Swans deliver a massacre- and hit the summit for the first time this season

Hanworth Villa blew the title race wide open with a narrow victory at leaders Basingstoke Town last weekend, and Stoke had the most difficult task as they looked to bounce back- a trip to second place Walton & Hersham. The Swans had won their last thirteen matches, and striker Eddie Simon- this week seen starring on Sky Sports News- had scored a hat trick in each of their last four, so it was no surprise when Simon hit the scoresheet once more, breaking the deadlock on twenty two minutes. Walton added a second just before the break, Mitchal Gough with what looked to be a crucial goal, but George Reid made a match of it by pulling a goal back seven minutes after the restart. The Swans then struck a killer blow, Alex Kelly with a third seventeen minutes from time, and it got worse for Stoke as Billy Upton saw red. A penalty from Harry Mills made it four-one with eight minutes to go, and it was five three minutes from time, Jordan Adeyemi with that one. The Swans go two points clear- and the crowd was ONE THOUSAND, SIX HUNDRED AND FIFTY ONE!

Image from Fraser Logan Photography.

Third place Marlow, nine matches unbeaten, travelled to Westfield hoping to take a step closer to confirming their play off place- but they fell behind early on, Florian Envoudou Ada scoring for the first time since December. The visitors were quickly level, Dawid Rogalski ensuring the Westfield only enjoyed their supremacy for five minutes, but four minutes before the break Andrew Crossley restored home advantage. Again the visitors roared back, and Toby Raggett made it two-two just before the break- and the next goal also went the way of Marlow, Rogalski making it three-two with eleven minutes to go. That was that, and Marlow open up a four point gap between themselves and Northwood in the battle for play off home advantage.

Chertsey Town travelled to Thatcham Town on the back of a run of one win in eight. The Kingfishers themselves had only one win from six, but they went ahead on the quarter hour, Josh Edwards opening the scoring. The equaliser arrived just before half time, Troy Walters with it, but the Kingfishers were ahead once more with twenty minutes left, Simeon Weekes doing the damage. That was that, Thatcham up to tenth and doing the double over their opponents.

South Park Reigate played host to Uxbridge. The Sparks had seen their promotion bid falter with only two wins from ten; whilst their visitors had also only won twice during the same period, so a battle of two form sides this wasn’t- but the hosts went ahead eight minutes into the second half, Deondre Date with the opener. Ben Jordan added a second eighteen minutes from time, but the visitors made the closing stages interesting when Aaron Minhas scored with six minutes to go. The interest stopped there, and the Sparks are up to eighth.

Another big match came from Whyteleafe, as Sutton Common Rovers, third from bottom, welcomed the side one place and two points ahead of them, Merstham. The Moatsiders defeat to Binfield last time out was only their second in ten matches, and they remained three points behind sixteenth place Ashford Town with a game in hand and a significantly better goal difference. Rovers had also been in good form, only three defeats from ten, and they went ahead on the stroke of half time, Tyler Cox opening the scoring. Immediately after the restart the hosts had a penalty, Conan Torpey converting to give them a two-nil lead, but Rovers then went down to ten men, Nabeel Ghannam seeing red. The Moatsiders also finished with ten, Mario Quissaca seing red- and fell to eighteenth, a point behind their hosts, who are two points from safety.

Second bottom Bedfont Sports were fighting for a play off spot this time last season, but found themselves six points from safety as they welcomed Leatherhead. Just before the break the Tanners saw Javaun Splatt dismissed, but it was the ten men who broke the deadlock with seventeen minutes to go, Alpha Diallo with the opening goal. That turned out to be the only goal, and it leaves Leatherhead in eleventh, whilst Sports stay six points from safety with only four matches left to play.

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