Three thousand watch Hastings NEARLY clinch the title

Barring a shock of enormous proportions, Hastings United will soon be lifting the Pitching In Isthmian South East trophy- but they couldn’t do it this weekend, as Haywards Heath Town frustrated the majority of the THREE THOUSAND AND EIGHTY TWO watching on at Pilot Field. United are twelve points clear with four matches remaining, and have a vastly superior goal difference, so second place Ashford United probably have more chance of winning the lottery tonight than catching them, but a goalless draw was more important to Heath than Hastings. Heath remain fourth, but none of the sides below them in the play off chase could win either!

Hastings will lift the title if they avoid defeat at Faversham Town next weekend.

Ashford United travelled to VCD Athletic. The Nuts and Bolts hadn’t won any of their last three matches and were beginning to look nervously over their shoulders, but they opened the scoring in this one, Luke Burdon giving them a lead in the thirty seventh minute which they couldn’t hold onto until half time, Youseff Bamba equalising just before the break. The match remained tied into the last quarter hour, at which point the visitors took control, Burdon adding a second and Gary Lockyer making it three-one, opening up an eight point gap over sixth place Herne Bay.

Cray Valley PM, a point behind the Nuts and Bolts at start of play, hosted another set of promotion-chasers, Ramsgate. The Millers had defeated two of their promotion rivals in their last two matches, and were hoping for a hat trick, and they certainly got one! It was three-nil at half time, Marcel Barrington, Denzel Gayle- his fiftieth for the club- and Hassan Ibrahiym with the goals, and although Joshua Ajayi got one back for the Rams, Anthony Edgar made it four-one eight minutes from time. The Rams will be delighted that Herne Bay didn’t take advantage, but with four consecutive defeats they need to find form again fast if they are to hold on to fifth place.

Our image, as usual comes from the master craftsman- Brownie Sports Photography.

Herne Bay were on the road to Mid Sussex- Wivelsfield, if you’re travelling by train- as they faced Burgess Hill Town. Neither side could manage a win-or a goal- but Bay closed to within a point of the top five, so will take positives from the match despite not getting a particular positive result.

Sittingbourne and relegation-threatened East Grinstead Town also failed to find a goal between them, a result which leaves the Wasps third from bottom and sees the Brickies close to within seven points of the top five- but with only four games left that gap might prove insurmountable.

We had a midtable battle between sides in green, as Chichester City welcomed Corinthian. It turned out that City were rather too welcoming, as the visitors ran in three goals without reply. Jack Mahoney put Corinthian ahead just before the break, and an own goal made it two nil with twenty three minutes remaining. Any chance of a home comeback evaporated when Lloyd Rowlatt was dismissed, and Emmanual Oloyede added a third just before the end.

Three Bridges welcomed our Pitching In Performance of the Month winners, Phoenix Sports. Sports had a five point gap between themselves and safety, although they’d lost only one of their last four- and another victory at Jubilee Field closed the gap to three points. A Roberto Ratti hat trick gave them a three goal advantage on fifty two minutes, and although Bridges made the last ten minutes interesting by pulling two goals back, Ryan Brackpool and Bryan Villavicencio with those, Sports held on for a crucial victory which keeps their escape chances alive.

Sevenoaks Town had three wins and a draw from their last five matches, but that only gave them a point’s worth of breathing space over the bottom three and they needed to extend that- and they did so in style. Freddie Parker scored on twenty six and twenty eight minutes, and Yahaya Bamba made it three before the break. On fifty seven minutes Emmanuel Oluwasemo got one back for the Lilywhites, but that was that- and the gap over the bottom three is now three points.

Bottom side Whitstable Town haven’t given up the fight just yet, and welcomed another of the struggling sides, Whitehawk. The Hawks started the day three points above the danger zone, and three was also an important number at half time in this one, as that was how many the Oysters scored before the break! Jack Hanson, Charlie Heatley and Danny Walder did the damage. Was there a way back for the visitors? There wasn’t, and the result leaves them only two points above the bottom three, whilst Town are still seven points from safety- but they do have a game in hand over their relegation rivals.

Hythe Town entertained Lancing at Reachfields, and the two had to be content with a point and a goal each. Both goals came early- after two goals in six minutes we had eighty one with no more of them. Matt Daniel gave the Lancers a third minute lead, Riley Alford equalised on nine, and that was that. The Cannons remain once place and two points ahead of their opponents, who stay out of the bottom three only on goal difference.

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