A downpour of goals!

Each of our sides paid silent tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and many also paid tribute on the front cover of their programmes. And then we got underway, and for ninety minutes forgot the surreal sadness which currently envelopes our nation to deliver some fabulous football.

Aveley went top of the table on Monday night with victory over Potters Bar Town, and we new they would stay there despite last night’s results, so our focus was the battle for second place.

Folkestone Invicta were the favourites to climb to second- but Cray Wanderers had other ideas. Invicta were unbeaten, and had won their last four matches in all competitions, so it was no surprise when Adam Yusuff put them ahead twice during the first half, but on both occasions the Wands quickly hit back, Tom Derry and then Sinn’kaye Christie- the latter just before the break- drawing them level despite the home side applying most of the pressure. After the break, the visitors took control, Sam Wood finding the bottom corner to make it three-two on sixty four minutes and Dan Bassett rounding things off with a fourth just before the end. Wands leap above their hosts, into fifth.

Horsham started the night in fourth, and welcomed unbeaten Lewes to the Camping World Community Stadium for a Sussex derby- and supporters witnessed our second unbeaten record depart as the Hornets triumphed two-nil. Both goals came in the first half, Daniel Ajakaiye with the opener on nine minutes and Tom Kavanagh- a fabulous free kick- making it two five minutes before the break. Six hundred and sixteen got rather wet, most left happy as the Hornets went second.

Hornchurch welcomed Corinthian-Casuals and made it a miserable experience for the Tolworth side. A Sam Higgins header and David Smith effort made it two-nil at the break; Higgins, Charlie Stimson and Remi Sutton added three more in the second half, and away fans were given nothing at all to cheer. The Urchins are up to third, three points behind the leaders and ahead of Potters Bar Town on goal difference.

Canvey Island had scored eight goals in their previous three matches but only managed one more last night, as Haringey Borough arrived and took a share of the spoils. Borough actually got both of them- Georgios Aresti gave them an early lead only for an own goal to quickly draw the hosts level, and that’s how it ended. There were chances at both ends, Evans Kouassi seeing a shot cleared off the line for the Gulls, Borough hitting the post, but none that could be taken.

Bognor Regis Town welcomed Carshalton Athletic to the seaside, and the two shared a six goal thriller as the Rocks came back from two-nil and three-one down to draw. Calvin Ekpiteta put the visitors ahead after just four minutes, and it was two-nil before a quarter of an hour had been played, Femi Akinwande with the second for the Robins. Only then did the hosts get going, and Tom Bragg got one back before half time- but again the Robins were sharpest, Walter Figueira restoring the two goal cushion from the spot on fifty minutes after he was fouled.

That perhaps should have been that, but Nathan Odokonyero has been brilliant for Bognor this season, and the number nine got one back with twelve minutes to go to give his side hope. Two minutes from time the same player got the equaliser- his eighth of the campaign- and earned his side a point.

Hastings United welcomed Kingstonian to Pilot Field. United had struggled for goals so far this season, failing to score in four of their six matches, and they added only one more- but it was enough to give them all three points. Gillingham loanee Joe Gbode got it from the spot just before the break- converting after he was fouled- and the majority of the seven hundred and eighty six watching on would have been delighted, as their side climbed to fourteenth.

It was the story of the Blues at New Lodge, as Billericay Town welcomed Bishop’s Stortford- and it was the visiting Blues who were most blue, as Town grabbed a late, late equaliser. David Olufemi gave Stortford the lead from the spot six minutes before the break, and when Chris Harris made it two-nil it looked as if the points were about to hit the road, but finally Town got going, and Bradley Stevenson quickly got one back. Right at the end Toby Stevenson popped up to earn a point for the hosts, to the relief of most of the four hundred and eighty in attendance.

Brightlingsea Regent played host to Enfield Town, and the Towners finally began to look like their old selves, slamming home four goals without reply. Adam Cunnington opened the scoring on twenty seven minutes, and after the break Andre Coker added two before Lyle Della Verde signed off with a curling fourth- and he really did sign off as he was red carded two minutes later.

We had a seaside derby as Margate hosted Herne Bay. The visitors will be glad that they had only a short journey home, and perhaps wish they had left before the game kicked off- as within half an hour they were four goals down. Cameron Brodie got the first two, on three and eleven minutes, with Ben Greenhalgh scoring two more on twenty two and twenty eight minutes. That turned out to be that, but if you were a Bay fan amongst the five hundred and eighty six watching on then you had a rather miserable ninety minutes. Home fans, understandably, had rather different emotions!

Finally, two sides in the bottom four met as Bowers & Pitsea welcomed Wingate & Finchley. The visiting Blues are the only side in the Pitching In Isthmian Premier not to have picked up a league win this season- but they had drawn three of their five games so we should have known what would happen. The North Londoners struck first, going ahead on fifteen minutes through Elliot Long who scored from distance, and although Emmanuel Oluwasemo struck back thirteen minutes later- another long range goal- Dernell Wynter restored the lead after just two more minutes, making it three long range finishes out of three. Sonny Fish got the equaliser nine minutes before the break, and that turned out to be that.

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