Ware off the bottom at last

By Peter Butcher

THE new year has already brought a change of fortune for Ware, who slipped to the bottom of Ryman North on August Bank Holiday Monday and had been there ever since.

They started 2013 with a 3-2 victory at Cheshunt and that lifted them to 20th place, above Redbridge and new bottom club Ilford. Redbridge’s game against Brentwood was postponed – Brentwood still have no fewer than 29 league matches to play – while Ilford are in action tonight (Wednesday).

Jon Stevenson’s 25th-minute opener for Ware was quickly answered by Matt Mitchell. But Elliot King restored Ware’s advantage soon after the interval and Spencer Knight’s penalty wrapped up the points before Dave Greene lobbed Cheshunt’s second in added time.

At the other end of the table, Maldon extended their perfect home record to ten games and are again 13 points clear of second-placed Heybridge, whose game at Waltham Abbey was another victim of the previous day’s rain.

Visitors Witham did not make it easy for Terry Spillane’s runaway leaders, opening the scoring through Sam Taylor in the fifth minute. An own goal by Tom Devaux squared it after 27 minutes and Joe Gardner netted the winner midway through the second half.

Potters Bar moved up to fourth thanks to a Daniel Ailey goal eight minutes from time which earned them a 1-0 win at Harlow. It was Harlow’s eighth home defeat.

Thamesmead left it even later to boot Aveley out of the other play-off spot with a 3-2 home victory. Ashley Probets converted a first-half penalty and a second-half free-kick to put the hosts 2-0 up but two goals in quick succession from Petrit Elbi and Junior Appiah left all to play for in the last 20 minutes. Just two minutes remained when Malachi Hudson became the Thamesmead hero.

Tilbury stayed in contention by thrashing visitors Chatham 5-1. Tony Jacobs set the scoreboard ticking in the second minute and Aaron Waters made it 2-0 with a penalty before Brad Potter replied on the half-hour. The Tilbury pair both scored again in the space of two minutes just after the hour and Tom Webb soon added the fifth (pictured by Mikey Cartwright).

Sudbury made it 13 points out of 15 with a 3-2 victory at Wroxham. Jacob Brown and Robbie Martin gave them the lead in each half, but on both occasions Wroxham hit back within five minutes, through Josh Carus and Ben Thompson. The winner came from Leon Antoine with ten minutes left and Sudbury are now in the top half of the table.

Where next?

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