Five for the Swans- but they remain four behind

Leaders Basingstoke Town took their fine form on the road to third place Northwood. The Woods were four unbeaten, and had kept clean sheets in their last three, but that didn’t last more than eighteen minutes as Ben Cook put Stoke ahead. That turned out to be the only goal of the game, but it was enough for the visitors to remain four points clear- despite a late red card for Simon Dunn. FOURTEEN wins in a row for Town, a fine record.

Walton and Hersham- pictured, courtesy of the club- had won their previous ten matches, and they were assured of an eleventh victory by half time as they travelled to Chertsey Town. Eddie Simon opened the scoring on ten minutes and added a third thirteen minutes later- his twenty ninth of the season- with a Teo Kurtaran goal coming in between the two. Simon confirmed his second hat trick of the season six minutes after the restart, making it four-nil, and before an hour was up Kurtaran had grabbed a fifth. The hosts then finally awoke from their slumbers, Scott Day adding two goals, but that was that, eleven in a row for the Swans.

We’d fourth v fifth as Marlow welcomed Hanworth Villa. Four points separated the two sides at kick off, Marlow five unbeaten, and it was the hosts who broke the deadlock five minutes before half time through Naheer-Omar Nawaf- the number eleven scoring for the second time this week. The advantage was doubled with twenty minutes left, Junaid Bell making it two-nil, and the Villains went down to ten men soon afterwards, George Wells seing red. Marlow open up a nine point lead over the side in sixth, seven over their visitors, who stay fifth.

Southall, in eighth place, hosted a derby as Bedfont Sports came to call. Sports had slipped to six points away from safety, a run of one win in ten their undoing, and they fell behind just before the break, Jaden Thompson-Brissett with his ninth of the campaign. That turned out to be the only goal, Hall ending the day in eighth, Sports in eighteenth- although the margin between them and safety remains the same.

Westfield welcomed bottom side Tooting & Mitcham United to Woking Park. It seems rather inexplicable that a side who have provided a plethora of professional players to the Football League over the last few years are in such danger of falling to Step Five, but the Terrors continued to inflict terror on only their own fans as Didi Ndombe and Luke Elliott put Field two up at half time. That was that, Field up to ninth- five points away from a play off spot- whilst the Terrors are thirteen points from safety with seven matches remaining.

Uxbridge, who scored six in midweek and had lost only one of their last seven matches, welcomed a side who still needed points on the board despite recent improvements, Guernsey. After a goalless first half the deadlock was broken by the Green Lions, Jacob Fallaize just after the hour, but they were ahead for only five minutes before Joe Jackson levelled for the hosts. A goal each and a point each was the outcome, Guernsey three points above the danger zone.

Chipstead, who came from two down to score three goals in the last half an hour at Fetcham Grove to defeat Leatherhead earlier this season, were set a similar task as the Tanners saw Omarr Lawson get a first half double. Things got worse for the hosts when Dan Hector added a third four minutes into the second half, and although Brad Wilson quickly reduced the arrears from the spot, the points went to the visitors.

Sutton Common Rovers really needed a win against Thatcham Town at Whyteleafe. They had the perfect start, Danny Divine scoring on three minutes, but the Kingfishers quickly hit back, Muhamadou Ceesay levelling little over ten minutes later. Rovers were ahead once more with twenty five minutes left, Nabeel Ghannam, on the field for only two minutes, with his first goal of the season, but right at the end the visitors levelled, and that was how it ended- with Rovers seven points from safety despite only one defeat from seven.

Merstham gave themselves real hope of survival with that win in Guernsey in midweek, and the Moatsiders knew they could give themselves another boost and move to within two points of safety if they could defeat the side directly above them in the table, Ashford Town. They went ahead from the spot just before the break, Reece Deakin keeping his nerve, and on the hour Bryan Zepo got his eleventh of the season to make it two. Worrying times for the Tangerines, in sixteenth.

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