City hammer Hawks, Bridges wallop Ites, and Millers coast to victory on the road

Our big match saw fourth place Whitehawk head along the A27 to take on ninth place Chichester City. Our hosts started the day four points short of a play off spot with games in hand over most of the sides above them, and in fine form, eight games unbeaten. The Hawks were also in a good place, with only two defeats from ten and having won their previous three, keeping three clean sheets and scoring eight goal in the process. It promised to be a cracker! City broke the deadlock on twenty minutes, Kaleem Haitham converting a cross, and they had a second eight minutes later, Connor Cody the first to react to turn home a free kick. Four minutes from time the Hawks made the closing stages interesting, Kris Oti halving the deficit, but the visitors then had Tommy Brewer sent off and the hosts capitalised on the extra space, Ethan Pritchard grabbing a third just before the end. Pritchard grabbed a fourth from the spot, too, as City closed to within a point of the play offs.

Cray Valley PM also started the night four points away from the top five, and the Millers, who got back to winning ways at the weekend, knew they would move into seventh if they could win at East Grinstead Town. They were ahead early on, Ade Adeyemo picking up a Barney Williams throw and finishing from a tight angle- and had a second just before the break, Adam Coombes heading home. Coombes used a foot to score his next goal on fifty three minutes- he had little choice, it was a penalty- and that was that, the Millers doing the double over their hosts.

Three Bridges found themselves only a point above the bottom four at kick off, albeit with games in hand. Visitors Sheppey United, four points away from the play off places, had lost only one of their last ten- at Whitehawk on Saturday- but had also won only one of their last six, four draws slowing down their progress. Bridges went ahead just after the half hour, Noel Leighton moving into double figures for the season, and Leighton made it eleven for the season and two for the evening ten minutes after the restart. The Ites immediately hit back, Warren Mfula with his twenty second of the season, but a penalty from Brannon O’Neill ten minutes from time made sure that the points were staying at home. They added a fourth, too, Michael Wilson scoring right at the end- and are up to twelfth.

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