A good day at the top end

Leaders AFC Sudbury hosted East Thurrock United- and a celebration of Pele- and they maintained the gap at the top of the table by scoring the only goal of the game against the Rocks. It arrived on twenty minutes, and it went to Josh Mahyew, who got his fourth in four matches to deliver three points. That was the third game in four in which Mayhew had scored the winner- he seems to have become a lucky yellow talisman- and Sudbury remain four points clear, and maintain their one hundred percent home record.

Second place Hashtag United are in magnificent form. They’d won their previous eight matches coming into yesterday’s visit of Bury Town, and had averaged three goals a game over the last ten. They got three more and a ninth consecutive win against the side from Ram Meadow, Alex Teniola continuing his hot streak in fromt of goal with his fifth in three matches, Jermaine Francis doubling the lead and Max Cornhill making it three. Nico Valentine got a consolation for the visitors. No Manager of the Month curse here!

The gap between Hashtag United and third place Heybridge Swifts looks like a chasm- eight points- but Swifts prevented it from getting any larger, and they did so in style, crashing home five goals against Basildon United. It was an RH bonanza, Rhys Henry with the first and the fifth, Rob Harvey with the three in between. Kye Jude got a consolation for the Bees, but we suspect it wasn’t much of a consolation.

Lowestoft Town welcomed Great Wakering Rovers, and the two delivered a nine goal thriller. The Trawler Boys took a fifteenth minute lead, Chris Henderson scoring from the spot, but that suddenly roused the visitors- without a win since October 8th- and they turned the game on its head, Danny Cossington and Billy Johnson- with two- giving them a three-one half time lead. Whatever was said in the home dressing room at half time, it worked- four goals in twenty minutes turned the game on its head, Travis Cole, Kyle Haylock and a three minute brace from Josh Harvey making it- somehow- five-three. Rovers made the closing stages interesting as Rob Lacey reduced the arrears, but they couldn’t get an equaliser and the Trawler Boys climb to fourth. Our image comes from Shirley Whitlow.

Felixstowe and Walton United maintained their unbeaten home record and climbed into the top five, a goal in each half enough to see off the challenge of Brentwood Town. George Clarke opened the scoring twelve minutes before the break, and Josh Hitter effectively sealed the visitors fate on sixty four minutes, a result which leaves pre=season promotion favourites Town thirteen points behind their play off chasing hosts.

Grays Athletic are only a point outside of the top five and won their fourth consecutive match as they defeated bottom side Coggeshall Town- the Seed Growers still without a win all season despite some greatly improved performances of late. Another close match saw only one goal, Sam Bantick getting his sixteenth of the campaign to earn his side three points.

New Salamis welcomed second bottom Gorleston to Coles Park- and it was the visitors who picked up three important points. Salamis had lost only two of their previous ten but were well beaten by the Greens. Kyle Richardson gave the visitors the lead just before the break, and although Taufee Skandari’s seventh of the campaign soon drew the hosts level Connor Deeks and Robbie Lee Sweeney sent the visitors back to Norfolk with three points and their first away win of the season.

Wroxham picked up a Performance of the Month and Golden Gloves award this week, testament to their fine form of late. The Yachtsmen welcomed Witham Town on the back of a seven match unbeaten run, and had won their last three- and that increased to eight and four after a comfortable two-nil victory. Both goals arrived in the three minutes before half time, Ryan Curtis and Shan Taylor sending their side up to twelfth- ten points clear of the bottom four and nine points clear of their free-falling visitors, who have now lost eight in a row.

Tilbury, who are without a manager following John Coventry’s departure, have seen recent form deteriorate to the extent that they started the day in the bottom four. They ended it there, too, as a late Harry Phillips penalty, five minutes from time, saw Maldon & Tiptree continue their climb up the table under Peter Taylor.

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