Ambers shock the Mackerel Men and Enfield take advantage, whilst the Rooks honour Cynical Dave in style

With seven consecutive wins, twelve wins and a draw from their last thirteen matches and an eight point lead, our league leaders Worthing would have been justifiably confident as Cheshunt rolled up at the Crucial Environmental Stadium. The Ambers, however, weren’t travelling to play the role of fall guys; nine matches unbeaten in all competitions, we expected they’d provide a tough test for the Mackerel men.

Cheshunt were soon behind, as Ollie Pearce did what Ollie Pearce does best, opening the scoring on eleven minutes with his fifteenth of the season- but not for long, Rowan Liburd with the equaliser midway through the first half- and then they shocked the home faithful by going ahead, Liburd scoring once more, just after the half hour. Try as they might, the Mackerel Men couldn’t find an equaliser, and the Ambers claimed a famous win.

Enfield Town started the match in second place, having lost ground on the leaders with midweek defeat against Bishop’s Stortford. They welcomed a cast of youth players to the QEII Stadium as they celebrated ten years there, and they also welcomed Merstham, a side who hadn’t drawn a match all season and had been consistently inconsistent, some fabulous performances and some of the other. The Moatsiders dampened the party atmosphere when Korrey Henry opened the scoring from the spot on eleven minutes, but the hosts drew level nine minutes after the restart, the Towners goal coming from the usual suspect as Mo Faal drew them level- also from the spot.

Faal then got his seventeenth of the campaign to put the hosts ahead with fourteen minutes left, and Andre Coker got a late third to close the gap at the top to five points.

The biggest match of the day saw fourth place Lewes host third place Folkestone Invicta. The Rooks started the day with exactly the same goals scored and goals conceded records as Worthing, but with ten fewer points, whilst their visitors, two points ahead, had lost only once but had drawn five of their fourteen. The Rooks were paying tribute to supporter Cynical Dave McKay, and they did him proud, many of the supporters even donning t-shirts in his honour. Our love to Dave’s family and friends as we mourn one of our football family- headline image courtesy of the Rooks Supporters Club.

The Rooks, perhaps riding that tide of emotion, opened the scoring on twenty eight minutes, Ollie Tanner continuing his prolific run with his tenth goal of the season with only his third at home. A late second for Taylor Maloney and another for Joe Taylor saw the Rooks up to third.

Bishop’s Stortford, who climbed into the top five in midweek, hoped to stay there as they hosted another set of Blues, Wingate & Finchley. The home Blues were nine unbeaten, the travelling Blues on the back of three defeats, so it was perhaps no surprise that when the goal came it came to the hosts, Darren Foxley scoring on fifty seven minutes- and they got the second, too, Frankie Merrifield fifteen minutes from time. Merrifield made sure there was no way back for the visitors thirteen minutes from time, and although Luke Ifil got one back right at the end, it made no difference.

Kingstonian wanted to get back into the top five, after losing a little of their early-season consistency in recent weeks. Cray Wanderers were their visitors, needing to pick up points as they were without a league win since October 2nd, but the K’s went ahead midway through the half, Gus Sow with yet another penalty- his TENTH successful spot kick of the campaign. Wands drew level from the spot, too, ten minutes into the second half, Anthony Cook with this one, but the next goal came from open play, and it went to the hosts, Elliott Buchanan, who has been in fine form since returning to the club, putting them ahead. The K’s held on for all the points, but end the day in sixth.

Eighth hosted tenth as Margate welcomed another set of seasiders, Bognor Regis Town, and it was the away seasiders who were ahead on eighteen minutes, Ethan Robb with the goal. Bognor doubled their advantage five minutes after the restart through Ashton Leigh, his sixth of the campaign, but the Blues weren’t going to be rolled over and Sam Blackman soon had one back. It didn’t matter in the end, however, the Rocks taking all three points.

Hornchurch and Carshalton Athletic might be a little surprised to find themselves in mid table, but it’s a marathon not a sprint. The Urchins were ahead very early on, Ollie Muldoon with the opener after six minutes, but not for long, Harry Ottaway’s fifth of the season drawing them level on fifteen minutes. And then…the lights went out due to a major power failure around Bridge Avenue, and the match was abandoned.

East Thurrock United, with new managers in place, welcomed Corinthian-Casuals. The Rocks recorded a morale-boosting win over the Rooks last time out, and their morale would have been boosted yet further when Alex Hernandez put them ahead from the spot on ten minutes, but Casuals were soon level, Warren Mfula with his tenth of the campaign. The first talking point of the second half came with the dismissal of Bobby Mills for the visitors- could the hosts take advantage? They couldn’t, and both had to settle for a point.

Bowers and Pitsea resembled Lazarus in midweek, coming from two down with two minutes left to win. They hosted a Haringey Borough side who haven’t been able to find a win during the last two months and needed to arrest an alarming slide down the table- but took the lead five minutes before half time, Anthony Mcdonald with the opening goal of the game. Bowers equalised with eighteen minutes to go, Lewis Manor drawing them level, and then got the winner right at the end, Callum Leahy with that one. Not quite Lazarus-like, but another superb comeback nonetheless.

Brightlingsea Regent, who somehow contrived to lose that match against Bowers, welcomed Potters Bar Town. After a goalless first half, the Scholars broke the deadlock eleven minutes after the break through Joseph Boachie, and then we had another game abandoned due to a power failure- and we didn't think that Brightlingsea was anywhere near Hornchurch!

Leatherhead, with a large number of new reinforcements, hosted Horsham and their Lardy Army (flag image courtesy of the Lardy Army themselves)- and it was a former Tanner, Eddie Dsane, who came back to haunt the home support after just four minutes with the opening goal. It was soon two-nil, Shamir Fenelon getting his tenth of the season, and then just after the half hour it was three, as the Hornets looked to inflict death by a thousand stings.

Michael Bakare got one back for the hosts six minutes before the break, to the relief of the majority of the five hundred and fifty seven present, and when the visitors saw Charlie Hester-Cook dismissed with six minutes to go it invited a last-gasp comeback, but it didn’t happen. Horsham climb to nineteenth.

At least one Tanners fan was happy, Pete Harris picking up a two and a half thousand pound holiday voucher courtesy of our sponsors Mitchell’s Travel.

Our round up of the North, South East and South Central Divisions will arrive first thing tomorrow morning.

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