Bridges go level with Rams once more

With leaders Ramsgate taking on Erith & Belvedere on Sunday, second place Three Bridges had the chance to match the Rams points total as they welcomed East Grinstead Town for an A264 derby. Bridges had scored fourteen goals in their previous three matches, whilst the Wasps were struggling for consistency, but the visitors have a decent recent record against their local rivals and went ahead just before the quarter hour, Tom Cadman opening the scoring. Bridges levelled midway through the half, Ibrahim Jalloh taking his tally to twelve from twelve appearances, and they turned on the style after the break. Harvey Woollard made it two seven minutes after the restart, Jalloh added the third soon afterwards, and with sixteen minutes left Noel Leighton’s seventeenth of the campaign made it four-one. Jerson Dos Santos got one back for the Wasps, but Bridges held on comfortably for three points and went level with the Rams once more.

Image from Eva Gilbert.

Third place Sittingbourne were looking to climb to second, but had to settle for third despite a comfortable win over Merstham and yet another clean sheet. It took them until seven minutes after half time to make the breakthrough, D’Shaun Theobalds with the opener, and they made the game safer fourteen minutes from time when Mitchell May made it two. The third arrived with only four minutes remaining, Chris Harris the scorer, and that’s only one defeat in ten for the Brickies.

Cray Valley PM, our only unbeaten side, were scheduled to be on the road to the Sussex seaside as they traveled to Littlehampton Town- but their fixture congestion got even worse as the game was called off due to a power failure.

Fifth place Sheppey United were five unbeaten- with four clean sheets- and took some impressive form to Sussex to take on Lancing. The Lancers, who started the day in eighth, had also been in fine form having taken thirteen points from the last fifteen available, and they ended that Ites clean sheet boast on the half hour, Lukas Franzen-Jones making the breakthrough. Right before the break the visitors levelled through Javaun Splatt, and two minutes from time Danny Leonard got the winner for the visitors, lifting them to fourth spot and ensuring that they’d now defeated the Lancers four times in a row.

Sevenoaks Town hoped to climb back into the top five, but to do it they needed to defeat draw specialists Burgess Hill Town at Greatness Park, and they didn’t have the best of starts. There were only fifteen minutes on the clock when Dan ‘Hitman’ Perry opened the scoring for the Hillians, but Oaks levelled ten minutes before the break, Dan Bennett with the goal. Hill restored their lead just after the hour through Alex Brewer, and looked to have made the match safe when Darren Budd made it three-one, but that sparked an Oaks comeback. Rowan Liburd made it two-three with nineteen minutes left, and deep into added time Dan Carr ensured yet another draw for Hill as the hosts made it three-three.

Hythe Town, fresh from their Trophy heroics in midweek, welcomed Chichester City to Reachfields. City were along the road in Ramsgate in midweek, and that wasn’t a very positive experience for them with a four-nil defeat, which meant they’d lost their last three- but they hit Hythe for five in Sussex in September and went ahead in this one just before the break, Isaac Bello with the opener. Twelve minutes after half time City saw Curtis Da Costa dismissed, but the ten men went further ahead nineteen minutes from time, Josh Clack doubling their advantage. The visitors then went down to nine, Rob Hutchings seeing red, but somehow the nine men kept their clean sheet intact and climbed to eleventh.

Ashford United, who had slipped to ninth after losing their last two, were on the road to seventeenth spot Phoenix Sports. You never quite know what you’re going to get from either side; the Nuts and Bolts have had a rather inconsistent campaign, whilst Sports had been very good on occasions and dreadful on others- but they’d delivered their best performance of the season so far against United, winning five-three at Homelands in mid September, and they were ahead in this one seven minutes before the break, Andy Pugh breaking through. Pugh broke through again ten minutes into the second half, and although Tariq Ossai quickly got one back for the visitors a third for Sports, scored by Ryan Hayes, made quite sure of the points three minutes from time. Sports are up to fourteenth.

Herne Bay welcomed Horndean to Winch’s Field. Bay were on a run of one win- and four draws- from their last six, form which has seen them slip away from the top five, but they got an early goal in this one, Michael Salako continuing his red hot season with a twelfth goal in fifteen games. Bay looked comfortable when Theo Osinfolarin made it two eleven minutes before the break, and it was still two-nil as we reached the forty fifth minutes, but somehow two-two by half time, Connor Duffin and Zack Willett changing misery to delight for the Deans. Kane Rowland put Bay ahead once more ten minutes after half time, and Salako restored their two goal advantage with nineteen minutes left, and although Dan Sibley made the closing stages interesting by bringing it back to four-three, this time there were no late levellers.

Broadbridge Heath were the hosts for Beckenham Town. The Bears sat just outside the bottom two at kick off, three points ahead of Becks, but they got of to a flyer, Mason Doughty putting them ahead after just two minutes. It was two-nil midway through the first half, Ryan Blackpool steady from the spot, but within eleven minutes of the second half the visitors were level, Harry Gamble and Funsho Sinai getting the goals. The Bears were soon ahead once more, Ben Aubrey making it three-two, but again the visitors roared back, and Dieko Falade levelled with sixteen minutes left. This time, the goals stopped.

A note to our clubs- if you believe that any of the goals scored by your side was worthy of consideration for the 'Goal of the Month Award,' please feel free to upload it now using the link you were sent, don't feel that you have to wait until the end of the month!

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