Hamlet go five clear...Casuals record win number eight...and Brentwood give Mildenhall the blues

On a night when title favourites Billericay Town were preoccupied, winning the Essex Senior Cup against Chelmsford City, Dulwich Hamlet took full advantage to go five points clear at the top of the Premier Division.

Hamlet travelled to another club in crisis, Lowestoft Town, and off the pitch both sets of supporters showed enormous bonhomie, those from South London putting their money in collection buckets raising cash for the financially stricken Trawlerboys whilst the home fans presented the travelling hordes with vouchers entitling them to a free hot drink. On the pitch, however, Hamlet showed no mercy, roaring into a three-nil half time lead with goals from Nathan Ferguson and Nyren Clunis added to by an own goal. Town did pull a goal back, Travis Cole finding the net, but that happened in the very last minute of the match giving no time for an unlikely comeback.

At Wheatsheaf Park sixth played fifth, and by full time those positions were reversed as Staines Town recorded a comprehensive 4-0 victory over Hendon. Elliot Buchanan and Tyrell Miller-Rodney put the Swans two up within fifteen minutes, and a fifteen minute spell midway through the second half saw Max Worsfold and Wadah Ahmidi add two more. Leiston continued their charge towards the playoffs by recording their fifth win in six (the other was a draw) as they recorded a two-nil victory over Tonbridge Angels which finds them in seventh place, only a point from the promised land. They left it late, but a Byron Lawrence goal eighteen minutes from time, followed by a Dominic Docherty second eleven minutes later, made sure of the points.

At the bottom, Burgess Hill Town last won a match on 27th January, and last night lost the eighth of their last nine- and their sixth in a row- as they fell 3-1 to Dorking Wanderers at the Green Elephants Stadium. After a goalless first half Luke Moore gave the away side the lead in the 66th minute, before Aaron Smith-Joseph put the home side on level terms. Lewis Taylor and Dan Walker then restored Wanderers lead and took the points, which sees Wanderers up to fourteenth whilst Hill languish six points behind Tooting & Mitcham United at the bottom- albeit with three matches in hand.

In the North Division, Brentwood Town fans would undoubtedly tell you that they haven’t picked up the points that their performances have deserved this season. Well they picked up three last night, and scored seven goals to do it, defeating Mildenhall Town 7-1 at the Arena. Luke Foster scored the first three in the first half an hour, and Alfie Hilton made it four before Jake Chambers-Shaw got one back for Hall- however it was 5-1 by half time, Harry Gibbs with that. The second half was rather less exciting, but Harry Cuthbert found the net before an own goal brought up number seven- a result which takes Brentwood to twentieth position, eight points behind their sixteenth-place visitors.

At the other end of the table Potters Bar Town moved to within three points of Bowers & Pitsea- and the second promotion spot- with a 4-2 win at Maldon & Tiptree- the Jammers falling to their third straight defeat. A Michael Murray brace put the away side ahead before Olu Akinsaya got one back, and indeed Akinsaya was to get another late on- but by that point the Scholars had three, James Budden the scorer, and Murray was able to get his hat trick with ten minutes to go to seal the victory. Bowers lost two-nil at a recently inconsistent Barking, for whom Albert Levett and Billy Jones got the second half goals, whilst just down the road from the Jammers local rivals Heybridge Swifts were making light of their fixture congestion to record another victory, this time over Waltham Abbey; three points that lift them into eighth place, only three points off the playoffs with three matches still in hand. Swifts took until the second half to make the breakthrough, but a Harrison Chatting double and a goal from Kreshnic Krasniqi made the points safe.

In the other matches, Witham Town delighted superfan James Beardwell with an eighty-ninth minute goal to take victory over Norwich United- Tyler Corlett with it- whilst Ware and Haringey Borough played out a goalless draw.

Corinthian-Casuals moved to within two points of leaders Lewes in the South Division, after recording their eighth successive league victory at Oakwood, home of VCD Athletic. They were made to work for the points by a spirited VCD side, but a solitary first half goal from Gabriel Odunaike gave them all three. Hythe Town sit four points off the playoff places after a 2-1 victory at Molesey, a first half double from Zak Ansah being halved right at the end by Tayo Oyebola, whilst the side below the Moles at the bottom of the table, Shoreham, crashed 3-0 at home to Thamesmead Town- although two of those goals, through Laurent Mendy and Danny Parish, came right at the death. Paul Vines scored the other.

Elsewhere Phoenix Sports won a five goal thriller at High Road against Chipstead, going three-nil up before being dragged back to 3-2. Kelvin Ogboe gave the away side a first minute lead before Jeff Duah-Kessie made it two only six minutes later- and when Ogboe got his second just after the half hour it looked to have the makings of a long night for Chipstead. Within five minutes of the restart the home side had two back, however, Sam Page and an own goal closing the gap- but Sports were able to hold on for victory. There was another close match at College Lane, where Curtis Gaylor put Horsham ahead against East Grinstead just after the break. Alex Gaggin equalised for the home side, Joe Shelley put Horsham ahead once more with nine minutes remaining, but Charlie Postance was able to fashion another equaliser and ensure a share of the points.

Tonight sees Leatherhead entertain Needham Market in the Premier Division, whilst there is a massive game in the South Division as first place Lewes host third place Carshalton Athletic.

Image: Casuals manager James Bracken, courtesy of Stuart Tree