Hornchurch maintain their advantage

Leaders Hornchurch welcomed Cheshunt, the Ambers making their first visit to Bridge Avenue since that Play Off Final that the home fans would rather we didn’t talk about! After a goalless first half the Urchins went ahead on fifty five minutes, Femi Akinwande with his tenth goal for the club, and that turned out to be the only goal of the game. Seven hundred and seventeen watched on, and we suspect that most of them left fully satisfied with the outcome- their side nine points clear at the top.

Whitehawk and Chatham Town were promotion rivals last season, but only the Chats currently look like repeating that feat for a second season in a row, and they went ahead at the Enclosed Ground just after half time, Khale Da Costa with the opener. The Hawks quickly hit back, Rob O’Toole with the equaliser, but the visitors went ahead again with eleven minutes to go, Danny Kedwell with the goal. Could they hold on? This time, they could.

Billericay Town looked to keep the pressure on the leading duo by defeating Folkestone Invicta at New Lodge. The visitors had been a distance away from their best of late, but you wouldn’t have known it when they went ahead from the spot on thirty two minutes and added a second four minutes later, David Smith and Kane Penn giving their side a solid lead. That lead was held for almost an hour before Frankie Merrifield got one back, but by then it was too little, too late. Invicta are fifteenth.

Hastings United, full of confidence after losing only one of their last ten and winning their last two matches to nil, travelled to bottom side Kingstonian, who have been in terrible form and desperately needed a win. It didn’t look good for the K’s when John Ufuah put United ahead after eighteen minutes, and it looked even worse when Tom Chalmers doubled the lead four minutes later. The K’s hit back just after the hour, Niran Butler halving the arrears, but the visitors wrapped up three points when Ufuah’s penalty made it three-one with three minutes to go. That was that, United closing to within three points of third place Billericay.

Enfield Town travelled to Canvey Island, both sides hoping to put recent defeats behind them. The Towners broke the deadlock on sixty six minutes, Sam Youngs with the opener, and they made the points safe when Marcus Wyllie made it two with seventeen minutes left. Wylie added a third just before the end, his twenty first of the season, and his side remain in fifth place, whilst the Gulls are down in thirteenth, memories of last season’s play off heroics an increasingly distant memory.

Wingate and Finchley welcomed Lewes, the Blues desperate to get back to winning ways after two defeats. After thirty three goalless minutes it was two nil by thirty five, Elliot Long with both goals for the hosts, and five minutes after half time it was three-nil, Ruben Carvalho leaving the Rooks fans checking the service on the Northern Line and hoping for an easy trip home. That was how it ended, the hosts in sixth, a point outside the play off places.

Carshalton Athletic have been in superb form, but their six match unbeaten record looked under threat when Cray Wanderers went ahead at Colston Avenue, Ellis Brown with the opener. Brown did it again just before the hour, making it two-nil, but the Robins sent up a grandstand finish when they got a goal back with a minute left, Joseph Bell with it. Sadly for the home fans, the grandstand emptied soon afterwards with their side having garnered not a point. Wands are sixteenth, the Robins eighth.

Bognor Regis Town took a five game winning run to Haringey Borough, and it looked as if they’d have to be happy with a point, until with thirteen minutes to go Tommy-Lee Higgs gave them the lead- scoring in his third game in a row and for the seventh time this season. That was that, and the visiting fans in the crowd of five hundred and seven had a happy trip back to the seaside, their side only three points away from the top five. Image from Tommy McMillan.

Potters Bar Town, big winners in midweek, were quick out of the blocks as they welcomed Concord Rangers to the Lantern Stadium- indeed they scored our first Premier goal of the afternoon, Leigh Rose making the breakthrough after four minutes. Rickie Hayles, who scored right at the end of the second half in midweek, scored at the end of the first this time around, making it two-nil to the Scholars, but the Beachboys gave themselves hope with twenty five minutes left, Ola Bello halving the arrears. It was a chance they took. With fourteen minutes left Harrison Day levelled from the spot, and four minutes later he put the visitors ahead. What could the Scholars do? It seemed, initially, not very much, and we reached the last minute with the visitors ahead- but suddenly we had an equaliser, an event which saw substitute Billy Knott dismissed for the visitors and Temi Babalola scoring from the spot. A point each? No! Up went the hosts, and there was Ore Bello to score a winner as a frantic match somehow ended with three home points. Town are fourteenth, Rangers twentieth, five points from safety.

Hashtag United got back to winning ways in midweek at Chatham Town, and the Tags welcomed Horsham to the Len Salmon trying to build on that. It looked to be going their way when Pedro Carvalho put them ahead on twenty seven minutes, but the Hornets still have promotion pretensions and needed points, and they levelled four minutes after the break, Charlie Hester Cook making it one-one, before going ahead ten minutes from time, Elliott Romain giving the hosts an uphill struggle. The visitors held out, and pick up a valuable victory, moving up to eleventh.

Margate, in the bottom four and desperate to start winning, welcomed Dulwich Hamlet to the seaside- and they were far too welcoming early on, Luke Wanadio putting the visitors ahead on twelve minutes. A Margate win looked even less likely when Jerome Binnom-Williams made it two-nil seven minutes before the break, and the chances had certainly departed when Wanadio got a brace for the second Saturday in a row, making it three-nil. Steve Cawley has been the hosts main man this season, and he got his eighteenth of the season gave them hope with twenty five minutes left, but it was hope which was quickly extinguished, Wanadio completing his hat trick when scoring his side’s fourth with thirteen minutes left. And that’s where the scoring stopped- Hamlet up to ninth, Margate still in the bottom four, level on points with fifth bottom Cheshunt but having played three games more.