Rams stay top despite defeat- as the top three all lose!

Our preview focused on the three-way battle for top spot, but we didn’t really expect each member of that trio to lose!

Ramsgate were on the road to another seaside destination, that of Littlehampton Town. The mid table Golds had only one defeat from their previous five league matches, and drew at Cray Valley last time out; whilst the Rams seemed to have come through their sticky patch, winning their last two in the league- both, incidentally, against Sussex opposition- and knocking Herne Bay out of the County Cup in midweek. It turned out that the Rams woes were not, after all, over- and that a third match against Sussex opponents was, in fact, unlucky- as Joe Benn and Dion Jarvis delivered a two nil win for Town with goals on seventy two and seventy six minutes.

The Rams stay top, but only by a point- and we have a new side in second place. Ashford United were without a win in three, each of those defeats coming against a promotion rival, but they took their frustrations out on Haywards Heath Town, hammering the Sussex side four-nil. There were two goals in each half, Omar Lawson and Lanre Azeez with the first two, Gary Lockyer and Henry Muggeridge with the last two. That’s nine in fourteen matches for Lockyer since his return to the club- and only one win from seven for Heath.

Chatham Town were at Three Bridges, who had fallen into the bottom four with four defeats and only one win from their last five. That win was at home, however, whilst all the defeats were away, so they were pleased to be back at Jubilee Field- and goodness, it showed, as they inflicted a first defeat on the Chats since the opening day. Two goals in a minute for the hosts on thirty seven minutes- Brannon O’Neill and Noel Leighton- gave them a comfortable half time lead, but the visitors responded on sixty nine minutes, Dan Bradshaw pulling a goal back. The next goal was critical, and it went to Bridges, Callum Donaghey with it- and although Emmanuel Oloyede got one back with three minutes remaining the points stayed at home. Bridges climb to sixteenth.

Whitehawk, undefeated at start of play, had what looked to be a tough task as they travelled to sixth place Beckenham Town- and so it proved. A goal in each half earned victory for the hosts, Steve Townsend with the opener, and the ever-reliable Louie Theophanous with his sixteenth of the season made sure of the points after the break. The Hawks drop to fourth, Becks are outside the top five only on goal difference. Image from Andy Schofield.

We had an all-green battle at the More Than Tyres Stadium, as Burgess Hill Town welcomed VCD Athletic. The Hillians had lost only one of their previous eight league matches- but that record is now two from nine as Vickers took the points. Soul Kader scored the first goal of the match on twenty six minutes, and the last goal of the match on eighty two- whilst in between Dan Perry equalised for the Hillians.

We’d another all-green battle in theatreland (there are two of them right next door to the ground) as Chichester City welcomed Cray Valley PM. City had lost only one of their previous eight league matches, whilst the fifth place Millers were five unbeaten, and made it six with two goals after the break. Dan Bennett got the first, just before the hour, and Adam Coombes got the second just before the end. Millers stay fifth.

Sevenoaks Town saw their five match unbeaten run come to an end at East Grinstead last weekend, whilst visitors Sittingbourne had only one point to show from their last five matches. The two sides didn’t manage a goal between them on this occasion.

East Grinstead were on the road to second bottom Corinthian, and both sides had to be happy with a goal each and a point each. Both goals came within four minutes of each other before the break, Daniel Correia Lopes scored first for the Hoops, and Sam Williams levelled for the Wasps.

Sheppey United continued their good recent form with victory at Faversham Town. They faced the Lilywhites newly-signed goal machine Zak Ansah, and he did score on his debut, but it didn’t help much because at the opposite end Warren Mfula got a hat trick! All of the goals came in the first half, Frankie Sawyer bringing the total to two-three for the hosts, but the points went back to the island. Sheppey are up to tenth, Faversham stay bottom.

Hythe Town, outside the bottom four only on goal difference at start of play, hosted Lancing- one place and two points ahead of them. The Cannons had only one win from their last seven league matches, but they added a well-deserved three points with a three-one win. Liam Smith gave them the lead after just two minutes, and Frannie Collin added a second from the spot midway through the first half, Johan caney-Bryan made it three-nil twenty minutes from time, and a late consolation from Darius Goldsmith meant little to the outcome. The Lancers drop into the bottom four.

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