Towners go second, Canvey hit the summit, and Uxbridge win the big match in the South Central

Pitching In Isthmian Premier

Enfield Town climbed up to second place in the Pitching In Isthmian Premier Division last night, with a hard-fought three-one win over Bowers and Pitsea.

The Towners made it three games unbeaten and closed to within six points of League Leaders Worthing with this victory, which was started in the sixteenth minute by- guess who- Mo Faal. That’s Magic Mo’s twenty eighth goal of the season- from thirty three matches. Just before the half hour Andre Coker scored the goal of the night- a fabulous free kick- to make it two, and although Quentin Monville gave the visitors hope by pulling a goal back four minutes after the break, Adam Cunnington extinguished that hope two minutes later with the hosts third.

Monville also scored for Bowers the last time the two met, a four-nil win in December 2019- but his side didn’t come close to a positive outcome last night, and have now lost six in a row.

Brightlingsea Regent had lost four matches in a row before Potters Bar Town arrived at The Taydal, but they ended that run with two second half goals and three points. Valter da Rocha opened the scoring eight minutes after the break, and on sixty five minutes Aaron Blair made it two- Regent leapfrogging Bowers into eighteenth place.

Pitching Isthmian North Division

Canvey Island have been top of the table for much of the season, and now they are back there again after a three-nil victory over AFC Sudbury. The Gulls have been anything but a two-man team this season, but the same two names seem to stand out week by week, and once again Matthew Price and Evans Kouassi were to the forefront, the former scoring two, the latter assisting one and scoring another. That’s twenty four for striker Price, and a perhaps even more remarkable twenty one for Kouassi, who let’s not forget is primarily a winger. He’s always been capable of chipping in with a goal now and then, but not like this!

The first two goals came in the first half, Price on the half hour and Kouassi four minutes later, and the striker ended any home resistance with the third seventeen minutes from time.

The Gulls are now two points clear at the top, with a game in hand over second place Aveley and having played the same number as third place Stowmarket Town, the Millers and Stow on forty six points.

Felixstowe and Walton United are now the top team- on form- in the Division, and after last night’s result the Seasiders have taken nineteen points from their last twenty one. Basildon United were the latest side to feel the sharp edge of the Felixstowe attack, the hosts falling to a two-one defeat despite a fighting performance. Ollie Canfer’s seventh of the season gave the visitors the lead after just three minutes, but the Bees struck back, Joe Wright equalising on thirteen minutes. The winner came soon after the hour mark, and it came to Joe Whight, a first goal of the campaign for the Seasiders defender.

Image courtesy of the club.

Pitching In Isthmian South Central

We had a big match in the South Central last night, as Chertsey Town, who had lost only one league match this season, welcomed Uxbridge- who had lost two, but both of them against leaders Bracknell Town. It turned out to deserve the top billing we’d accorded it, with the red Army leaving triumphant even though they didn’t have top scorer Anthony Mendy to help.

Juwon Akintunde gave Uxbridge the lead in the fourteenth minute, and the second came just after the half hour, Prince Ogunmekan giving them a right royal lead. The Curfews main man, Jake Baxter, gave the home crowd hope when halving the arrears just after the hour, but that hope was dashed five minutes later when Elliott Poley made it three.

Chertsey stay second, but Uxbridge are now only a point behind them with a game in hand. The gap between the clubs and leaders Bracknell is a rather incredible fourteen points (Chertsey) and fifteen points (Uxbridge) although the Curfews have one game in hand, Uxbridge two.

Velocity Trophy

We had one match in the Velocity Trophy Third Round, and we said it would be entertaining- we were most definitely right! Chichester City welcomed Folkestone Invicta, went two-nil up by the break, and ended up losing five-three after the Pitching In Premier Division side turned on the style after the break.

City, with only two defeats in their last ten, were quickly on the offensive. Charlie Oakwell put them ahead on twenty six minutes, and just before the break Miles Everett made it two. Whatever Neil Cugley said to his players at half time certainly worked, as they’d scored five goals before the hosts got another! Ian Draycott pulled one back five minutes after the break, Adam Yusuff drew the visitors level three minutes later, and then Jordan Wright, Draycott and Yusuff made it five-two. Oliver Barry’s eighty-ninth minute goal for City was, by this point, no more than a consolation.

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