Bridges climb off the bottom

Joel O’Hara put Bridges ahead late in the first half but the visitors, desperate for points to stay in the play-off race, replied on the hour through Jamie Cade. Marcus Elliott restored the lead in the 71st minute and Lee Carney made sure four minutes later.

The new bottom club are Walton Casuals, though only on goal difference after Mu Maan’s last-minute penalty salvaged a 2-2 draw in their derby at home to Walton & Hersham.

They could be crucial dropped points for the Swans, who are only two points above the bottom duo. John Clark and Tony Reid gave them a 2-0 interval lead, with Mario Quiassaca replying for Casuals soon after the restart.

Horsham are also two points off the bottom after their 0-0 home draw with Worthing, for whom it was the second such result of the weekend.

And Chipstead find themselves in the thick of the battle as well, just one point further ahead after their 2-1 deeat at second-placed Dulwich.

Chips actually led at half-time through Joe Nwoko but Kevin James hit back with goals in the 51st and 63rd minutes. Peter Adeniyi missed a Dulwich penalty in between the goals.

The shock of the day came at Leatherhead, where Jamie Byatt’s tenth-minute goal earned Corinthian-Casuals a 1-0 win over the play-off contenders and gave them a four-point lead over the bottom pair. Unusually for this division, it was the day’s only away success.

Maidstone clung on to the leadership by the skin of their teeth. Alex Flsiher gave them a 65th-minute lead at home to Ramsgate but Steve Watt’s second own goal in less than a month, with seven minutes left, threatened to cost them two precious points.

Then Stuart King netted his 24th goal of the season in added time for a 2-1 victory which kept Stones at the top on goal difference. Unlucky Ramsgate keeper Daren Hawkes suffered a suspected broken jaw in his effort to deny King.

Sittingbourne came down to earth after Saturday’s win over the leaders as they crashed 3-0 at third-placed Faversham. Luke Harvey opened the scoring late in the first half and notched another midway through the second, with Dave Botterill adding the third.

It was a good day for Faversham, for none of the eight teams behind them took maximum points. Hythe stayed in fourth place with a 1-1 draw at Folkestone, Jake Hobbs equalising 12 minutes from time after Dane Luchford had given the hosts a 36th-minute lead.

Ramsgate held on to fifth place despite their narrow defeat and Folkestone moved above Leatherhead into sixth spot.

Like Worthing, Burgess Hill suffered their second scoreless outing of the weekend. Visitors Eastbourne had Aaron Hopkinson sent off late, the game’s only notable event.

Whitstable took a tenth-minute lead through Buster Smissen at Herne Bay but were denied a six-point weekend when Billy Bennett made it 1-1 with 20 minutes to go. (Pictured by Les Biggs: all eyes on the ball as Bennett scores.)

Merstham did have a maximum Easter, with Lee Newman nabbing the winner inside the last three minutes of both games. This time he scored from the spot to clinch a 2-1 home victory over Tooting, who had taken the lead through Sol Pinnock six minutes before the interval. Adrian Stone squared it two minutes into the second half.