Singing the Blues!

It was a night of late goals in the Pitching In Isthmian Premier, but it was a side who weren’t even in action who ended the evening in celebration. Canvey Island were the only club with a chance of catching Bishop’s Stortford at the top of the table, but their draw against Aveley ended that chance, and started a Blue celebration! Congratulations to all at the R&D Advisors Stadium, on a wonderful end to a magnificent season.

Image: Tommy McMillan.

Stortford travel to Herne Bay on Saturday for what is now a title party, whilst the Gulls and Millers have joined Hornchurch as play off certainties, the Urchins and Canvey playing the role of Semi-Final hosts. What we don’t yet know is who they will be hosting, and indeed which of them will finish second.

Aveley travelled to the Island last night needing one point to confirm their play off spot. They left with that point, but wondering how on earth they didn’t get three.

The Millers opened the scoring just before half time, Kenny Aileru leaping highest and crashing home a header- and the points looked secure when the same player added another with fifteen minutes remaining, leaving the home defence watching in admiration as he fired home. The match reached its very last minute with the scores unchanged, but then the Millers forgot that if you give space to Evans Kouassi he is very likely to score- and the Gulls main man did just that, volleying home his twenty fourth goal of the season. Kouassi has been anything but a one man band, however, and four minutes into added time the hosts found an equaliser, Connor Hubble moving into double figures for the season. That was that, and the eight hundred and seventy nine watching on had been royally entertained and ultimately left content. As things stand, they may find themselves meeting again on Wednesday night- or, perhaps, on Bank Holiday Monday.

The final play off place is now a straight battle between its current occupiers, Cray Wanderers, and sixth place Lewes. The Rooks will have to win at Canvey on Saturday, and hope that the Wands slip up at Haringey Borough. Unless the Rooks can win handsomely, even a draw should be good enough for Wands, who are four goals better off if it comes down to goal difference. Canvey, of course, will be hoping to win and for Hornchurch to skip up at Kingstonian, as one of the two will take second place and would retain their home advantage all the way to the Final, should they reach it.

At Pilot Field Hastings United welcomed Billericay Town, and were rather too welcoming to begin with, Toby Stevenson putting the Blues ahead after just two minutes. The hosts fought their way back into the game and levelled eight minutes before the break, a great run and cross from Freddie Legg giving Joe Gbode the easiest of chances, but at the start of the second half they went to sleep much like they had done forty five minutes earlier, and George Wind took advantage to restore the visitors lead. It looked like the three points were off to Essex, but right at the end the Pilot Field faithful were rewarded for their patience when David Smith scored a goal out of nowhere, firing home to earn his side a point.

Congratulations to United’s Sam Adams, who received a presentation to honour his six hundred and fifty United appearances- that’s some feat, and makes him by some stretch the clubs record appearance holder.

Image: Tommy McMillan.

Follow the Pitching In Isthmian League on Instagram. Head here or search for theisthmianleague on your app. We're also on Facebook and Twitter.