third, coming off a 3-0 win over Bishop's Stortford and three points ahead of Gainsborough. Worcester are seventh and only two points below the dotted line.

At the bottom end of the table, Histon are looking to avoid becoming the third and final relegation certainty as they travel to Whaddon Road to face Gloucester City.

Histon are in 20th, two points behind two other sides, so a win over the 11th-placed Tigers could bump them up, provided their rivals lose. Histon also have a game in hand, so they aren't dead and buried at all.

Gloucester are coming off a 1-0 win over Corby Town, who on Monday face already-relegated Eastwood Town. Corby are only four points above the drop zone with a few teams in danger, so a win over the bottom side is vital.

Eastwood may be playing for pride at this stage, but they only lost by one goal to Worcester on Saturday and will look to finish the season on a high.

The other relegated certainty are Blyth Spartans, who come up against Harrogate Town.

The Spartans gave play-off hopefuls Gainsborough Trinity a scare on Saturday, running them close to a 3-2 scoreline. As another side playing for the love of the game, they will look to drag Harrogate down with them as Town are only four points above the dotted line.

Trinity are seemingly comfortable in fourth place, looking ahead to the play-offs after their weekend win. On Monday they must face potentially sterner competition in Droylsden, who are in the middle of the table.

Droylsden's weekend match against lowly Workington ended in a 1-1 draw, so they will have to up their game at the Northolme.

Workington for their part are in 18th place, just two points above the danger zone, and their fixture against Colwyn Bay is a must-win.

Colwyn are in 12th place after a 2-1 loss to Guiseley on Saturday, so they will be eager to capture a few seemingly easier points, but the Reds will not take a loss lying down.

Play-off chasers FC Halifax, who lost to Stalybridge Celtic on Friday, have a tricky fixture against Boston United to overcome in their quest for promotion.

The sides are three places and 11 points apart, with Halifax in sixth and only one point below the play-off places. Boston's weekend match ended in a surprising 2-0 loss to Harrogate, so they will have a point to prove against the Pilgrims.

Stalybridge are one point ahead of Halifax in fifth and will be aiming to keep hold of their play-off place when they visit Vauxhall Motors at Rivacre Park.

The Motormen are one place and two points above the drop zone, so a win is vital, but Celtic will feel confident after their victory over the Shaymen.

Hinckley United and Bishop's Stortford are close to each other in the bottom half of the table and will battle to secure points that will move them away from the drop, as they are only five and four points above the dotted line respectively.

Monday's Blue Square Bet North fixtures:

Eastwood Town v Corby

FC Halifax v Boston Utd

Gainsborough v Droylsden

Gloucester v Histon

Guiseley v Altrincham

Harrogate Town v Blyth Spartans

Hinckley Utd v Bishop's Stortford

Hyde v Solihull Moors

Nuneaton v Worcester

Vauxhall Motors v Stalybridge

Workington v Colwyn Bay