Pinney treble gives Robins real hope

Pinney joined the Robins in October and scored his first goal at the start of November. Including that strike, he has netted 18 of their last 37 goals.

It was Sean O’Toole who set the ball rolling with a tenth-minute goal, heading home after his first effort had been tipped on to the bar by Margate keeper Craig Holloway.

Pinney doubled the lead with a free-kick in the 32nd minute and added a penalty just after the hour before completing his treble as time ran out.

Holloway was sent off for the offence that led to the penalty: not the most auspicious start to his reign as player-manager after he was confirmed in the job this week, partnered by Simon Osborn, after a caretaker spell.

Carshalton are off the bottom, though they remain two points behind 20th-placed Lewes and have only four games left, so it will still be an uphill struggle to complete the escape.

Hastings went down 1-0 at Bognor, Dan Thompson heading home a corner in the 68th minute, and drop into last place, two points behind the Robins but with five games in hand.

Lewes failed to make the most of a glorious opportunity to chalk up a valuable win at Hendon, who were down to nine men after 20 minutes.

Sam Flegg was first to go, in the tenth minute for a ‘professional foul’, but Karl Beckford fired the resulting penalty against the bar.

Dean Cracknell put Hendon in front with a 15th-minute header but they were soon down to nine when Casey Maclaren was dismissed for violent conduct. They still managed to double their lead through Kevin Maclaren in the 32nd minute.

Simon Wormull’s penalty reduced the deficit on the stroke of half-time and there seemed little doubt that the visitors would go on to win. A heroic rearguard action kept them at bay until Ben Godfrey equalised in the 86th minute and Lewes stay in deep trouble.

So, too, do Wingate after their 3-0 defeat at Leiston. Luke Hammond opened the scoring after 18 minutes when Tom Winter’s effort came back off the bar.

Michael Brothers, whose cross set up the first goal, made it 2-0 just before the hour and his header rebounded from the bar for Winter to score his first goal for the club with 13 minutes left.

Thurrock eased their fears considerably with their second 1-0 away success in three days. They followed up Thursday’s shock win at Lowestoft with a less surprising one at Cray, who have now lost 12 at home. As at Lowestoft, Charlie Stimson did the trick for his father and manager Mark, with a 74th-minute header.

Cray still look reasonably safe, as do Harrow after their 4-2 home win over Enfield Town. Saheed Sankoh fired home from long range after six minutes but the in-form Liam Hope putting Enfield on terms in the 24th minute.

Sankoh scored early in the second half as well and Simeon Akinola made it 3-1 in the 71st minute. Hope nabbed his second in the 82nd minute but Rob Wolleaston quickly responded to make sure of the win. The visitors finished with ten men after a second yellow card for Will Sturgess

At the other end of the table, Whitehawk are three games away from clinching the title in their first Premier season after a 3-2 win at Kingstonian.

Sami El-Abd headed Hawks in front in the 35th minute but Luke Wanadio levelled it from 25 yards before half-time and 18-year-old Daniel Sweeney gave K’s the lead from a similar distance just before the hour mark.

It proved to be only a hiccup for the title-chasers, who were level ten minutes later when Joe Keehan headed in a corner and went on to win it when Michael Malcolm rounded keeper Rob Tolfrey with 13 minutes left.

Three wins, then, will see Hawks home unless Lowestoft can take maximum points from their last eight games and make up 24 goals as well. Two goals in as many minutes just before half-time, from Rob Eagle and Jack Defty (whose header is pictured by Gavin Ellis/TGS Photo), earned them a 2-0 win at Canvey and lifted them into third place.

Wealdstone stay second but would have wished for more than a 0-0 draw from their visit to Bury, a result which means that Hawks will have to drop four points to give Wealdstone any chance of pinching the crown.

It could have been worse for Stones and better for Bury, who are six points adrift of a play-off spot: Craig Parker missed a penalty at the end of the first half.

Concord’s title challenge is over after their 3-1 defeat at East Thurrock left them in fourth place. Danny Spendlove put the Beachboys ahead in the sixth minute but a Sam Higgins penalty levelled it on 21 minutes and a post prevented Ben Greenhalgh restoring Concord’s advantage.

Sam Collins put the hosts 2-1 up before the half-hour and Higgins scored again early in the second half to leave Rocks seven points short of a play-off place with two games in hand. They are already virtually certain to finish as the top club in the borough of Thurrock, which boasts five Ryman League teams, for the first time in their history.

With Canvey and Bury dropping points, Met Police were given a boost in their challenge to Margate for that final play-off spot. They are two points behind the Kent club, both having six games left, after Dave Knight’s goal ten minutes into the second half gave them a 1-0 home win over Hampton.