Derby day looms as Flackwell Heath climb and Marlow's slide continues

Jack Shakespeare

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Marlow and Flackwell Heath had contrasting results at the weekend ahead of their derby clash at Oak Tree Road tomorrow evening (Tuesday).

The two sides have both had underwhelming seasons so far, but there’s a sense of optimism at Wilks Park after Flackwell secured their second straight league win.

Their 4-2 victory away to Stotfold moves the team up to 13th in the table, now four points above the Blues in 17th after Mark Bartley’s side were beaten 2-0 away by high-flying Hitchin Town.

Flackwell had to come from behind to take all three points at The JSJ Stadium after Daniel Kemp fired the home side in front after only nine minutes.

Having not played competitively for 21 days, the visitors might have felt a little rusty in the early stages, but they levelled matters in the 27th minute when Jack Shakespeare picked out Ryan Avery who squeezed the ball home from a very tight angle. They took the lead a couple of minutes later when Juwon Akintunde battled his way through the hosts’ backline and steered a shot beyond Liam Gooch to make it 2-1.

Shakespeare swept home a third goal from the penalty spot just minutes after the restart to assert Flackwell’s control, but the two-goal buffer was wiped out within minutes when Harry Snee made it 3-2.

48’ GOAL - Shakespeare from the spot. 1-3#Heathens pic.twitter.com/xStzmCmTK6

— Flackwell Heath FC (@FHFC1907) January 17, 2026

But Chris Ayres’ side wrapped up an encouraging away win through Bruce Ovbiye Nsang’s fine strike with five minutes to play.

Marlow were victims as Hitchin Town moved top of the league on goal difference from Leighton Town with Saturday’s 2-0 win.

The game tilted Hitchin’s way either side of half-time, with Lewis Franklin (33') firing the hosts in front before Taylor Rhiney (50’) gave them breathing space and a lead they were never likely to relinquish.

This result wasn’t so surprising, given the respect form and league position of the two teams, but Marlow’s form since mid-December has fallen away once again. This was their fourth straight loss in the Southern League Central Division, and they’ve now lost seven of their last 10 games since November 22.

It seems they’ll have to reassess their goals this season, having hoped to be challenging for promotion when the campaign kicked off back in August.

Marlow now have two home games to try and turn around their form. Weather permitting, Flackwell visit Oak Tree Road tomorrow evening (Tuesday) before they Northwood come to Marlow on Saturday (January 24). The Blues are now just 10 points above the drop zone and have played two more games than Leverstock Green who currently occupy the last of the relegation places in 19th.