Wings go three clear- with Town on their heels
It was a night of narrow wins, with Welling, Enfield Town, Ramsgate and Cheshunt squeezing home. Here’s our top flight round up, courtesy of Dyno-Rod
Leaders Welling United, second place Dartford and fifth place Enfield Town- the Towners three points behind the top two with a game in hand but a better goal difference- all hoped to end Tuesday evening at the top of the Pitching In Isthmian Premier pile.
Welling travelled to face a Maldon and Tiptree side who had lost five League matches in a row- six in a row if you add in a Cup defeat to lower-league opposition. The Jammers were reinforced with a collection of new signings, and they held Wings for sixty two minutes before falling behind in the sixty third, Nathan Cooper up from the back to score for the visitors. That turned out to be the only goal- and it left United three points clear at the top.
Image courtesy of Steve Blunn/Welling United.
The Darts, with a Manager of the Month award for boss Ben Greenhalgh confirmed earlier in the day, welcomed Ramsgate to Princes Park, and they welcomed a goal within five minutes, Emman One putting them ahead. The visitors, of course managed by former Darts boss Ady Pennock, were level fourteen minutes later, Billy Munday taking his tally of League goals up to five, and just before half time the Rams took the lead, Callum Jones making it one-two. What the visitors had, they held- who mentioned a curse?! Ramsgate climb to sixth.
Enfield Town were on the road, taking on bottom side Stanway Rovers, the hosts playing their first League match for three weeks and hoping to build upon their result on that occasion, victory over Brentwood Town. The Towners were also playing their first League match in three weeks, their last one a defeat- and since then they’d won two knockout matches only to be hammered six-one by Oxford City at the weekend, so this was an attempt to bounce back.
The Towners went ahead from the spot ten minutes before half time, with Sam Youngs keeping his nerve; but Rovers were quickly level, Tyrese Osbourne grabbing an equaliser. Just before the break the hosts suffered a blow with Sam Carter seeing red- a second yellow for kicking the ball away obviously avoidable - and thirteen minutes from time the visitors finally restored their lead, Jez Davies the scorer. This time they held on to it, and climbed to second.
Cheshunt were the hosts for Aveley, the Millers looking to bounce back after three League defeats on the trot- and it was the visitors who went ahead nine minutes before the break, Malachi Napa scoring his third League goal of the campaign. The Ambers drew level just before the hour, Sam Granville getting the equaliser from the spot, and only a minute later the visitors gave the ball away and Granville scored again! Cheshunt held on for only a second win of the campaign and climbed above their visitors into fourteenth.
Wingate and Finchley welcomed National League North side Bedford Town in the FA Cup hoping to slay another giant- and six unbeaten in all competitions; but they were two down approaching half time and it looked an uphill struggle, only for Ashley Nzala to half the arrears in added time. Sadly ten minutes into the second half Town got a third, and they held on for victory.