Stortford stay top- by the skin of their teeth!

Bishop’s Stortford looked as if they were about to relinquish their hold on the top of the Pitching In Isthmian premier, before a goal deep into added time earned them a point against Canvey Island. The Gulls went ahead midway through the first half, Bradley Sach heading home, and doubled their advantage a few minutes later when Evans Kouassi set up Joe Paxman for a second. There were only seventeen minutes left when Frankie Merrifield halved the deficit, but it seemed not to be enough- until four minutes into added time, when a penalty was awarded for handball. Mathew Johnson kept his cool as Bobby Mason in the visitors goal went the wrong way.

Hornchurch closed the gap on the leaders to one point, and ended Kingstonian’s four match unbeaten run in the process. The Urchins went ahead from the spot after just six minutes, Tom Wraight with the goal, and doubled their advantage twenty minutes later when Sam Higgins made it two- his thirtieth goal of the season. Chris Dickson made sure, adding a third five minutes from time. Hornchurch have two games in hand over the leaders, and are eight games unbeaten.

Three places and four points separated Hastings United and Enfield Town at kick off, but the hosts moved up a place after a one-one draw at Pilot Field. Adam Cunnington gave the Towners the lead on eighteen minutes, but David Smith equalised just before the break- and that was that.

Horsham haven’t yet given up on their play off ambitions, but they came badly unstuck at Herne Bay, who boosted their survival hopes with a comfortable victory. After sixty seven goalless minutes the hosts took charge, Jack Sammoutis opening the scoring, and Daniel Ogunleye added two more in the last eight minutes to earn Bay three valuable points. They move up to nineteenth, but are eight points from safety, whilst the Hornets are seven point adrift of the top five.

Bottom side Brightlingsea Regent, with Dave Limber in charge until the end of the season after Brett Munyard’s departure, looked to have a mountain to climb as they welcomed Bognor Regis Town- and it got even steeper after the Rocks scored four goals without reply. Dan Gifford (pictured, courtesy of Tommy McMillan) took only four minutes to open the scoring, Sam De St Croix added another just two minutes later, and a third on twenty seven minutes from Nathan Odokonyero -his twenty ninth of the campaign- put the visitors out of sight before half an hour had been played. An own goal made things even worse for the hosts after the break, although an injury to Odokonyero marred the evening for the visitors. Bognor are up to fourteenth, Regent are thirteen points from safety with nine matches remaining.

Finally, managerless Potters Bar Town welcomed Margate to the Lantern Stadium. The Scholars, who saw Lee Protheroe depart his position on Sunday, had only one win from ten and over their previous thirteen matches had fallen from first to thirteenth- and it got worse for them last night as Harrison Hatfull got the only goal of the game on twenty six minutes, delivering three points to the visitors. Margate are fifteenth, fifteen points clear of the bottom four, and surely safe.

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