Advantage Seasiders- as Regent defeat the Trawler Boys

Leaders Lowestoft Town took a two point lead on the road to Brightlingsea Regent, and hoped they’d put their little blip behind them- but as it turned out, they hadn’t! The Trawler Boys were impressive in their demolition of Wroxham last weekend, whilst a last minute goal ended Regent’s long winless run last time out against New Salamis- and it was the hosts who delivered an early shock, Teddy Collis putting them ahead on thirteen minutes. Town levelled on fifty three minutes, Kyle Haylock with the equaliser, but the last word went to the man who had the first word, Collis with what turned out to be a winner seven minutes from time- a goal which saw the Trawler Boys removed from the summit! Regent are tenth.

Image below from Neil Payne.

Second place Felixstowe and Walton United hosted our match of the day, fourth place Brentwood Town the visitors. The Seasiders, previously unbeaten in 2024, were determined to get back to winning ways after a draw last time out, whilst the visiting Blues were also in fine form, with only one defeat from their previous ten. The opening goal took an hour to arrive, and it went to the hosts, Zak Brown opening the scoring, and it turned out to be crucial, as it was enough to send them back to the top of the table, one point ahead of Lowestoft Town.

Brentwood haven’t defeated the Seasiders in their last ten attempts.

Headline image from Stefan Peck.

Third place Bury Town were back at Ram Meadow, New Salamis making the trip to Suffolk. Bury have been properly superb of late, and brought an eight match winning streak into this match- and a sixteen match unbeaten run; whilst the Salamina had lost their last two, and sat in fourteenth place at kick off. Whatever that might have meant to anyone making a prediction, it seemed the visitors were determined to beat the odds and went ahead on seventeen minutes, Wranyel Hercules with the opening goal. Town levelled, as we suspected they might, seven minutes after the break, and the goal came from the usual source, Cemal Ramadan scoring for the twenty seventh time this season- and only four minutes later the hosts were ahead, Ollie Canfer doing the damage. That was that, Town still third- and only seven points behind the leaders with two games in hand, so turning what had has for months looked like a two horse race for the title into three!

Fifth place Bowers and Pitsea were on the road to Witham Town. The consistency of our top five was perhaps exemplified by the fact that they were also the top five in our ten match form table at kick off, and Bowers sat fifth in that ranking too, with only one defeat from their previous ten. Bowers took the lead on twenty four minutes, Thomas Stagg with the breakthrough, and the number nine made it three goals in two matches by adding another just before the break. On fifty four minutes Witham were back in the match, Archie McFadden halving the deficit, but Bowers quickly reestablished their two goal advantage, Benas Vaidava making it three-one with twenty one minutes left- and the same player quickly made it four-one. A red card for Liam Whipps left Witham with ten men, but they did get a goal back soon afterwards, Josh Osude making it two-four- but that was that. Bowers climb to fourth, and have now defeated Town six times in a row.

Heybridge Swifts knew that they would climb to sixth if they could win at Enfield, as the sixth place side at start of play, Basildon United, had the weekend off due to our current odd number of teams. Swifts have been rather inconsistent during 2024, but were two unbeaten- and those results came against the top two, which will have given them a real boost- and it showed as they went quickly ahead against the E’s, Ben Sartain taking only eleven minutes to open the scoring. Swifts added a second in fifty seven minutes, Jack Adlington-Pile doubling their advantage, and the same player made it three with nineteen minutes left. The E’s then got a goal back, Rob Clark with a consolation ten minuted from time, but a consolation was all it was.

Walthamstow had won three in a row before Redbridge put a stop to all that and left with three points last weekend, and the East Londoners wanted to get back to winning ways as they travelled to Wroxham. They made a very positive start, taking the lead after only fifteen minutes, Olly Sotoyinbo taking his tally to ten goals in twenty matches when scoring from the spot. Johnville Renee made it two just before the hour mark, and that was how it ended- Stow in seventh, five points from away from fifth spot.

Maldon and Tiptree welcomed Ipswich Wanderers. The Jammers had slipped to ten points away from a play off spot and surely needed three points if they were to give themselves any chance of bridging that gap, but that needed a change in fortunes after four consecutive defeats. It got one, as Louis Britton put them ahead just after the hour, and Harry Honesty quickly added a second. That’s how it ended, the Jammers in ninth- but cutting that gap between themselves and the top five to eight points.

Gorleston were on the road to Stowmarket Town. The Greens progressed to the Norfolk Cup semi-Final with a midweek victory- they are the holders- and also got back to winning ways in the league at Ipswich Wanderers last weekend, so hoped to keep that run going and perhaps climb into the top ten. They started rather well, going ahead on thirteen minutes as Luke Johnson scored from the spot, and doubling their advantage only three minutes later, Ismael Fatadjo with their second.

Stow started the day thirteen points from safety and without a win all season, and their chances of changing that looked to have ended on thirty five minutes when Fatadjo added a third. Those chances had certainly departed when the Greens added a fourth twelve minutes into the second half, Kieran Higgs with that one, and there was still time for a fifth and a sixth, Christy Finch and a Fatadjo with his hat trick completing the rout.

Grays Athletic and Redbridge met in Tilbury. Athletic had lost their last four and won only two of their previous ten, whilst the Motormen also had two wins from ten, but their last victory was more recent, as it arrived last Saturday at Walthamstow. Athletic scored the first North Division goal of the day last Saturday, and they did it again this weekend, Matas Skarna opening the scoring on three minutes. The next goal looked critical, and it also went to Athletic, Aron Gordon just before the hour mark, and the hosts held on for three valuable points and a clean sheet- and climbed to sixteenth, one place behind their visitors.

The two sides are due to meet again on March 26th, so the Motormen will soon have the chance of revenge.

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