More wins for Rams and Millers, Hill hit four- whilst the Bears and Moatsiders somehow deliver a six-all draw!

We don’t normally lead our round ups with a draw, but we’re going to make an exception, as that draw was six-all! There was always a chance of a draw at Broadbridge Heath- after all, the Bears have drawn half of their home matches- but nobody expected such a goalfest, not least the visitors, who were repeatedly ahead and yet in the end needed a late goal to take a point!

Merstham went in front on fifteen minutes, Ben Senior scoring his second goal of the season, and almost immediately it was two-nil to the visitors, Aaron Lamont, recently returned to the Moatsiders from Raynes Park Vale, scoring on his second Merstham debut. At this point the Bears awoke from their hibernation and halved the arrears, Mason Doughty with his first of the evening, but it was soon three-one Merstham, Charlie Greenwood adding a third for the visitors. That looked to be that for the first half, but there was still time for a fifth goal- another for Doughty making it two-three at the break.

Those watching on can’t have expected the same amount of entertainment in the second half, but as it turned out, they got more! Only a minute had gone when Doughty claimed the match ball and got an equaliser, but Merstham went immediately up the other end and restored their lead, Greenwood making it four-three to the visitors. Five minutes later it was four-four, Tadley Bromage for the Bears, and then we had a short interlude- fifteen minutes without a goal- probably whilst the players looked at each other in sheer disbelief and wondered what on earth was happening.

What was happening next was another Merstham goal, Will Kendall putting them five-four up on sixty eight minutes, but the Heath response was to charge up the other end again and make it five-all, Bromage once more- and we suspect that Endurance Johnson in the Merstham goal had never endured anything like this in his life. With three minutes to go, we got what looked to be a winner, and somehow the hosts found themselves ahead for the first time, Ashley Mutongerwa sending the home contingent wild- but there was still time, right at the end, for the scorer of the night’s first goal to also get the last, and Ben Senior must have been delighted, relieved and somewhat bemused to be scoring his sides sixth of the night and yet only leave with a point.

We do hope that someone caught all of this on video.

Right, back to the battle of the top of the table. Ramsgate were a few miles away from Broadbridge Heath, at Three Bridges. It was only recently that Bridges were challenging the Rams at the top of the table, but such has been the form of last night’s visitors that the gap between the sides now stands at twenty four points, a rather incredible total. After thirty nine goalless minutes at Jubilee Field the Rams were somehow two up at the break, Joe Taylor heading home his THIRTY SIXTH of the season and Craig Stone quickly making it two, another headed finish. That was that- and the Rams held on to their eleven point lead.

Cray Valley remain second- and remain the only unbeaten side in the League- after their latest victory, this one coming at Chichester City. It was game over by the break as the Millers dominated from the start. Matthew Vigor opened the scoring after just five minutes, his shot entering the net via the post, and midway through the half a first of the season for Kiki Oshilaja after a Barney Williams corner was headed on by Arthur Lee made it two-nil. Ten minutes before the break the visitors were awarded a penalty after a foul on Michael Ademiluyi, and Adam Coombes made no mistake. That was that, and although the hosts had much more of the ball after the break, they could do little with it.

Cray Valley are eleven points behind the leaders- but they do have three games in hand, so will believe that the title race isn’t over yet.

Burgess Hill Town have looked rather impressive of late, with three wins from four and only Ramsgate getting the better of them, and they were far too good for bottom side Beckenham Town at Eden Park Avenue. Dan Perry’s thirteenth of the season got the Hillians underway in- rather appropriately- the thirteenth minute, and although that was that for the first half, seventeen year old Harry Lawson was on hand to score his first senior goal twenty minutes into the second half and put his side two-nil up. Another seventeen year old, Noah Hoffman, thinks that first senior goals are rather old hat, and got his third of the season nine minutes later, and right at the end Hitman Perry was the hitman yet again, making it four-nil.

Hill are eight points away from the top five- but certainly won’t think themselves out of the Play Off race just yet.

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