Bowers up to second- whilst Walthamstow keep their play off hopes alive

Fourth place Bowers and Pitsea had the chance to secure their play off spot- and indeed to go second- with victory at fifth place Brentwood Town, and they couldn’t have had a better first half. Benas Vaivada opened the scoring for the visitors after just twelve minutes following goods work from Matt Price, and just before the half hour Price’s fifteenth Bowers goal doubled their advantage, a lead they retained at the break.

Ten minutes from time Jonathan Nzengo gave the home fans hope, but that hope departed with only two minutes left, Ben Williamson making it three-one after a cross from Olly Sotoyinbo- and three points, to Bowers, who climb to second and, of course, clinch their play off place. Town remain fifth, five points clear of the next best side with two games in hand.

Felixstowe and Walton United and Bury Town also saw their play off places confirmed due to results elsewhere.

The sides in sixth and seventh, Heybridge Swifts and Walthamstow, met in East London with their play off hopes hanging by a thread. Walthamstow had an eight point gap between themselves and fifth place with three games left-whilst the gap between Swifts and the fifth place was seven points, so this was a match neither side could afford to lose. Swifts, however, had lost it by half time- or more to the point Walthamstow had won it, as they were a rather incredible four goals up! Kymani Thomas opened the scoring on twelve minutes, and on twenty five minutes it was two-nil, Ali Njie doubling their advantage. Almost immediately Kevin Songolo added a third, and in first half added time the visitors chances entirely departed, Brian Moses adding a fourth. It was five within four minutes of the second half starting, Thomas with a second of the night, although Swifts did then get on the scoresheet, Rob Harvey pulling a goal back. That turned out to be that, and it saw the sides swap places. Walthamstow are five points behind fifth place Brentwood Town, having played two games more.

Essex Senior Cup winners Redbridge were back on their own patch as they started a run of four home fixtures in a week! The Motormen welcomed Basildon United to the Oakside Stadium, looking to improve upon their fifteenth place- and with one defeat in five, and that cup win, won’t have been short on confidence. They went ahead after just sixteen minutes, Lewis Clarke’s eighth of the season, and that was that- the Motormen up to fourteenth. That’s one point from five matches for the Bees.

Poor Stowmarket Town were still to win a league match this season, and knew that another failure to win tonight would see them confirmed as relegated. Could they finally put a number in the win column as Maldon and Tiptree, with eight defeats from nine, came to call? Louis Britton certainly wasn’t happy with that idea, as the Jammers number nine grabbed a first half hat trick to put his side three-one up at half time, Ewan Gordon-Clement scoring for the hosts when they were two-nil down. Stow didn’t lie down, however, and Gordon-Clement reduced the gap to one when scoring his second of the match immediately after the restart, but the match was as good as over when Shane Temple added a fourth with eleven minutes to go, and a minute after that the fifth arrived, Harry Phillips with that one. Finally the scoring stopped, Stowmarket relegated, the Jammers in tenth.

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