Millers and Urchins close the gap as Blues held

Leaders Bishop’s Stortford, with a two point lead at kick off and having won seven of their last eight matches, weren’t able to relax as they took on Horsham at the R&D Advisors Stadium. Not only were the Hornets in fine form, with only one defeat from their last ten, but the Blues had Aveley and Hornchurch breathing down their necks! The Hornets hadn’t managed to defeat the Blues in their previous five attempts, but they went ahead on ten minutes through Shamir Fenelon, and they held that lead for almost three quarters of an hour, Ryan Charles levelling for the Blues. That was that, and the Blues stay top only on goal difference.

Aveley were on the road to third bottom Herne Bay. The Millers had won their previous six matches and had kept a clean sheet in their last four, whilst Bay were in their best form of the season, with one defeat from their last four, and were desperate for the points for an entirely different reason to their visitors. The visitors went ahead on eight minutes, Tom Stephen with the opener- but they were ahead for only one minute before Marcel Barrington scored for the second time this week. The visitors went ahead from the spot with twenty two minutes left, Siju Odelusi keeping his cool, and they held on to go level with the leaders.

Hornchurch have the title in their sights, too. They started the day three points behind the leaders but with a superior goal difference and a game in hand- but they also had a difficult match, as they travelled to face seventh place Cray Wanderers. Only the Urchins and Stortford had lost fewer matches than the Wands this season, but they rearguard was broken just after the half hour, Ade Yusuff putting the Urchins ahead. The next goal was all-important, and it went to the Urchins, Chris Dickson making it two, and that was that. Hornchurch close to within a point of Stortford, and they still have that game in hand.

Enfield Town started the weekend in fourth place but had hit a bit of a roadblock, losing their last two. The Towners were at home to Margate, and six hundred and forty four turned up to watch, but they had little to shout about during a goalless first half. The second half was also devoid of goals, but Town stay fourth.

Canvey Island made the long trip to Tolworth, to take on Corinthian-Casuals. The Gulls had climbed into the top five after a fine run which had seen them lose only once in eight matches, but they couldn’t manage a goal in this one. Mind you, neither could Casuals, but they are off the bottom on goal difference. Canvey stay fifth.

Hastings United found themselves outside the top five only on goal difference, and they hit the road to take on the side two places and three points behind them, Carshalton Athletic. United had won their previous five matches and kept a clean sheet in the last four, but their chance of another clean sheet went when Femi Akinwande put the Robins ahead on twenty seven minutes. It was two-nil seven minutes later as Bradley Williams found the back of the visitors net, and although the visitors got one back late on, Jack Dixon from the spot, that was that- the Robins up to seventh.

Lewes, in ninth place and five points away from the top five at kick off, hoped to get back to winning ways as Billericay Town came to call. The Rooks went ahead nine minutes before the break, and of course the goal went to Joe Taylor, the human bulldozer grabbing his twenty ninth goal of the season. Nine hundred and twenty six turned out to watch, and most of them will have been shaking their heads sorrowfully as the visitors levelled on the hour, Kareem Isiaka scoring for the second Saturday in a row. That was that, a point which neither side will be particularly happy with.

Potters Bar Town reached the Velocity Cup Final in midweek, but were back in league duty once more and faced a difficult task as Folkestone Invicta came to call. Just how difficult was demonstrated when Ronnie Dolan put the visitors ahead on eleven minutes, and Dolan was soon in the headlines once more, making it two-nil a quarter of an hour later. The next goal also went to the visitors, Scott Heard making it three-nil with seven minutes left, and right at the end it got even worse for the Scholars, Dolan getting his hat trick from the spot and Lenny Atherton making it five-nil. Invicta are up to eighth, only three points away from the play off spots.

We’d a big match at the bottom as Kingstonian hosted Bowers & Pitsea. Three points separated the two in the K’s favour at kick off, and an away win would have seen the two swap places. It took seventy minutes before a goal arrived, and it went to the K’s, Danny Dudley opening the scoring. That turned out to be the only goal, and there are now six points between the K’s, in eighteenth, and the bottom four.

Wingate & Finchley had climbed to eight points above the bottom four after winning three- and losing only one- of their last five, but they fell behind seven minutes before the break against Bognor Regis Town, Nathan Odokonyero with his twenty seventh of the campaign, The hosts were quickly level, however, Elliott Long with the equaliser, and they completed the turnaround eight minutes after the restart, Luke Ifill making it two-one. The next goal was critical, and it went to the hosts, Antonis Vasiliou making it three to the Blues, and almost immediately it was four, Wilf Samuel-Ompreon leaving the travelling fans with their heads in their hands. The Rocks narrowed the deficit in added time, Calvin Davies making it four-two, but it made no difference to the destination of the points, the Blues up to sixteenth- two points behind their visitors.

Finally, Haringey Borough and Brightlingsea Regent met at Coles Park. Borough had only one win in their last seven matches but went ahead just before the break, Erald Desa with the opener, and soon after the restart Rakim Richards made it two. Ben Allen added a third and there was no way back for Regent, who were soon four down, Stefanos Georgiou with that one. It got worse for the visitors when Callum Ismail made it five, and with eight minutes to go Josiah Bridgeman made it six! Regent did get one back before the end, Jermaine Anderson with it, but it was a very small consolation for the visitors. Borough are fourteenth, Regent sink to the bottom.

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