Swifts and Athletic take the play off prize- whilst Coggeshall and Rovers snatch relegation play off places

Grays Athletic, in sixth place at start of play, played their last ever scheduled league match as tenants of Aveley FC as they welcomed bottom side Hullbridge Sports. Athletic, who hope very much that the local authority will soon grant them permission to take over the former ground at Thurrock FC just along the road, will be sharing Chadfields with Tilbury next season- but first and foremost they needed three points to take a top five spot, and a goal in each half made sure of that. Callum Watts broke the deadlock just before the break, and Sam Bantick made sure late on. Sports, sadly, are relegated, whilst Grays will be off to AFC Sudbury in midweek.

Felixstowe and Walton United and Heybridge Swifts played each other at the seaside, a winner takes all encounter- and it was Swifts who took all, Sam Park scoring the only goal of the game. It was bad luck for the hosts, who dropped from fourth to sixth- but perhaps not unexpected, as it took the visitors winning streak against United to six matches. Image from Alan Edmonds.

Tilbury welcomed Gorleston, the Dockers perhaps hoping that the Greens were too busy thinking about their Norfolk Senior Cup Final at Carrow Road and not at all focused on winning a fourth successive game. Tilbury needed at least one point to take a relegation play off, but they ended up with none, a Connor Ingram goal for Gorleston with nine minutes to go sending the Dockers down.

Coggeshall Town moved up to seventeenth and the prize of a relegation play off place with a goal in each half against New Salamis. Josh Osude opened the scoring five minutes before the break, Fred King made it two fifteen minutes from time, and the Seed Growers have another chance to seal their safety.

Great Wakering Rovers, who conceded six against champions Hashtag United last weekend, welcome our other North Division galacticos, second place AFC Sudbury. Rovers needed victory to have any chance of turning automatic relegation into a relegation play off, and they got it against a much changed Yellows side, despite falling behind after just eleven minutes, Joe Grimwood with the goal. Just before half time Ibrahim Kamara levelled, and twelve minutes from time James White made it two. That, coupled with that late Gorleston goal at Tilbury, was enough to earn that relegation play off shot.
Champions Hashtag United knew that victory at Basildon United would take them to a magical one hundred points- but they didn’t get it, the Bees holding them to a goalless draw.

Lowestoft Town, secure in third, welcomed East Thurrock United and rounded off the regular season with a two-nil win. Adam Hipperson opened the scoring from the spot on seventeen minutes, and Chris Henderson rounded things off right at the end. Heybridge Swifts will be heading their way in midweek.

Stowmarket Town defeated Bury Town in the Suffolk County Cup Semi-Final on Wednesday and did it again, Jack Ainsley and Jack Wilkinson earning them a two-nil win. Brentwood Town also had a positive end to the campaign, defeating Wroxham three-nil. Jack Adlington and Bryan Ifeanyi scored two in the first ten minutes, and the Yachtsmen then went down to ten men, Jordan King dismissed. Jack Dickinson made it three just before the end.

Maldon & Tiptree welcomed Witham Town, both sides safe from danger- and the visitors took the points courtesy of a Farai Tsingano goal fourteen minutes from time.

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