Scholars terrible week continues as Urchins go top

It’s been an uncomfortable week at Potters Bar Town. Suddenly and surprisingly without a manager, after Sammy Moore’s unexpected move to bottom-of-the-South-East-Division Faversham Town, the Scholars travelled to Carshalton Athletic and conceded three first half goals, Ollie Cook, Tommy Bradford and Femi Akinwande with them. Akinwande added a fourth twelve minutes after the restart, before Nick Dembele continued his good scoring run when making it six goals in eight matches, pulling one back for the Scholars just after the hour. They managed a second soon afterwards, Quentin Monville reducing the arrears, but the last word went to Akinwande, who clinched the match and his hat trick by scoring his side’s fifth from the spot. Adam Martin was dismissed for the Scholars, who drop to second, whilst the Robins go fifth.

Hornchurch were on the road for an Essex derby, as they faced Bowers and Pitsea. The Urchins had only one defeat from their previous thirteen league matches, and they went back to the top of the table with some late, late drama. By the time we got to the last minute it looked as if the hosts had earned a point, but suddenly we got the action the previous eighty nine minutes had been crying out for, although Bowers will think we got too much of it. First, Liam Nash put the visitors ahead, and then Ugonna Emenike saw red for Bowers. Then Dexter Peter saw red for the hosts, and Sam Higgins converted a penalty. And that turned out to be that- perhaps we should just have kicked off after eighty eight minutes? Pity anyone who left early to beat the traffic!

Aveley, in third place, were on the road to Horsham- who knocked them out of the FA Trophy in October, the Hornets coming from two-nil and three-one down to win. The Millers created most of the drama in this one, going down to ten men, coming from behind to lead, then conceding an equaliser right at the death and seeing a second play red carded. The Hornets looked comfortable with an hour gone, a goal to the good through Tom Kavanagh and then a player up after Ryan Scott saw red for the Millers, but the ten men suddenly stepped up a gear and scored two, Ben Allen with both of them. As we neared the end the equaliser arrived, Eddie Dsane with it, and Millers sub Garret Kelly then saw red.

We had a rather stormy match as Enfield Town welcomed Bishop’s Stortford. There may have only been one goal, but there were four red cards- three of them going to the Towners, who ended the match with eight men! Donell Thomas got that goal, a beauty for the visitors from just outside of the box, but just before the hour all hell broke loose. A fracas saw Harry Beadle leave with a bloody nose and a red card, swiftly followed by James Richmond and Lewis Knight for the hosts. Towners boss Andy Leese apparently also picked up a red card, and it seems Anthony Wordsworth also saw red late on. That’s four defeats out of four for Enfield against the Blues.

Canvey Island, in seventh place, were potentially only a win away from the top five, and they welcomed a fast improving Folkestone Invicta. Invicta had suddenly found form, scoring seven goals and conceding only one as they won their last two matches, but they fell behind midway through the first half to Bradley Sach’s effort, and Sach then rubbed salt in the Invicta wounds by adding two more to end their revival in the second half. The Gulls stay seventh but close the gap on the top five to two points.

Bognor Regis Town welcomed Hastings United in a Sussex seaside bash. The hosting seasiders started the day four points and seven places behind the visiting seasiders, but were on a good run until Haringey Borough came to call and ended it last weekend. They’d since added Portsmouth striker Dan Gifford on loan to boost their firepower, and he started, but it turned out that neither side had any firepower- or any goals.

Kingstonian welcomed Cray Wanderers to Tooting. The K’s had taken only one point from their last three league matches but each of those had been on the road- and they’d been much better at home, winning their last three at Imperial Fields, so were hopeful of another digit in the W column. They didn’t get one, however, the only goal of the game going to the visitors, Sam Wood scoring it on seventeen minutes.

Haringey Borough defended doggedly and didn’t look too bad going forward either as they defeated Bognor last weekend, and they welcomed Lewes to White Hart Lane hoping for two wins out of two against Sussex sides. They went ahead after just ten minutes, William Dupray with the goal, but the Rooks levelled just before the break through Razz Coleman de-Graft and went ahead six minutes after it, TQ Addy with their second. That turned out to be that, the Rooks winning only their second away match of the season and climbing to eleventh.

We’d two crucial matches at the wrong end of the table. Bottom side Corinthian-Casuals welcomed the side two places and two points above them, Brightlingsea Regent, and it was the visitors who took the lead, Luke Woodward scoring midway through the first half. The equaliser came on the hour, and it went to Nathaniel Pinney, and ten minutes later the hosts got the winner, Reuben Collins lifting them above their visitors to twentieth- five points from safety.

Image from Andy Nunn- more here.

Second bottom Herne Bay welcomed a side just outside of the bottom four, Wingate & Finchley. Bay, seven points from safety, were desperate to win this one- but they hadn’t won a league match since October 11th and they fell behind in this one, Elliot Long scoring seven minutes into the second half. They did grab a point, however, Dan Johnson equalising just before the end.

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