Five Alive!

We had a number of significant and high scoring matches last night, but we’ll start our round up by heading back to Monday, when Haringey Borough looked to become only the third Isthmian side to defeat Maldon & Tiptree this season as they hosted the Jammers in the Velocity Trophy (although one of those defeats was in a Velocity shootout so the Jammers did take a point from that!). It took the visitors only five minutes to go ahead through Ryan Charles, but the Premier Division side fought back and early in the second half managed to equalise and go ahead, Anthos Solomou and Dimitri Froxylias turning the match on its head. With eight minutes to go it looked as if Borough would have something to celebrate, but a minute later Charlee Hughes got an equaliser, and within two minutes the visitors were ahead, Stephane Ngamvolou with the goal. If winning is addictive, then the Jammers have a serious habit.

Onto last night then, and we’ll start in the Premier Division, where we had two matches which impacted on the nether regions of the table. Merstham hosted Bowers & Pitsea looking to put some light between themselves and the basement; particularly important given the Moatsiders had played more games. Visitors Bowers & Pitsea had followed three consecutive wins with a defeat and a draw so wanted to get back to winning ways- and they did just that. After a goalless first half Ben Sartain gave the visitors a fifty third minute lead, and that was doubled by an own goal seventeen minutes from time. A third from Joesph Gardner made the points safe, and Calvin Ekpiteta’s reply was no more than a consolation. Bowers are seventeenth, nine points clear of their nineteenth placed hosts- who are two points off the bottom.

At half time it seemed that our bottom side Wingate & Finchley might lift themselves out of the relegation positions, given they were a goal to the good at home to Leatherhead. Luke Ifill got that goal, but it all went wrong for the Blues after the break, as Jake Embery struck twice to seal the win for the Tanners. Leatherhead climb to eighth.

The North Division had goals galore, with each of our five matches seeing a minimum of three.

The highest placed side in action were Heybridge Swifts. Swifts started the evening in fourth, and could have climbed to second with victory at Tilbury, but they ended the evening as they started it as the Dockers romped into a three-nil half time lead and held on to it for the rest of the match. Oliver Spooner, in the first minute, John Easterford fifteen minutes later, and David Knight eight minutes from the break scored the goals which lifted the Dockers to seventh- within two points of a playoff place.

Coggeshall Town climbed to sixth, getting back to winning ways after a run of four draws and a defeat. Histon came to call, and must have wished they hadn’t bothered, as the Seed Growers ran out five-one winners. Ross Wall opened the scoring in the first minute, and a Joseph Claridge penalty made it two before the break. In the second half the hosts added three more- two in two minutes through Rob Harvey and Jack Simmons, and a Josh Pollard goal a minute from time. Histon did get one back, Ed Rolph scoring in the seventy fourth minute.

Canvey Island are up to eighth. They fell behind after scoring an own goal at Soham Town Rangers midway through the first half, but Rangers then self-destructed, seeing Callum Russell and Alfie Connor sent off within four minutes of each other. They held on to their lead with nine men until eighteen minutes before the end, when Jason Hallett equalised, and then held on to a point until the very last minute, when Hallett and Kane Gilbert finally made the Gulls pressure tell.

After taking only one point from the previous fifteen, Dereham Town were hoping for a change of fortune, and they got one at Basildon United. After a goalless first half-and indeed a goalless seventy four minutes- Jake Imrie, Toby Hilliard and Ryan Crisp all found the back of the Bees net in the last quarter of an hour. The Magpies are up to tenth.

Finally, Brentwood Town put ten points between themselves and bottom side Romford by winning three-nil at Witham Town. Connor Hogan gave the visitors a seventeenth minute lead, Temi Babalola made it two ten minutes before the break, and Andrew Freeman made the game safe just before the hour. Brentwood are now only a point behind their hosts.

We had one match in the South Central Division, and it saw Tooting & Mitcham United close to within five points of leaders Ware with three matches in hand. The Terrors travelled to Chalfont St Peter and were three goals up by half time, Connor French, Dominic Morgan-Griffiths and Danny Bassett finding the net. In the second half Jamarie Brissett made it four, before Dan Williams got an added time consolation for the Saints.

The South East Division was supposed to have three matches, but ended up with two after the match between Sevenoaks Town and Haywards Heath Town was abandoned due to a local power failure. Chichester City were the big winners, travelling to VCD Athletic and leaving with a three-nil victory- Kaleem Haitham, Iordache Gicu and Josh Clack scoring the goals. East Grinstead Town and Whitehawk played out a one-one draw and also drew one-one in red cards, both ending the match with ten men. Both goals came in the first half, Lucas Rodrigues putting the Hawks ahead in the sixth minute before Gil Carvalho equalised for the Wasps seventeen minutes later. Rodrigues later got a red card to go with his goal, and Drew Cooney followed him with a second yellow.

In the Velocity Trophy, Burgess Hill Town came from behind to defeat Hastings United in Group Four. Sam Adams got the only goal of the first half for the visitors, but second half finishes from Aaron Smith-Joseph and Pat Harding earned victory for the hosts.

Into the knockout stages, and both Enfield Town and Margate walloped home five home goals. The Towers faced Staines Town, and got their five before the break, Ken Charles, Bobson Bawling and a Ryan Blackman hat trick meaning that life after the departure of Muhammadu Faal wasn’t short on goals after all. Klajdi Cani got one back for the Swans fifteen minutes from time.

Hartsdown Park welcomed Carshalton Athletic, but it wasn’t very welcoming for the Robins. Margate took a fourth minute lead through Elliott Reeves, and that was a first of three for the same player before the break, with another coming from Adem Ramadan as the hosts got four before the break. Jauvan Splatt got one back for the Robins, and then in the second half Kadell Daniel made it five.

Barking took the lead against Cheshunt, but the Ambers roared back to victory. Michael Dixon scored from the spot in the fifty sixth minute to put the Blues ahead, but within three minutes Ryan Moss had the equaliser, and two minutes after that Norman Wabo got what proved to be the winner.

Finally, Bracknell Town took an early lead against Lewes at Larges Lane, Dan Carr opening the scoring after only three minutes. The Robins doubled the lead sixteen minutes from time through Max Herbert, and although Dayshonne Golding got one back for the Rooks in the last minute there was no way back for the Premier Division side.