Towners hit the top as Wings held

It was bottom versus top as Whitehawk faced Welling United at the seaside. Welling were looking for a fourth consecutive win, and had won eight of their previous ten, whilst their hosts, nine points from safety and with one League win to their name, had taken only five points from the previous thirty available to them and were almost two months without a win. 

Wings had won the previous three meetings between the sides, including a two-nil victory on the opening day of the season- and they made the breakthrough in this one just before half time, Kaan Bennett putting them ahead, but the Hawks didn’t flinch from the challenge and levelled midway through the second half, Imran Kayani scoring their equaliser- and then turned the match on its head, Rhys Murphy putting them ahead four minutes later. Welling drew level ten minutes from time, Nathan Cooper quietening the home faithful, but they had to settle for a point- and drop to second. 

Image courtesy of the Hawks- we suspect from Andy Schofield. 

Second place Enfield Town started the evening two points away from the summit and hosted our match of the day, fourth place Lewes making the trip to North London. The Towners had seen a six match unbeaten run surprisingly come to an end when they welcomed Whyteleafe at the weekend, whilst the Rooks had only one defeat from seven and defeated Dulwich Hamlet at Champion Hill on Saturday. 

Town perhaps should have gone ahead on twenty seven minutes, a foul on Amrit Bansal-McNulty seeing them awarded a penalty, but they missed that, striking the bar. Sam Youngs had the ball in the net midway through the second half but saw that disallowed, but he quickly scored one that counted, and Lewes had only twenty one minutes to find an equaliser. Instead only four minutes later the Towners were two up, Bansal-McNulty doubling their lead, and they held onto that lead to take over at the top of the table ad complete a Rooks double. 

Eastbourne Borough, in third place as we kicked off, saw an eight match winning streak come crashing to an end as they were walloped at Dartford on Saturday- perhaps a Manager of the Month curse afflicting boss Steve King. Back at home they perhaps expected to return to winning ways as they hosted Dulwich Hamlet, the South Londoners down in fourteenth after a run of one win from eight- but they didn’t have the best of starts, David Smith putting the visitors ahead after only six minutes. 

The hosts were soon level, however, Darren McQueen delivering an equaliser on twenty five minutes- and the home crowd hadn’t stopped celebrating when Josh Rees put them ahead a minute later. Rees added a third four minutes before half time, but Hamlet were back in the running when Sol Baugh brought it back to three-two from distance with twenty seven minutes remaining- although their one goal deficit was soon two once more, Liam Nash taking only five minutes to add a fourth for the hosts. The scoring stoped there, Borough three points behind the leaders. 

Chatham Town was the destination for Leatherhead. The Chats were three without a win, the Tanners looking for a third win in a row, and the visitors liked to travel- they’d lost only one League match on the road since the start of last season, so perhaps it wasn’t too much of a surprise when Nathan Hogan put them ahead nineteen minutes in. 

Town had been very good on their own patch, however, with only one defeat from seven prior to this evening- but try as they might they couldn’t find an equaliser, Leatherhead are up to eighth. 

Cray Wanderers welcomed Three Bridges- and they welcomed the entire crowd for free! Wands started the night fourth from bottom, but they had five, six or even eight (!) matches in hand over the sides above them due to their Cup exploits- and it was one of Sunday’s Cup heroes, John Ufuah, who put them ahead four minutes before half time, with Sammie McLeod delivering the assist. 

Bayli Spencer-Adams made it two-nil just before the hour, and the scoring came to an end, Wands up to seventeenth. Bridges are eight points from safety- and have now lost their last seven meetings with Wands.