Cray up to second- and Billericay hit five

The weather once again got in the way of much of our football, but as with Mr Shakespeare we were glad of what we had left. With the top two frozen off, third place Cray Wanderers had the chance to go level on points with leaders Hornchurch, but they had the not insubstantial obstacle of sixth place Aveley to overcome first, and at Parkside no less. The Millers followed up their win over Wingate & Finchley last Saturday with the defeat of Leatherhead in the Velocity Cup on Monday, and had only one home defeat from their previous ten home matches in the League; whilst Wands favourite result on the road was a draw, indeed they’d drawn seven of their thirteen matches on their travels prior to this one. The visitors went ahead seven minutes before half time, Tom Derry with his eighth of the season as he poked home from close range, and try as they might the equaliser didn’t arrive for the hosts. Cray go second- but they have played four games more than the sides around them.

Carshalton Athletic, the third of five clubs who started the day on thirty eight points, welcomed Bowers & Pitsea. The Robins have got very good indeed at grinding out one-nil wins, and they got another- their seventh of the season- when Calvin Ekpiteta got the only goal of the game on sixty four minutes. That’s their second one-nil win over Bowers this season, and it takes them to within a point of fifth place.

The fourth of those thirty eight point-ers were Billericay Town, the Blues at home to Kingstonian. Town were five matches unbeaten and looking good, whilst the K’s had picked up a valuable win in their last match, at Enfield Town, and had won on their last two trips to New Lodge. Mind you, those were in 2016 and 2017! It took only seven minutes for the hosts to take the lead, a goal that was Quick no matter how you look at it, Daniel Quick with his first goal for the club. The lead had evaporated by the break, Tyrese Owen levelling for the K’s on forty five minutes, but nine minutes after the restart it was more blue heaven as Alfie Cerulli got his eleventh of the campaign, Quick the provider. The floodgates then opened, and Bradley Stevenson, Marvel Ekpiteta and Eze Ebuzoeme made it five goals and five different scorers for the hosts, who celebrated with most of the eight hundred and seven present and climbed to seventh. Image from Nicky Hayes.

Folkestone Invicta, one of our form sides, put their five match unbeaten run- four wins- on the line as Haringey Borough came to call. Borough had won their last two matches without conceding a goal and defeated Invicta three-nil in their meeting on Bonfire Night, and went ahead in this one, Alphanso Kennedy opening the scoring just after the half hour. The lead was loudly celebrated but quickly lost, Ian Gayle restoring parity three minutes later, and then another Ian, Draycott, got what proved to be the winner eleven minutes after the restart- his one hundrd and fiftieth Invicta goal. Nine hundred and two turned out to watch, and Invicta are now only three points away from fifth place.

Finally, we had a battle between two of our relegation fighters, as Herne Bay welcomed Corinthian-Casuals. Four points separated the two at kick off, in Casuals favour, although Bay have two games in hand over their pink and brown visitors. It took Rory Smith only two minutes to put the hosts ahead, but eleven minutes before the break Casuals were level, Olu Ayoola heading home the equaliser. Bay quickly restored their advantage, however, Kymani Thomas putting them ahead once more seven minutes later, and they sealed victory when Mason Saunders-Henry added a curling third- a result which lifts them off the bottom.

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