Billericay hit top spot on a night of late goals and unlikely comebacks

It’s perhaps difficult to believe that a league result at the end of January could be somehow season defining, and yet there was something of significance- and perhaps of inevitability- in Billericay Town’s victory over Worthing last night. The scoreline- four-nil and without the customary Jake Robinson goal, instead with braces from Adam Cunnington and Sam Deering- takes the Blues a point clear at the top of the Premier Division table, but it isn’t the gap that makes their position seem rather ominous, but the fact that they still have six games in hand over second place Dulwich Hamlet.

Billericay didn’t have it all their own way last night. In front of 594 supporters at New Lodge visitors Worthing didn’t budge in the first half and reached the interval with the scoreline still nil-nil, but the red dam then broke four minutes after the restart and, whilst it took until the last seven minutes for the home side to finally make the game safe, there was only going to be one winner.

The Mackerelmen remain two points off the bottom, but that gap narrowed as Tooting and Mitcham United went from being ahead to being behind and then to earning a last minute point in their match at Dorking Wanderers. Danny Bassett put the Terrors ahead in the 32nd minute, and they held their lead until twenty four minutes later, when James McShane got the leveller. Dan Walker (no, not that one) put the home side ahead five minutes later, and it looked as if Wanderers would hold out for all three points until Ollie Bennett popped up at the death to take a point back to Imperial Fields.

Harlow Town will be looking nervously over their shoulders after losing 2-1 at home to Merstham. Reece Hall put the visitors ahead with only seventeen minutes remaining only for Charles Edwards to draw Harlow level four minutes later, but the Moatsiders were not to be denied and Charlie Penny popped up in the final seconds to take all three points back to Surrey. This result leaves Harlow two points ahead of Tooting, but the Terrors have a match in hand. Burgess Hill Town, who are sandwiched between these clubs in 23rd, have a point less than Harlow but five games in hand.

Visitors to the Maurice Rebak Stadium would have struggled to comprehend what they witnessed as Wingate and Finchley continued their recent good form with victory over Lowestoft Town, given that the home side came back from being 2-0 and 3-1 down to take all three points with two goals in the last five minutes. Harvey Hodd and Shaun Bammant made an early breakthrough for the Trawlermen, and whilst Reece Beckles-Richards was able to reduce the arrears Matt Foy had restored the two goal cushion before half time. Marc Charles=Smith pulled another goal back for the home side with 25 minutes to go, and then in the last five minutes Ahmet Rifat and Ben Pattie sealed what must have seemed a rather unlikely victory. Wingate & Finchley climb to sixth place.

Leatherhead got back to winning ways at high flying Hendon, and it was a dream Tanners debut for Leyton orient loanee Ruel Sotiriou, who gave his new side the lead with his first touch in the first minute. It was two by half time, Dan Gallagher with the second, and Tom Derry and Jack Midson had made it look ridiculously easy by extending the Leatherhead lead to four before Ashley Nathaniel-George got a consolation for Hendon. The Tanners are up to tenth, four points from a playoff spot, whilst Hendon drop to eighth place.

In the North Division Potters Bar Town roared into a three goal lead against Maldon & Tiptree, with goals from Lee O’Leary and Eoin Casey (2), and the half time score of 3-0 was also the full time score as the Scholars move up to third and put a five point cushion between themselves and the Jammers- six points to seventh place Haringey Borough. In the other match Ware and Heybridge Swifts shared the points but not much else, their match ending nil-nil.

The South Division saw only three goals in three matches, and only one victory. That came at High Road, where Michael Campbell hit the winner for Chipstead to give Guernsey a long journey home with no reward. Molesey and Whyteleafe both failed to break the deadlock at Walton Road, whilst in the final match South Park came from behind to grab a point in a 1-1 draw with Hastings United. Calum Davies had given the visitors the lead in the first half, whilst Joe Jackson got the equaliser just before the hour mark.

Finally, in the Velocity Trophy the match between Shoreham and Brentwood Town finally got the go-ahead, and it was worth the wait as it provided five goals, Brentwood heading back to Essex with a 3-2 victory. At Imber Court Met Police went a goal down to Enfield Town, Brad Watkins the scorer, but came back to win 2-1.

Billericay Town image courtesy of Nicky Hayes