A Scholars Takeover

We again boarded a leadership merry-go-round at the top of the Premier Division, with Potters Bar Town taking charge once more. We knew that our leaders at kick off, Hornchurch, faced a tough task as they travelled to face fifth place Aveley- and now the two are level on points as the Millers scored the only goal of the game. It arrived fourteen minutes from time, Kenny Aileru finding the corner of the net- and we’ve given him our headline image, courtesy of the always-in-the-right-place-at-the-right-time lens of Lampix. More images not quite like this one (there was only one goal, after all) can be found here.

Potters Bar Town welcomed Bowers & Pitsea to the Lantern Stadium. The Scholars fell to defeat at Horsham last weekend, but must have been confident, particularly as they defeated Bowers twice last season. The Essex side aren’t particularly easy to beat, however, having drawn almost half of their matches so far- and it looked like they had yet another draw until Nick Dembele, a revelation since arriving from Bognor a few weeks ago, scored for the third match in a row, this one coming just six minutes from time. The Scholars are once more looking down on the rest.

Bishop’s Stortford saw their long, long unbeaten run come to an end at Canvey Island last weekend, but the Blues couldn’t blame the Manager of the Month curse as they were only notified of that honour two days later! They welcomed Kingstonian, and again, we had but one goal- this one coming just before the half hour to the Blues number nine, Oliver Peters, who met a headed defensive clearance with a volley on the edge of the box and found the back of the visitors net. The Blues are second, a point behind the Scholars and a point ahead of Hornchurch, Enfield Town and Aveley.

Enfield Town travelled to take on one of our form sides, Carshalton Athletic their hosts. The Towners were five unbeaten in all competitions (including a shootout victory), and won both encounters against the Robins last season- and they did it again at Colston Avenue. Sam Youngs gave them a great start in the seventh minute, Jake Cass doubling their advantage midway through the first half. Ten minutes after the break Tom Beere gave the hosts hope, halving the deficit, but it didn’t remain halved for long as an own goal just three minutes later made sure of the points for the Towners.

Fresh from halting Stortford’s unbeaten run, Canvey Island travelled to face managerless and second bottom Herne Bay. The Gulls are having a fine campaign, their first since promotion, and seemed to be over their mini-blip, having won their last two games without conceding a goal and whilst scoring five. They made it nine points from nine despite falling behind on fifteen minutes- Marcel Barrington’s fifth of the season for Bay. Joe Paxman levelled for the Gulls just after the half hour, and twelve minutes after the restart Odei Martin Sorondo put them ahead. Charlie Edwards then got in on the act and added two more to clinch a four-one win which sent Canvey up to sixth- two points behind Aveley.

Lewes and Cray Wanderers met at the Dripping Pan, and couldn’t manage a goal between them. They did manage a red card, Mitch Chapman departing in sixty four minutes for the visitors, but that was the extent of the excitement. The Rooks are eight games unbeaten, the Wands take their unbeaten run to six matches.

Billericay Town seemed to have suddenly hit a bump in the road, but they avoided any potholes provided by the visit of Horsham by triumphing in an eight goal thriller. Within thirty one minutes the hosts were four goals to the good, Michael Chambers, Chris Dickson (2) and Bradley Stevenson with those, but the Hornets finally awoke, and got three back in an eleven minute spell just before and after the break, Lucas Rodrigues and a Lee Harding double putting them firmly back into the game. They must have got their hopes up when Stevenson saw red for Billericay twenty minutes into the second half, but it was the ten men who pushed on, Alfie Cerulli getting what proved to be the final goal of the game.

Haringey Borough had celebrated a tremendous last seven days, putting three past Folkestone Invicta last Saturday and following that by scoring five against Kingstonian in midweek. Those results means nothing to Hosts Hastings United, however, the Pilot Field crowd treated to a sterling second half comeback. Johnny Ashman gave Borough a half time lead, but on sixty nine minutes Sam Adams equalised from the spot for the hosts, and within four minutes they were ahead, Gillingham loanee Joe Gbode making it two-one. The same player added a third ten minutes later, and there was still time for Chinedu McKenzie- formerly, of course, of Borough- to find a fourth. United are up to ninth.

Wingate & Finchley welcomed Margate in a Blue-on-Blue tussle. The hosting Blues had lost their last three matches in League, Trophy and Velocity Cup- two against lower level sides- whilst the visiting Blues seemed to have put their own poor run behind them with wins over Bognor Regis Town and Chichester City over the last week. The last four matches between the sides had ended one-nil- three times in favour of Gate- and there was a one goal advantage in this one, too, and as usual it was the Kent side who held it. Dernell Wynter put the hosts ahead after just eight minutes, only for Harry Hudson to equalise just before the break- and the same player dismayed the home crowd by getting the winner in the very last minute.

Bognor Regis Town welcomed bottom side Corinthian-Casuals, who look seemingly rejuvenated under new management and recorded their first win since the opening day last Saturday. The Rocks went in two goals to the good at half time, Nathan Odokonyero’s fourteenth of the season and Alfie Bridgman’s fourth delivering that advantage, but two goals from Luke Stokoe on fifty seven and sixty six minutes drew the visitors level. The winner came from an unlikely source, Calvin Davies charging forward with twenty minutes left to give the hosts reason for celebration.

Folkestone Invicta hosted Brightlingsea Regent. The stripes had lost their last four in the League- indeed, they’d lost seven of their last eight- and they entered the last quarter of this one looking another defeat in the face, Sam Jeremiah’s first half goal giving Regent the lead. Twenty one minutes from time, however, the hosts got a goal of their own, Nathan Green with it- and in the last eight minutes Ade Yusuff added two more to give the result a heathy glow for Invicta. That’s fifteen for the campaign for Yusuff.

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