Cloud Number Nine!

By Ian Townsend

Nine goals for Worthing, nine points clear for Dorking- and it’s eight points clear as Bowers leave it late, whilst both Hayes and Cray are held. It's our round up.

Dorking Wanderers knew that victory at Lewes could take them nine point clears at the top of the Bostik Premier Division if Haringey Borough lost- and they kept their side of the bargain in an interesting if not thrilling clash at Lewes. You can read about it (and look at some photographs) HERE, as it was our Bostik Matchday feature.

Haringey Borough were hosting Leatherhead, and the Tanners- who had won their previous three matches- were on the money once more, hammering home three goals without reply to leave Borough with only one win in five. Travis Gregory in the first half and two from Ibrahim Olutade in the second were more than enough to send Leatherhead eighth- two points off a Playoff spot- and to help Dorking to that lead.

The Dripping Pan

The Dripping Pan

Tonbridge Angels are up to third, and they did all the damage in the first half of a very one sided match at now bottom side Burgess Hill Town. Joe Turner opened the scoring in the sixth minute, new fan-funded signing Tom Derry added two more, and then Chinedu Mckenzie wrapped up the match with only thirty two minutes on the clock. There were no more goals, but Angels didn’t need any, and Hill slump to the basement.

Merstham are fourth, and got back to winning ways at home to Corinthian-Casuals. Simon Cooper on the half hour and Gus Sow just after the break gave them the advantage, and although Warren Mfula got one back six minutes from time it wasn’t enough for the away side to get anything from the game.

Bognor Regis Town are in fifth place courtesy of a nil-nil draw at Bishop’s Stortford- and then we come to Bognor’s Sussex coast rivals, Worthing. The Mackerel Men had been in inconsistent form of late, with only one win- and seven goals- in their previous five matches, but it all came right at Woodside Road yesterday. Harlow Town arrived, and the Hawks left minus their feathers after nine goals flew past Josh Bexon. Ollie Pearce got four of them, Jesse Starkey, Joe Clarke, Kwame Adubofour-Poku and Jasper Pattenden the others, whilst Harlow’s consolation- although it will be no consolation whatsoever- was a first half equaliser from Reece Price-Placid. Our headline image shows Pearce getting goal number three, and comes from the always excellent lens of Marcus Hoare.

Next, we have a question for you. Can you recall one of those matches that have nil-nil written all over them, and then have four goals in added time? No, we can’t either- but that’s what Folkestone Invicta and Wingate & Finchley managed yesterday, so heaven help you if you were at that match and left before the last minute! Invicta had won their last eight home league matches, and that sequence looked likely to continue when Ahmet Rifat was dismissed for the visitors with eighteen minutes remaining. In added time Invicta had surely cemented three points when Ian Draycott put them ahead from the spot- and then in the sixth added minute Ade Yusuff made it two. Yet it wasn’t over! Anthony Mendy got one back almost immediately, and there was still time for Alieu Njie to grab an unlikely point for the ten-man visitors. Invicta are seventh, Wingate & Finchley third from bottom, but this point means they could leap out of the relegation zone if they win their match in hand.

Enfield Town have slipped to ninth place, yesterday falling to a deserved 2-0 defeat at AFC Hornchurch. It wasn’t a good return to Bridge Avenue for Town defender Jay Porter, who was an Urchin until earlier this week, as his former team mates heaped misery on his new side- Ronnie Winn and Charlie Stimson with the goals. The Urchins are eighteenth, six points clear of the drop zone.

Margate are seventeenth, and yesterday they gave new manager Jay Saunders his first victory- and their first victory since December. A Ben Swift goal in the first half was enough to defeat Brightlingsea Regent at Hartsdown Park.

Finally, there was only one goal at the Enclosed Ground, and it came rather late, but it will be extremely welcome to Whitehawk. Lucas Rodrigues got it in the 83rd minute, and it not only defeated Potters Bar Town but lifted the Hawks above Burgess Hill Town into twenty-first place.

North Division

We had a clash of the titans as Maldon and Tiptree hosted leaders Bowers and Pitsea, and it was Rob Small’s side who- as usual- left with the points, recording their sixth successive victory and making it nine wins from their last ten matches. But they had it far from easy, and indeed looked as if they’d take only one point until the very last kick of the game. David Knight had given Bowers the lead in the first half, only for Laste Dombaxe to equalise after the break- and then a Max Cornhill header- so the last actual kick came from Brad Warner (!)- sealed three points and left the Jammers thinking of what might have been.

Aveley are second, eight points behind Bowers, after a nil-nil draw at Basildon United, whilst Heybridge Swifts sit between the Millers and the Jammers after a 3-1 win at Brentwood Town. Matt Price gave Swifts the lead only for Ryan Mallet to equalise before the break, and Swifts left it late to seal victory, scoring twice in the last seven minutes through Kreshnic Krasniqi and Harrison Chatting. Coggeshall Town, in fifth, put six points between them and the chasing pack with two goals from Nnamdi Nwachuku earning them victory at Canvey Island.

Bury Town lead that chasing pack, but got only a point in a nil-nil draw at Mildenhall, and seventh place Tilbury were similarly short on points, getting only one in a one-all draw at Felixstowe and Walton United. Lewis Smith gave the Dockers the lead, only for Miles Powell to equalise for the Seasiders.

Eighth place AFC Sudbury took a first half lead at Barking through Paul Hayes, only to concede a penalty- and an equaliser- two minutes from time, Ross Elsom with it. But it got worse for the Yellows, as Elsom got a second penalty in added time to keep the points at Mayesbrook Park.

Grays Athletic are ninth, and they demolished Soham Town Rangers at Parkside. Two goals in each half from, first, Adalberto Pinto and Correy Davidson, and next, Dennis Oli and Mitchel Hahn made the victory comfortable.

Witham Town got back to winning ways with a 2-1 victory over Great Wakering Rovers, all the goals coming in the second half. Kevin Coyle and Johnny Ashman made it 2-0 to the home side, and whilst Matthew Rush made them sweat with a goal six minutes from time for Rovers, Town managed to hold on and claim three points.

Finally, Dereham Town continued their winning form at Romford, but they were made to sweat a little. David Hinton and an own goal put them two up only for Malaki Toussaint to pull one back, but surely made it safe when Joe Gatting got a double. But in the last five minutes Chris Taylor and Reece Hewitt made it interesting, pulling the score back to 3-4. Dereham are now seventeenth, a whole ten points clear of bottom side Romford.

South Central

The idea that Hayes & Yeading United, the form side in English football, were likely to slip up against an Egham Town side who had managed only nine points all season must have seemed far-fetched; but slip up they did, picking up only one point- and it could have been none! Joseph Adoo-Peters gave the Runnymede side the lead in the first half, and although United managed to level through Rylan Myers that was all they managed. Mind you, Hayes are still fourteen points clear at the top, and the Sarnies eleven points behind third bottom South Park, so whether this result will impact on the final outcome of the season must be debatable.

Bracknell Town are second, and they walloped Molesey by four goals to nil- Adam Cornell with two, Joseph Grant and James Cowan the others. Marlow slip to third, held to a 1-1 draw by Tooting and Mitcham United. The Terrors took the lead through Isaiah Jones, only for Jordon Edwards to equalise before the break, but that was that. The Terrors are seventh, four points of a playoff place.

Fourth place Westfield were held to a draw at sixth place Ware. Brandon Adams gave the Wodson Park side the lead from the spot with sixteen minutes remaining, only for Matt Steer to equalise in similar fashion five minutes from time. Cheshunt are fifth, a Mark Hughes double- one from the spot- enough to defeat rivals Waltham Abbey, who had equalised through Ellis Brown.

Ashford Town are ninth, after a nil-nil draw with Chipstead, whilst Northwood are tenth, scoring another four goals- this time against FC Romania. Tremayne Charles, Leigh Stevens, Carl Pearce and Alex Witham got them, and they were more than enough for three points despite a consolation from Dumitru Gritcan.

Bedfont Sports, in thirteenth, saw a Charlie Postance hat trick put them three goals up at home to Hanwell Town- so must be scratching their heads about how they went home with only a point. Jeremiah Maja got one back before the break, but with nine minutes to go it was still advantage Sports; however Maja once more and then Gareth Chendlik saw Town draw level.

Chalfont St Peter saw Michael Kalu get a late, late equaliser at home to Hertford Town, for whom Wilson Chingoka had opened the scoring- and finally, Uxbridge saw Mitchell Wiseman give them the lead in the fifth minute against South Park, and no more goals in the next eighty-five as the home side claimed victory.

South East

Cray Wanderers in “we didn’t manage to win” shocker! That said, they didn’t lose either, and remain fifteen points clear at the top, but all credit to Ramsgate, who twice responded to falling behind by coming back to equalise. Joseph Taylor and Junior Dadson scored for Wands, Tom Chapman and Gil Carvahlo got the Rams level.

Second place Ashford United fell to defeat, so their second place spot was regained by Hastings United, who defeated Faversham Town 2-1 at Pilot Field. Sam Adams and Daniel Ajakaiye did the damage, despite an equaliser from Liam King. The Nuts and Bolts were falling to defeat at Herne Bay. You never know quite what you’re going to get from Bay, it must be rather like playing against a team of Doctor Jekyll’s as there’s always a chance that Mr Hyde will turn up- and once more they turned the form book on its head, Bradley Schafer and Ronald Sobowale giving them a two goal cushion which was only slightly dented by Jay May’s late consolation.

Horsham, in fourth, are now level on points with Ashford after a comfortable 2-0 victory over Three Bridges, Kieran Lavery and Jack Brivio with the goals- whilst another Sussex side, Haywards Heath Town, are a further three points behind in fifth. Heath now have a four point cushion between themselves and Whyteleafe, and part of the reason for that was that they won 4-2 at Phoenix Sports yesterday. Three players managed two goals each- Melford Simpson and Callum Saunders for Heath, the ubiquitous Jeff Duah-Kessie for Sports.

The other reason for that gap was that Leafe fell to a 4-1 thumping at home to VCD Athletic. They weren’t helped by playing most of the match with ten men, and indeed almost immediately was Ricardo Thompson sent off then Vickers took the lead through Charlie MacDonald. MacDonald had another in the second half, whilst Alastair Gordon and Usman Adeniji scored too- with Lauris Chin getting the solitary goal for Leafe.

Hythe Town sit between these two in seventh place, but they fell to defeat at Greenwich Borough, Luke Leppard and Kayne Roberts scoring the only goals of the game for the home side, whilst in our other match Sittingbourne defeated East Grinstead Town, coming from behind to win 2-1 at Woodstock Park. Jerson Dos Santos gave the Wasps the lead, but the Brickies bounced back, with two goals in the last twenty minutes through Billy Lewins and Izzy Adebayo sealing victory.

Guernsey host Sevenoaks Town today.

Where next?

Bostik to Bostik transfers week ending 16 Feb 2019 Our weekly list of internal transfers
Bostik Matchday: The Rooks progress The Rooks are making great strides off the field- but could they do the same on it? Dorking Wanderers were the visitors.

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