Greens go fourth with Regent win

Gorleston climbed into the Pitching In Isthmian North top five last night, heaping more misery on Brightlingsea Regent in the process. Regent went ahead just before the break, Shane Temple continuing his run of goals- that’s six in five matches- but the Greens hit back after the break. It was Connor Ingram who delivered the equaliser just before the hour, and thirteen minutes later the Gorleston number nine struck again, his fourth goal in three matches, the latest being a match winner.

That’s four league matches unbeaten for the Greens- with three wins- and the latest victory sees them into the top four. Regent, last season’s Promotion Final Runners Up, have had a terrible start to the campaign, and sit second from bottom having lost every match they’ve played away from home. 

In the Velocity Cup First Round we had an all-South East tie and a South Central versus South East meeting,  and both ended in home wins. 

Crowborough Athletic welcomed Hastings United for the second time this season, and a late goal ensured that the Crows were victorious once again. The sides met in the League in August, Athletic running out three-one winners, and although last night’s encounter was closer the outcome was very much the same.

The hosts went ahead on thirty eight minutes, Harvey Killick doing the damage, and it looked as if that might be enough, but Hastings levelled through Finley Chapman, and with only eighteen minutes left to play it seemed as if a shootout was likely. In added time, however, with the managers undoubtedly thinking about their penalty takers, Tom Boddy rendered all of that moot, popping up with a last-gasp winner to send Athletic into the next round. 

In Raynes Park we saw Kingstonian welcome Merstham, and the outcome was far more emphatic, although the K’s had to come from behind to win. Kingstonian went ahead after only four minutes, Charlie Bland the scorer, but ten minutes later Jamarie Brissett drew the Moatsiders level, and nine minutes after that the visitors went in front, Billy Oram making it two-one. 

The lead lasted only three minutes before Joe Pratley-Jones levelled for the K’s, and the hosts eased to victory after the break, Stan Flaherty giving them the lead on sixty nine minutes and Larrel Walker making quite sure with a fourth in added time.