Bad weather and the Chats delay the Urchins party once more

After Saturday’s false start against Wingate and Finchley, Hornchurch again looked for the three points they needed to confirm the title, and they headed to Canvey Island for their latest attempt to do it- but sadly for the Urchins a torrential downpour in the hour before the match saw the game postponed at the very last minute.

Second place Chatham Town needed victory at home to second bottom Kingstonian if they were to prevent the Urchins triumphing despite their postponement- but when the opening goal arrived it went to the visitors, Eddie Dsane getting his twenty third of the season when opening the scoring just after the hour. The K’s weren’t ahead for long, Simon Cooper (pictured- we suspect by Max English) quickly levelling for the hosts, and eleven minutes from time a spot kick from Jamie Yila put the hosts ahead for the first time. A minute from time Kareem Isiaka added a third, and there was still time for a fourth, Jack Evans with that. The Chats are ten points behind the Urchins having played two games more, whilst the K’s are all but relegated- fifteen points behind fifth bottom Cheshunt with five games left and a vastly inferior goal difference.

Enfield Town welcomed Cheshunt in one of our most local of local derbies. The Towners were nine unbeaten coming into the match, and they’d as good as stretched that run to ten within the first twenty three minutes, as by that point they were two-nil up, Lewis Taaffe and Sam Youngs doing the damage- Youngs with his twenty fifth of the season. Just before the break Marcus Wyllie made it three, and that was that for the goals, but we did have a red card just before the end, the Ambers going down to ten men as Antonis Vasiliou was dismissed. Town remain third- and have a six point lead over the side in sixth, and a game in hand. The Ambers are six points above the bottom four.

Wingate and Finchley scored a goal after nine seconds in defeating Hornchurch on Saturday, and they weren’t so quick against Potters Bar Town, as there was twenty minutes on the clock when Ruben Carvalho opened the scoring. The Scholars have been in good form, but they were two down sixteen minutes from time, Alexander Solomon with his first goal of the season. Ben Frempah added a third, three minutes from time, and Brandon Adams added time consolation was just that, a consolation. The Blues remain fourth, five points clear of Carshalton and Billericay with a game in hand.

What a start we had to Horsham’s Sussex derby against Bognor Regis Town- four goals in the first twenty minutes! Dan Gifford fired the travelling Rocks in front on twelve minutes, but two goals in two minutes from the Hornets- James Hammond on seventeen minutes immediately followed by a second from Shamir Fenelon- quickly turned the tables. Within two minutes, however, the visitors were level again, Tommy-Lee Higgs with his twelfth of the campaign- and they we had a long wait for a fifth goal of the game, all of five minutes! This one went to the hosts, Jack Strange putting them ahead once more, and thirteen minutes later Horsham made it four-two, Daniel Ajakaiye scoring against his former club. It looked as if that was that for the first half, but we should have known better, as there was still time for a seventh goal- Hammond scoring that one from the spot to make it five-two at the break. The visitors got a goal back eighteen minutes from time, Higgs scoring from the spot to pull it back to five-three, and when Gifford got a fourth for the visitors with six minutes to go the closing stages became rather exciting, but the visitors scoring streak stopped there. Horsham are fifth, three points clear of Carshalton and Billericay in the play off battle- but with three games in hand.

Carshalton Athletic met Dulwich Hamlet in a match that both very much had to win, and it took until two minutes into the second half for the opening goal to arrive. That goal went to the Robins, Mason Saunders Henry delighting the home support, and they were even more delighted when Oluwabunmi Babajide made it two with fourteen minutes to go. An own goal five minutes from time made it three-nil, and that’s only one defeat from ten for the Robins, who are sixth. Hamlet are ninth, six points away from the top five and with an uphill struggle if they are to make the play offs.

Billericay Town revitalised their play off hopes with victory over Dulwich Hamlet on Saturday, and they hosted an Essex derby as Concord Rangers headed to New Lodge, the visitors even more desperate for points, albeit for an entirely different reason. Town took the lead just before the hour, Alfie Cerulli with the opener, and within seven minutes Cerulli had added another, his nineteenth of the season and a second brace of the long weekend. That was that, the nine hundred and fifty two watching on mainly delighted, Rangers fifteen points from safety with only seven matches remaining.

Hastings United certainly haven’t given up on their dreams of a play off spot, and they got off to a flyer against Folkestone Invicta, Davide Rodari putting them ahead in the very first minute at Pilot Field- and taking his tally to THIRTY for the season accordingly. John Ufuah doubled the lead for the hosts eight minutes before half time, only for David Smith to quickly pull a goal back. The second half saw no addition to the scoreline, and United are eighth- five points away from the top five.
One thousand, seven hundred and nineteen watched on.

Margate very much needed the points as Cray Wanderers travelled to Hartsdown Park, but they didn’t have the best of starts, Enoch Muwonge putting the visitors ahead on just eight minutes. The Blues rallied, however, and levelled twenty minutes later, Lewis Knight delighting the home faithful, but that was as good as it got for both sides. Gate are six points behind Cheshunt in the battle to avoid the drop, both sides with five matches remaining.

Hashtag United welcomed Haringey Borough to the Len Salmon. Borough are in dire straits, looking to be doing the walk of life directly into the North Division, and on forty three minutes they fell behind, Alex Teniola making sure that everyone knew what time it was as he put the hosts ahead. Eleven minutes into the second half and it was two-nil, Camilo Restrepo adding the second, and only two minutes later the visitors were dead and buried as Teniola got a third. It as four-nil with seven minutes to go, Toby Aromolaran making the travelling fans even more miserable, and the same player still had time to ad a fifth in added time. The Tags are tenth, Borough are twelve points from safety with only five matches remaining- and the worst goal difference in the division.

Lewes have seen their play off hopes almost depart, and those hopes looked dead and buried when Charlie Walker put Whitehawk ahead on forty nine minutes at the Dripping Pan, to the dismay of most of the one thousand, nine hundred and seventy five watching on- but they’ll have been far less dismayed when Marcus Sablier levelled with sixteen minutes to go. That was all she wrote, and the Rooks are twelfth, twelve points from the top five with six games to go. The Hawks are six points further back in fifteenth.

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