Home is where the…points are!

Hornchurch had scored fourteen goals in their previous four matches- including five in victory over Herne Bay on Saturday- but the Bognor Regis Town backline stood firm for most of last night’s encounter at Bridge Avenue. Sadly for the Rocks, ‘most’ wasn’t quite enough, as on thirty seven minutes a foul on Urchins striker Sam Higgins earned the hosts a penalty, and Higgins picked himself up and tucked it away. That turned out to be that, and Hornchurch find themselves three points behind leaders Bishop’s Stortford with a game in hand- and a superior goal difference.

Fourth place Enfield Town had what looked to be a tricky trip as they head to the Kentish seaside to take on Folkestone Invicta- and tricky, it turns out, rather understated their difficulties. The Towners hadn’t managed to defeat Invicta since February 2019, and that run continues after the hosts fired home three goals without reply- two of them in the last twenty minutes. Louis Collins opened the scoring- his first goal in stripes- on twelve minutes, and despite the visitors best efforts an equaliser didn’t arrive. The Towners were undone again twenty minutes from time, Ira Jackson Jr finishing with his left foot- and any chance of a comeback was ended when Ibrahim Olutade followed in to finish off a rebound after Nathan McDonald saved from Jackson. Invicta are tenth- but close the gap between themselves and fifth place to five points.

Hastings United moved up to sixth place and intensified Bowers & Pitsea’s recent woes. United have been in fine form, and welcomed their visitors from Essex on the back of a five match unbeaten run, having won their last four of those and kept a clean sheet in their last three- and they increased each of those numbers by one after two late goals finally broke the visitors resistance. The opener arrived in seventy five minutes, Jake Elliott and David Smith exchanging passes before the former fired home- and the hosts made sure two minutes from time, Sam Adams scoring a long range effort. Only goal difference keeps United outside the top five, whilst fourth bottom Bowers are two points from safety having played more games than their closest rivals- and that was their fifth consecutive defeat.

Carshalton Athletic, rather like Hastings, started their day three points behind fifth place Canvey Island- and they ended it there, too, after Wingate & Finchley delivered a comprehensive victory. The Robins were unbeaten in the previous five meetings between the clubs, winning four of them., but they fell behind to an own goal on twenty seven minutes and saw the game escape them entirely as Antonis Vasiliou scored two goals in four minutes midway through the second half to confirm victory for the hosts, who open up an eight point gap over the bottom four.

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