Hobbs' Hythe heroics in vain

Shaun Welford achieved a rare feat by scoring for Stones in the first minute of each half, ironically against a side who were already trying to sign him.

His opener was followed by a 17th-minute goal from Warren Whitely as Stones appeared to take command, but Hobbs (pictured) hit back in the 35th minute and equalised moments before half-time.

Welford did it again at the start of the second half, scoring within 30 seconds, and Michael Phillips made it 4-2 before Hobbs fired his third from 25 yards with 14 minutes left. Stones held out to strengthen their grip on second place while Hythe slipped back to fifth.

Dulwich maintained their two-point lead with a 3-0 home win over Corinthian-Casuals, though for a long time it seemed that Erhun Oztumer’s 16th-minute penalty miss would cost them dearly. It was the 73rd minute before Nyren Clunis broke the deadlock and Oztumer made it 2-0 in the 87th minute. Clunis struck again in the fifth minute of added time.

Leatherhead moved up to third with perhaps the most predictable win over the day. Their 3-1 victory at Worthing was their ninth on their travels and Worthing’s ninth home defeat. Tom Bradbrook gave Tanners a 16th-minute lead and Tommy Hutchings doubled it with a penalty five minutes before half-time.

Chris O’Flaherty pulled one back before the break but Hutchings netted again in the 49th minute to make it another unhappy day for the home fans at Woodside Road.

Crawley Down are back in fourth place after their 4-0 home win over Walton & Hersham. It was perhaps not as convincing as it sounds. Jamie Cade’s early strike was all the Anvils had to show for their efforts until the last eight minutes, when Gabriel Odunaike, Fraser Logan and Cade made it a convincing scoreline.

Faversham slipped out of the top five after going down 1-0 at home to Folkestone. Darren Smith scored after 13 minutes and the hosts rarely looked likely to hit back.

Burgess Hill could have moved back into the play-off spots but had to settle for a 1-1 draw at Merstham after taking a third-minute lead with Pat Harding’s 16th league goal. After an extended half-time because a family emergency forced the referee to depart, Merstham levelled matters through Lee Newman in the 62nd minute. Newman missed a late chance to win it but a draw was fair.

Sittingbourne stayed in the leading group with a 2-1 home victory over Horsham, who played with nine men for most of the second half. Tony Nwachukwu gave Hornets a second-minute lead but was sent off for a wild tackle nine minutes before half-time.

Connor Coyne equalised for the Brickies in the 43rd minute and Horsham suffered a further blow when Billy Medlock was given his marching orders eight minutes after the restart. Nick Davis soon scored the winner.

Three Bridges picked up a valuable point in the fight to stay up, drawing 1-1 at Ramsgate. It was a game of two penalties, Warren Schulz in the first half for the hosts, Tim Rivers in the second for Bridges.

Bridges moved a point clear of bottom club Walton Casuals, who have two games in hand. Still seeking their first home win of the season, they went down 1-0 to a 79th-minute goal by Bamoussa Cisse for Tooting, though the visitors were able to celebrate only after a long discussion between the referee and his assistant.

Chipstead played some good football on a heavy pitch at Herne Bay and were rewarded with a 1-0 victory. Sam Robinson was on target just before the break.

Floodlight problems have afflicted several Sussex clubs this season and Eastbourne had to wait for their 2-0 home win over Whitstable. The second half was delayed for 25 minutes and it was the hosts who prospered when the problem was solved. Dan Smith, recently signed from County League side Hassocks, marked his first start with the opening goal on 64 minutes and John Lansdale made sure with a long-range effort.