Another win for the Mackerel Men, Carshalton hit six, whist another set of Robins win to stay top

Pitching In Isthmian League

Potters Bar Town have been in fabulous form of late, but yesterday they came up against the immovable object formed by our league leaders, Worthing. The Mackerel Men had won eight of their last nine league matches- drawing the other- and made it nine wins from ten against the Scholars. Jesse Starkey got the opening goal just before the half hour, before Ollie Pearce got his thirteenth of the campaign to double the home advantage before the break. Kazaiah Sterling got one back for the visitors seven minutes after the break, but the equaliser didn’t arrive and the one thousand, one hundred and four supporters- or at least the majority of them- left happy. The Mackerel Men are four points clear at the top.

Image: Marcus Hoare.

Enfield Town are in second place, and they also had to work hard for victory- in their case at Corinthian-Casuals. Indeed, after Emmanuel Mensah put the hosts ahead the Towners were only sixteen minutes from defeat when Mo Faal got the equaliser, his fifteenth goal of the season. Lyle Della-Verde then got the winner with five minutes left.

Folkestone Invicta are third, and still unbeaten, but if they are going to catch Worthing at the top they are going to need to start turning draws into victories. Yesterday they drew nil-nil at Cheshunt, their fifth draw in twelve matches leaving them eight points off the top with two games in hand. The Ambers are eighth.

Kingstonian are in fourth, a late equaliser from Elliott Buchanan, on fire since his return from Farnborough, earning them a point at Bognor Regis Town. James Crane had opened the scoring for the Rocks sixty eight minutes earlier.

Another late equaliser went to Lewes, for whom Iffy Allen levelled four minutes from time at Bishop’s Stortford. The Rooks are fifth, the Blues, who had seen Anthony Church open the scoring, are a point behind in seventh.

Margate sit between the Rooks and the Blues, and they also picked up a point, in their case at Haringey Borough- and again it took a late equaliser to do it. Anthony McDonald gave Borough a first half lead, and they held onto it until ten minutes from time when Lewis Knight got the equaliser. Andronicos Georgiou then put the hosts ahead again right at the end, but there was still time for Ben Greenhalgh to level with his eighth at the season.

Carshalton Athletic were the days big winners. The Robins became the latest side to heap misery on Brightlingsea Regent, who lost their seventh match in a row as Athletic hit them for six. Dan Bennett and Dan Hector put the hosts two up, before Valter Da Rocha got one back for Regent. Jordan Cheadle made it three-one by the break, and after it Dan Bassett, Jalen Jones and another from Bennett made it four, five, six for Athletic.

Hornchurch got back to winning ways, Charlie Ruff getting the only goal of the game against Merstham, whilst Leatherhead won for the first time since the opening day, two-nil at East Thurrock United, who are in freefall. The goals came late, in the last seven minutes in fact, and both went to substitute Arthur Aderi on his debut. That’s seven defeats in a row and twenty seven goals conceded for the Rocks.

Pitching In Isthmian North Division

Second place Dereham Town failed to make up any ground on leaders Canvey Island as they fell to defeat against an impressive Brentwood Town. The goals both went to the hosts, and they both came in the first half, Tom Richardson with his ninth of the season and George Craddock with his first. The Magpies remain second, Brentwood are up to seventh.

Aveley are up to fourth, two late Manny Ogunrinde goals seeing them home against Basildon United. Harry Gibbs gave the Millers the lead on the half hour, only for Nathan Fuma to equalise for the Bees eighteen minutes from time, before the Millers late show.

Maldon & Tiptree’s win over Witham Town on Friday night leaves them in fifth, Charlee Hughes, Scott Kemp and Martyn Stokes making sure of the points with a goal each. Town didn’t get any, which leaves them sixteenth.

Bury Town are eighth, courtesy of a two-one win over Romford. Cemal Ramadan got both the goals for the Ram Meadow side, a Steve Carvell equaliser for Boro coming in between them. That’s nine for the season for Ramadan.

Stowmarket Town are ninth, a goal in each half giving them victory over Felixstowe and Walton United. Luke Brown opened the scoring just before the break, Willie Clemons got the second nineteen minutes after it.

Hashtag United and Hullbridge Sports managed a goal each, Joe Gardner’s opener for Sports just before the half hour being wiped out by Kiernan Hughes-Mason just after the break. United are twelfth, Sports remain at the bottom and still await their first victory.

Tilbury are just behind the Tags, a first half double from Roman Campbell and Ollie Spooner the difference between the Dockers and Coggeshall Town, who gave a debut to new signing Alex Teniola.

Finally for the North Division, Heybridge Swifts won a five-goal thriller against Great Wakering Rovers by the odd goal. Swifts were three up on fifty one minutes. Lionel Ainsworth, Lewis Gard and Jack Adlington-Pile with the goals- that’s three in four for the latter. Swifts then faced a determined comeback, as Martin Tuohy and Lewis Jaggs gave Rovers twenty minutes to grab an equaliser. It didn’t come, and Swifts end the day in fifteenth, their opponents four places further down.

Pitching In Isthmian South Central

Bracknell Town remained three points clear at the top with a hard-fought win over Basingstoke Town, who lost for the first time this season. The match came to life in the last twenty minutes, Temi Eweka giving the Robins a seventieth minute lead only for Stefan Brown to equalise for Stoke only two minutes from time. That was surely that- only it wasn’t, as Daniel Bayliss got a last minute winner.

Uxbridge remain second, another two goals from Anthony Mendy making the difference. That’s sixteen for Mendy this season, whilst Kieran Lavery got one back for visitors Chipstead, his third in three.

Third place Binfield went two goals up at Sutton Common Rovers, let their lead slip away, and then grabbed a winner. Callum Bunting and Kensley Maloney got those two goals, only for Connor French just before the break and Brendan Murphy McVey just after it to draw the hosts level. Ollie Harris then got the winner on fifty seven minutes. Bunting has now scored in seven consecutive matches for the Moles, and has ten goals for the season.

Another win for Bedfont Sports sees them up to fourth. A goal nine minutes before the break from Connagh Wilks gave them the lead against Northwood, who later parted company with their manager, whilst another very, very late goal from Charlie Postance made it two just before the end. The Woods are firmly at the bottom.

Hanwell Town are fifth, the newly reinforced Geordies getting three against Chalfont St Peter. New signing Tom Collins opened the scoring in the thirty third minute, following his thirteen goals for Chipstead with his fourteenth of the season. Second haf goals from Adam Laaref and Dwayne Duncan made sure there was no way back for the Saints.

Marlow have suddenly begun to look fallible, and fell to defeat at Chertsey Town. Mark Bitmead gave the Curfews the lead on the half hour, and although Junaid Bell equalised for the visitors fourteen minutes from time the winner came three minutes later, Magnus Abisogun grabbing it for the hosts, who are eighth. Marlow are sixth.

South Park celebrated their Performance of the Month honours with another fine performance, winning two-nil at Staines Town. Adam Aziz got them both before the break, his ninth and tenth of the campaign moving Sparks up to ninth.

Ashford Town hosted Tooting & Mitcham United and were quickly ahead, Aaron McLeish White opening the scoring after two minutes. Connor Cullen doubled their advantage on twenty three minutes, and although Mark Waters got one back for the Terrors after the break they couldn’t manage another. The Tangerines are fourteenth, the Terrors three places above them.

Guernsey and Thatcham Town shared four goals equally in the Channel Islands. The Green Lions got both of them in the first half, Matt Loaring with the opener and an own goal drawing the Kingfishers level. After the break, Tom Martin restored the Guernsey lead whilst Daniel Fosu equalised for the visitors seventeen minutes from time.

Pitching In Isthmian South East

Cray Valley PM managed to stay top without actually playing, as Haywards Heath Town fell to a three-one defeat at Faversham Town. Emmanuel Oluwasemo and Charlie Dickens gave the Lilywhites a two goal lead, and whilst Luke Robinson gave Heath hope eighteen minutes from time Kelvin Ogboe ended their resistance five minutes from time. Heath are second, Faversham up to eleventh.

Ashford Town are three points off the top after a four-nil thrashing of Hythe Town. Daniel Hull put them ahead in the first half, and Josh Wisson, Mamadou Diallo and Johan Ter Horst made quite sure of three points with three second half goals. The Cannons are twelfth.

Ramsgate are fourth, a goal in each half from Callum Peck and Ashley Miller giving them all three points at East Grinstead Town, whilst Herne Bay also scored two, coming from behind to defeat Sevenoaks Town two-one. Freeman Rogers gave Oaks the lead three minutes before the break, Aaron Millbank equalised three minutes later, and Bode Anidugbe got the winner on sixty seven, to leave the hosts in fifth.

VCD Athletic are down to sixth, falling to defeat against Sittingbourne- the Brickies getting the only goal of the game. Kane Rowland opened the scoring on the half hour, and although Tyler Christian-Law saw red fourteen minutes from time the hosts held on. Sittingbourne are eighth.

Corinthian are up to ninth as Hastings United’s difficulties continued. Ryan Worrall put United ahead on the stroke of half time, only for Becka-Kah Dembele and Frankie Morgan to turn the game on its head in the second half. United are seventh, Corinthian ninth.

Whitehawk are up to tenth, defeating Phoenix Sports by the odd goal in five. An own goal and the customary goal from Javaun Splatt put the Hawks two up, before a Jeff Duah-Kessie penalty just before the break halved the arrears. Omarr Lawson restored the two goal cushion for the Hawks nine minutes after the restart, only for Alfie Evans to get another for the hosts on the hour. Whitehawk held out for thirty minutes to take victory and go tenth.

Chichester City are thirteenth, two-one winners over Whitstable Town. They had to come from behind to do it, after Muhammed Cham gave the Oysterboys the lead on the half hour. Chi turned it around in the last twenty minutes; first Tyrone Madhani equalising and then Kaleem Haitham securing three points.

A late, late goal saw ten man Burgess Hill Town equalise at home to Lancing. Michael Uwezu gave the hosts the lead eighteen minutes from time, even though by that point they’d been a man light for an hour after keeper Taylor Seymour saw red. Matt Daniel quickly equalised for Lancing, and Ismaila Diallo then gave the visitors the lead, only for former Lancing man Lewis Finney to equalise in added time.

Emirates FA Cup

After AFC Sudbury fell to defeat to Colchester United on Friday night, Bowers and Pitsea and Horsham fell to valiant defeat yesterday to end our interest in the competition. Our report of Bowers narrow loss at Lincoln City is here, whilst the Hornets went down two-nil at Carlisle United.

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