Late Cray leveller leaves the Urchins one win from the title

Chatham Town, in second place, hoped to keep the title race alive for at least one more weekend with victory at Cray Wanderers- and it looked like they’d done just that, only for Wands to grab a point with an equaliser deep in added time. Wands broke the deadlock at the midpoint of the first half, Jack Holland heading home a Frankie Raymond free kick, only for the Chats to level thirteen minutes later, Harvey Bradbury scoring from close range. Just after the hour the visitors went ahead, and could undoubtedly hear a large part of East London groaning as a result, Francis Mampolo making it a debut to remember, and it looked like the points were heading back to the Bauvill. The champions trophy was just being put back in its box for the weekend when, five minutes into added time, Alfie Evans somehow found a path through a crowded box into the corner of the net.

That result means that the Chats can reach a maximum of eighty seven points if they win all of their remaining matches- with the Urchins already on eighty five and welcoming Wingate and Finchley this afternoon. Hornchurch have seven matches to secure the required three points- but we suspect they’ll want to do it in front of their own fans this afternoon. That said, visitors Wingate and Finchley, in fifth place, will be no pushovers- and with only a two point lead over sixth place Dulwich Hamlet the Blues need for the points is even greater than that of their hosts.

Image- we suspect- by Max English.

Carshalton Athletic travelled to take on Concord Rangers with three points a must, as they had fallen five points away from the top five spot they covet. The Robins had lost only two of their previous ten, and were seven unbeaten prior to their loss at Cheshunt last weekend, but the four draws which accompanied the four victories in that run had allowed their rivals to open up a gap. Rangers, fifteen points from safety, also surely needed to win this one after losing eight in a row.

After a goalless first half, the Robins finally got their noses in front on sixty four minutes, and- as usual- it was Oluwabunmi Babajide who made the breakthrough, a seventeenth goal of the season for the Athletic number nineteen, his shot nestling just inside the post. It looked as if that would be that, only for the hosts to level three minutes from time, courtesy of an own goal. Harrison Day then had a chance to put the hosts, but his shot went the wrong side of the post- and four minutes into added time the visitors made them pay, Babajide once more the scorer.

Athletic breathe a sigh of relief- and climb to sixth. Rangers now have only eight games left to try and rescue their season.

Hastings United started the day seven points from a play off spot as they hit the road to North London, where they took on Haringey Borough. The ended the day only four points from the top five and with a vastly improved goal difference, after hitting their hosts for five and leaving them twelve points from safety.

United went ahead after only twelve minutes, Jordy Mongoy opening the scoring- and that was that until almost an hour had passed. Sam Gale doubled the visitors advantage, and then nineteen minutes from time Davide Rodari made the points safe with his twenty ninth goal of the season. It was to get even worse for Borough, who look doomed, as Finley Chapman added two more to take the scoreline up to five-nil. Five hundred and forty watched on, and we suspect most of them are now resigned to relegation.

Lewes, down in eleventh place, had a nine point gap between themselves and the top five as they kicked off at Folkestone Invicta- so they knew that victory was more than desirable. Sadly for the travelling faithful, their hosts were in their best form of the season- and Invicta delivered a three-one win to sit alongside the three-one win they recorded at the Dripping Pan in September.

Seidou Sanogo has been very impressive of late, and he opened the scoring for the Stripes, his sixth of the season, but the Rooks were soon level Ryan Gondoh also taking his tally to six. Parity departed on twenty six minutes as Tom Derry restored Invicta’s lead, and eight minutes into the second half it was Derry time once more, three-one, and the visitors promotion chances looking rather forlorn.