Blues hit the summit- as the Urchins snatch defeat from the jaws of victory amongst controversy at Horsham

Blues hit the summit- as the Urchins snatch defeat from the jaws of victory once more

We’ve two points between the top four, big wins for Kingstonian and Bowers in the battle to avoid relegation- and Regent are our first side to be relegated

The two top scoring sides in the Pitching In Isthmian Premier clashed at the Camping World Community Stadium. Leaders Hornchurch were without a win in three as they headed to eighth place Horsham with a one point advantage at the top- but they had a very good start, Tom Wraight opening the scoring on six minutes. The Hornets drew level seven minutes before the break, Charlie Hester-Cook delighting the home fans, but immediately after the restart Liam Nash restored the leaders lead. They could have extended it, a Sam Higgins goal controversially disallowed for offside- however the tide of the match then turned, and with seven minutes left Jack Mazzone levelled for the Hornets. It then got worse for the visitors, as Mazzone added a third for the hosts- and the Urchins fans had not only seen a lead turn into defeat for the second weekend in succession, they had also seen their side removed from the summit. Horsham hadn’t defeated Hornchurch in six attempts, but it was very much lucky number seven. One thousand, two hundred and ninety eight watched on, and most of them were delighted.

Second place Bishop’s Stortford were on the road to South London, where they faced Carshalton Athletic- and they had a perfect start, talisman Frankie Merrifield opening the scoring after just five minutes- his twenty second of the season. Soon after the restart the Blues added another, Harry Beadle with their second, and the side with the best defence in the Division held on comfortably to take three points and return to the summit. That’s two two-nil wins over the Robins for the Blues this season.

Canvey Island closed to within two points of the top with victory at Wingate & Finchley. The Gulls delivered a sucker punch after a goalless first half, adding two goals in four minutes to take total control. Bradley Sach got the first, Conor Hubble headed home the second, and that turned out to be that. The Gulls are level on points with the Urchins- and with the Millers.

Aveley have a cup final to look forward to next week, but in the meantime still had their eyes on automatic promotion as they made the relatively short trip to Haringey Borough. The Millers travelled with an eleven match unbeaten run behind them, and were quickly ahead, Harry Gibbs taking only three minutes to break the duck. They seemed to have made sure five minutes from time, Oli Coker making it two, but the hosts then struck back, Ben Allen converting from the spot. Despite their best efforts, however, that was as good as it got for Borough- and Aveley completed a double.

Fifth place Enfield Town welcomed sixth place Cray Wanderers in what was perhaps our match of the day. Four points was the gap between the two sides at kick off, so the match was particularly crucial for Wands- but they didn’t have the best of starts, Adam Cunnington putting the Towners ahead after just six minutes to delight most of the five hundred and thirty five watching on. It took another seventy five minutes before the contest had another goal, and the second one went to the visitors, Harrison Sodje levelling for Wands. That was that, both sides ending the day where they started it- and with only four games left that’s undoubtedly better for the Towners than the Wands.

Lewes had a long trip to the Kent coast, to face Margate- the Blues still on a high after coming from two down to defeat the leaders last weekend. The Rooks had won four of their last five, and needed another three points rather desperately to keep their promotion aspirations alive- but they had a terrible start, falling behind after only three minutes, Sam Blackman the scorer for the hosts. The visitors levelled thirteen minutes later, Tyrique Hyde with the goal, but they were level for almost no time at all before Ruben Soares-Junior restored home advantage. It was two-two eleven minutes before the break, Joe Taylor doing Joe Taylor things- thirty three for the season. The second half delivered nothing to add to the scoreline, and the Rooks remain four points away from fifth place- but now have a game less to bridge that gap.

Herne Bay had only managed to defeat Hastings United once in their last nine attempts, and within twenty one minutes at Pilot Field it looked likely that the stat could be changed to one in ten, as United were two goals up- Joe Gbode and Craig Stone with the goals. Bay then hit back, Jerson Dos Santos with his first goal for his new club, and suddenly it was two-two, Marcell Barrington continuing his fine run and scoring for the third game in a row, his fifteenth of the campaign. Just before the break the home fans were silenced as Dos Santos added a third to complete the comeback, but the next act went the way of the hosts, Jack Dixon levelling on sixty three minutes. That turned out to be that, a point each not really the outcome that either set of fans in the eight hundred and seventy three watching on could be happy with. Bay drop a place to twentieth, and are four points from safety.

Folkestone Invicta’s promotion hopes had evaporated with defeats in their last three matches; whilst visiting Kingstonian’s survival hopes had been severely hampered by defeat in their last four- and things didn’t look good for the visitors when Ira Jackson opened the scoring from the spot just before the break. The K’s struck back, however, Hugo Odogwo-Atkinson levelling soon after the restart, and eight minutes later they went ahead, Darnell Goather-Braithwaite delighting the travelling contingent. When David Nyarko added a third five minutes from time there was even more delight, as the K’s are three points clear of the bottom four.

Bognor Regis Town and Billericay Town met in a mid-table match between two sides who had failed to achieve what their supporters hoped for them this season. The Rocks had followed a W-L pattern for their last six matches, and it looked like that would extend to a seventh when Imran Uche put the visitors ahead seven minutes after half time. That turned out to be the case, Billericay twelfth, the Rocks fourteenth.

Potters Bar Town had dropped from first to thirteenth over the last few months, and had won only two of their last twenty- so it wasn’t entirely a surprise when relegation-threatened Corinthian-Casuals took the lead on the stroke of half time at the Lantern Stadium, Finley Lovatt with the opener. That was the only goal of the game, and it keeps alive Casuals slim survival chances- they are ten points from safety with four games left.

Finally, we had a critical match between two of the bottom three as Brightlingsea Regent hosted Bowers & Pitsea. Twelve points away from safety, Regent knew that another defeat could relegate them, and they didn’t have the best of starts, Brandon Aviero scoring his fourth Bowers goal in his seventh Bowers game after just six minutes. It was two-nil just after the half hour, Montrell Deslandes making life more comfortable for the visitors, and that was that- Bowers closing to within three points of safety, Regent’s relegation confirmed. Image from Stadium Photography.

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