Blues go third, Bay go fourth, and Sparks hit five!

Pitching In Isthmian Premier

Bishop’s Stortford got back to winning ways in style at the LA Construction Stadium last night, and stopped the Potters Bar Town revival dead in its tracks. The Scholars, who recorded a fine victory at Kingstonian on Saturday, had no answer to the attacking power of the Blues, who climbed to third place and scored three goals without reply. Ben Marlow opened the scoring after just eight minutes, his fine free kick beating a four man wall and Kacper Kurylowicz in the Scholars goal. Ryan Charles followed in his own shot and converted the rebound for number two eight minutes before the break, and Jonathan Giles found the bottom corner to make it three, six minutes from time.

Folkestone Invicta couldn’t improve on their fifth place as they were held to a draw by Bowers & Pitsea- and indeed the hosts needed a last minute leveller to take a point. Lewis Manor headed a free kick home to give the visitors an early lead- that’s fourteen for the season for the Bowers number nine- only for Josh Vincent to level midway through the half and give himself a birthday gift. Bowers restored their lead on the counter attack with only twelve minutes to go, the man with the longest name in football- Pedro Silva Barbosa Bento De Carvalho- putting them ahead once more, and it looked as if they’d take a valuable three points before Jordan Wright converted a low cross right at the death.

Leatherhead moved off the bottom with a goalless draw against Margate. The Blues had won five of their previous seven, but they couldn’t find a way past the Tanners rearguard. That’s three clean sheets- and three goalless draws- in five for Leatherhead.

In the Pitching In Isthmian North Division, Bury Town welcomed a Felixstowe & Walton United side who were in fine form until very recently, but had lost two of their last three. The Seasiders started the day with a five point advantage over their hosts, and it was eight by the end of it as they found form once more, moving to within four points of the top five with a three-one win. Billy Holland got the United show on the road just before the break, Kieran Twinn made it two eleven minutes after the restart, and a Joe Wright penalty ended the contest two minutes later. Will Gardner got a late consolation for Town, but that’s all it was- and with a twelve point gap to make up on the play off places it looks unlikely that Town will be troubling the top five this season. The Seasiders, with games in hand over those ahead of them, will be confident of forcing their way into the mix.

We had a five goal derby thriller- and a last minute winner- as Maldon & Tiptree hosted Felixstowe & Walton United. The two were level on points at kick off, and traded goals for ninety minutes before the hosts scored a penalty to win right at the death. Scott Kemp opened the scoring for the Jammers after twenty two minutes, only for Lionel Ainsworth to equalise five minutes later- his thirteenth of the season. New signing Chaynie Fage-Burgin restored home advantage ten minutes after the break, but that lead lasted even less time- three minutes- before Andrew Fennell kept up his record of a goal every two games with the equaliser. Right at the end former Swift Ade Cole scored the winner from the spot, sending the home fans wild and his side up to ninth.

Image: Roy Warner.

In the Pitching In Isthmian South Central, South Park ended a run of three matches without a win by hammering promotion-chasing Marlow. Sam Tutt gave them a fourth minute lead, and it was two-nil by half time, Sam King with the second- but no sign of what was to come. The visitors had Harry Grant dismissed with twenty minutes to go, but with only nine minutes left it was still two-nil, until suddenly the Sparks went goal crazy, King, Melford Simpson and Dom Pires all converting to clinch a five-nil win. The Sparks ended the day in ninth, whilst Marlow remain four points off the top five, albeit with a game in hand.

Chertsey Town, fresh from being the side who ended Bracknell Town’s seventeen match winning streak, went second- but they could only take one point after neither side could score at Binfield. Hanwell Town, who were eight matches unbeaten, could have gone second with victory over Chipstead, but fell to defeat. The Chips, who also defeated the Curfews recently, have now defeated two of the top five during their last three matches. They got on their way early on, Andy Kabuikusomo opening the scoring on five minutes, but Adam Laaref equalised on twenty two minutes for the Geordies. After the break Kabuikusomo irritated the Geordies once more (perhaps he’s from Sunderland) with another goal on the hour, and that proved to be the winner. Chipstead climb to twelfth.

Northwood were at home again so couldn’t add to their six away wins in a row, but a late winner gave them another home victory to go with them. Keagan Cole opened the scoring for Woods midway through the first half, but a penalty for Isiah Noel-Williams looked to have earned the Saints a point nineteen minutes from the end. Josh Helmore had other ideas, however, and two minutes from time he got his seventh goal in nine matches to earn take three points for his side. That’s sixteen points from eighteen for Northwood, six points from thirty for the Saints.

Thatcham Town recorded a fine victory on Saturday, and hosted an Ashford Town side who had won only one of the last six. If the Kingfishers were confident it was misplaced, as a goal in each half saw the Tangerines ease to victory. Aaron McLeish-White has been a revelation for Ashford, and got his sixteenth goal in twenty five matches in giving them the lead on twenty one minutes. Ten minutes from time Sam Humphreys made it two, and the Tangerines are tenth- four points and three places ahead of their hosts.

Finally, in the Pitching In Isthmian South East Division, Herne Bay climbed to fourth place with a last-gasp win at Chichester City. Bay had a fine four-nil win against another Sussex side, East Grinstead Town, on Saturday- but City were made of far sterner stuff, and the match looked as if it was ebbing to a goalless draw when Laurence Harvey struck in the last minute.

Hythe Town and Whitehawk both needed the points as they met at Reachfields, but they had to be content with one each. The visitors will be most disappointed with that, as they led until the very last minute. James Fraser gave the Hawks a seventeenth minute lead, and the same player restored their advantage on twenty six minutes- just a minute after Tyler Sterling had equalised for the hosts. The equaliser came from Riley Alford, and the Hawks were trying to keep the Cannons at bay with ten men by then, after Harry Reed saw red eleven minutes from time.

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