Pitching In Isthmian Performance of the Month, April/May 2024

Our congratulations for some superb performances go to the following:

Pitching In Isthmian Premier

Enfield Town travelled to Chatham Town on Monday, and, as you’ve undoubtedly read (but you can read more about here), a superb second half performance brought them a three-nil Play Off Final victory and promotion to the National League for the first time in their history. The Towners also had a goal disallowed, and were worthy winners against a Chatham side who had two thousand, six hundred fans willing them on.

Oliver Knight, Marcus Wyllie and Lewis Taaffe scored the goals, and the Towners now have a seconds trophy to help them remember the day!

Pitching In Isthmian North

We’ve already delivered- virtually, at least- our Manager of the Month Award to East London, and we’ve decided to stay another day and also give Walthamstow our Performance of the Month Award for April.

Bowers & Pitsea went into their match against Walthamstow on April 20th aware that victory could see them top the table if Lowestoft lost at New Salamis- and they’d also won nine in a row, so were looking for a tenth consecutive win. They went ahead eight minutes before the break, the goalscoring hero- as usual- Matt Price, and they quickly added a second, Benas Vaivada making it two-nil just five minutes later; but if they thought they could relax, Walthamstow had other ideas, an own goal getting them back into the match deep in added time at the end of the half.

Stow may have had only pride to play for, but they levelled two minutes into the second half, Jonville Renee with the equaliser, and then stunned the home fans by going ahead on sixty four minutes, Bilal Sayoud making it three-two. Two minutes from time Stow added a fourth, Kymani Thomas leaving the home faithful scratching their heads.

Walthamstow were also nominated for their five-one hammering of Heybridge Swifts, but we decided that their win at the Len Salmon was even more impressive.

Pitching In Isthmian South Central

Binfield’s ‘Great Escape’ has been one of the stories of our season, and their trip to Badshot Lea on April 11th was very much in the category of ‘must win’- and win they did, closing the gap on third bottom Chipstead to four points, with two games in hand.

The Moles made it three wins from four- four matches which saw them score twelve goals and concede only three. They took the lead midway through the first half, Mitchell Parker sending Harry Cawdron the wrong way from the spot after the Baggies keeper had conceded the penalty in the first place- and twelve minutes later they got another, Tone Glenn Kusel-Gabriel seeing a deflected effort enter the net. At this the Baggies began to bounce back, Lamin Ceesay reducing the arrears in first half stoppage time and George Hedley levelling after the Moles failed to deal with a free kick from the right- but the visitors scrambled a third just after the hour to restore their lead, Tyler D’Cruz keeping his cool. The Baggies hopes finally departed five minutes from time, a long throw flicked home at the near post by Manuchim Oke-William to make it four-two, and there was still time for a fifth, Dontaye Whittaker pouncing on a cross to beat the keeper from six yards.

Congratulations to the Moles, who were also nominated for their six-three win over Northwood.

Pitching In Isthmian South East Division

Play Off Finals are not normally one-sided affairs, but the Pitching In Isthmian South East Play Off Final was very much that, as Chichester City earned promotion to Step Three for the very first time in their history by thumping Three Bridges away from home. You can read all about that here, but a goal in the first half minute, three by half time, and a five-nil victory by the end tells its own story.

Many congratulations to City, who were quite magnificent, and who were also nominated for their Semi-Final win at Ramsgate.

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