Hornchurch remain eleven clear as the Chats fall at Canvey

Chatham Town hoped to close the gap on leaders Hornchurch to a not-really-very-close-at-all eight points as they visited Canvey Island last night. They also hoped to extend their winning run to four matches. But sometimes, hopes turn out to be forlorn.

The Chats suffered a topsy-turvy kind of night. Behind, level, ahead, down to ten men, level, behind- their evening went from disaster to triumph to disaster again as the Gulls moved up to seventh place in the table.

Canvey had the best possible start, Bradley Sach volleying home on five minutes, but the visitors levelled eight minutes before the break through Chris Dickson, and two minutes later Jamie Yila ran through and made it two.

Perhaps the turning point of the match arrived in the fifty eighth minute. The visitors Alex Brefo, already booked in the first half, was adjudged to have fouled Joe Paxman, and the yellow card came out again, followed by a red, with the referee pointing to the spot. Connor Hubble made no mistake to make it two-two, and although the ten men held on for twenty minutes, Sach was there to head home at the back post and earn three points for his side. The visitors had a chance to level right at the death, but they couldn’t take it, the Gulls enjoying their triumph.

Image from Nicky Hayes.

Chatham stay second, but they are only a point ahead of Billericay Town, who saw a goal in each half give them victory over Carshalton Athletic. Athletic took our points from the two meetings between the sides last season, but have been in terrible form of late, and were behind after just six minutes, Ade Azeez heading home a cross from Jay Porter. The Robins were never out of the match, and had a chance of taking something from it until the last knockings, when Bradley Stevenson- seven minutes into added time- made it two.

The Blues have a game in hand over Chatham Town, but are twelve points behind leaders Hornchurch. The Robins have taken five points from the last thirty available to them, and are down in tenth place.

Bognor Regis Town bounced back from being the victims of a giantkilling last week to defeat Folkestone Invicta at the weekend, and the Rocks were back on their own patch as they welcomed another set of Kentish Seasiders, Margate. The home fans were celebrating after just three minutes, Lucas Pattenden firing home via the crossbar, but they were silenced ten minutes later as Steve Cawley got his eleventh of the campaign, heading home a cross from Harrison Hatfull. With twenty one minutes to go Cawley took his season total to twelve, this one a spot kick, but two minutes from time Dan Gifford earned the hosts a point. Bognor are thirteenth, Margate sixteenth, and this was the first draw between the sides in six meetings.

Dulwich Hamlet started the campaign as one of our promotion favourites, and after a bumpy spell were finally starting to find their Isthmian feet once more, undefeated in seven matches. They welcomed Potters Bar Town, another side who had improved markedly in recent weeks, and had lost only one of their previous nine. We suspected that this one might be close, and so it turned out.

Hamlet were ahead on nine minutes, Jerome Binnom-Williams hitting a free kick under the jumping wall and leaving Laurence Shala with little chance. The home side only had six minutes to enjoy being ahead before the Scholars struck back, Ryan Herval forcing home a corner, but on twenty five minutes Hamlet were ahead once more, Michael Chambers heading home a corner.

The hosts held out until fifteen minutes from time, when Temi Babalola spoiled their party, scoring his fifth goal in nine matches. Hamlet are fourteenth, whilst the Scholars remain nineteenth, despite having lost fewer matches than anyone else in the bottom eight.

A note to our clubs- if you believe that any of the goals scored by your side was worthy of consideration for the 'Goal of the Month Award,' please feel free to upload it now using the link you were sent, don't feel that you have to wait until the end of the month!

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