United end the Urchins winning run- and the Hornets climb to third

Leaders Hornchurch have an eleven point lead at the top of the table following their trip to Hastings United- but the eagle-eyed amongst you will notice that they had an eleven point lead BEFORE they hit the road to Sussex, and deduce that the almost-unthinkable has happened. Yes, Hornchurch have been defeated- for only the second time this season.

It looked very much as if the match was going to end goalless- indeed, we’d had eighty eight minutes of goalless- when Tommie Fagg decided he’d like a different outcome. United’s leading scorer Davide Rodari has far more to his game that finding the back of the net, and it was his intervention and fine cross to the back post which found Fagg charging in to convert. The Urchins had taken on United three times since the hosts return to our top flight, and won each one of those by a three goal margin. Well not this time!

Hastings are eighth, but only three points behind fifth place Wingate & Finchley. Hornchurch won’t be having too much of a crisis this morning- as well as their eleven point lead they still have two games in hand over second place Chatham Town- but the Chats will be delighted to be reminded that the Urchins are, in fact, human!

Horsham had lost two in a row prior to their trip to Canvey Island, and, given that their games in hand over their closest play off rivals had shrunk to one, needed to get back to winning ways as a matter of urgency. The Hornets couldn’t have had a better start, Lee Harding finding the bottom corner of the net from the edge of the box with only two minutes on the clock- and the visitors doubled their advantage just after the half hour, Daniel Ajakaiye, assisted by Lucas Rodrigues, making it two.

Immediately after the break the Gulls hauled themselves back into the match, Jamie Salmon heading home a cross from Conor Hubble, but try as they might that was all they could manage, and the Hornets climb to third- one point ahead of fourth place Enfield Town, two clear of fifth place Wingate & Finchley. That’s seven without a win for Canvey- and Horsham have now won the last four meetings between the clubs.

Bognor Regis Town still have play off hopes, but have a five point gap to make up on the top five after taking only one point from their Sussex derby against Whitehawk. The Hawks broke the deadlock at Nyewood Lane on sixteen minutes, the opening goal going to Kai Jennings, the youngster crowning his first ever Hawks start with his first ever Hawks goal after a fine debut from the bench on Saturday.

It looked as if the visitors would hold the lead going into the break, but deep in added time the Rocks levelled, Jasper Mather with the equaliser- and within seven minutes of the restart the hosts were ahead through Lucas Pattenden, the Bognor number seven scoring his seventh of the campaign. The lead lasted but six minutes before Charlie Harris hit a long-range lovely to level, and that turned out to be that. That’s eight unbeaten for the visitors, who are in thirteenth place- and a one hundredth competitive match in charge for their boss, Shaun Saunders. The visiting fans seemed happy, too!

Image from Andy Schofield, we suspect.

Concord Rangers, nine points from safety at kick off albeit with four games in hand, very much needed to win one of those as Potters Bar Town made the trip to Essex. The Beachboys had hit something of a slump and had lost their previous four- and now it’s five, after the Scholars took their unbeaten run to eight matches, a goal in each half giving them a comfortable win. As usual, the goals came from Brandon Adams, who took his tally for the season to seventeen in twenty three appearances, scoring after four minutes and ending the home hopes ten minutes from time. The result sees the visitors do the double over their hosts, and move twenty points clear of the drop zone- indeed, they’ve closed the gap on the top five to eleven points and have two games in hand.

The Beachboys are now twelve points from safety- although they retain those four matches in hand.

There was but one place- although nine points- between Cheshunt and Folkestone Invicta as they kicked off last night, and there is still one place, but the gap is now down to six. A far more important gap, from an Ambers perspective, is the eight point gap they’ve opened up between themselves and fourth bottom Margate, and their latest match contributed three points and three goals to that margin, as they came from behind to win by the odd goal in five.

It was a tale of three spot kicks. The first of those, which went to Invicta’s David Smith, put the visitors ahead midway through the first half after Michael Kedman was brought down in the box. Four minutes from half time the hosts levelled through Alfie Pendlebury, and then Nnamdi Nwachuku got into the act with the second and third of those penalties on sixty five and seventy six minutes, putting the Ambers two-one and three-one up. Seven minutes from time the visitors made things interesting as Seidou Sanogo scored from the edge of the box, but despite their best efforts the visitors had to head back to Kent empty handed.

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