Urchins, Hornets, Rooks and Hawks victorious on Premier Tuesday

Perhaps our biggest match was in North London, where fourth place Wingate and Finchley welcomed seventh place Hastings United. Whilst this match was important to the hosts, it was crucial for the visitors, desperate to ensure they remained firmly in the play off hunt. It was Wingate who broke the deadlock, Alex Solomon firing the opener into the top corner on eighteen minutes, and that was that until a flurry of goals in added time at the end of the half. First, two minutes in, Ruben Carvalho made it two-nil, a fine free kick his twenty second of the season- but with added time on EIGHT minutes Tommie Fagg got one back for the visitors after Ben Goode was unable to hold a shot from Freddie Legg.

Just after the hour United were awarded a penalty after a pull on John Ufuah, and the ever-reliable Davide Rodari made no mistake to level- his thirty second of a fine campaign- but the visitors then suffered a blow with a red card for Freddie Legg sixteen minutes from time. There were no further goals, and we suspect the hosts were happier with the outcome as they are six points ahead of the side in sixth. United are four points away from a top five spot.

In sixth place at kick off, Horsham were also in North London, as their match against Potters Bar Town had been transferred to the 3G surface at Coles Park, home of Haringey Borough. With three games in hand over fifth place Billericay the Hornets wouldn’t have been too downhearted by their defeat at Folkestone Invicta on Saturday- after all, they’d won their previous three- and they were quickly ahead in this one, Daniel Ajakaiye opening the scoring on seventeen minutes after Charlie Hester-Cook both won the ball and then played it into the Hornets number ten expertly. That turned out to be the only goal, and it was enough to send the Hornets into fifth place, three points ahead of now sixth place Billericay with two games in hand, three points behind fourth place Wingate & Finchley with two games in hand, and also three points behind third place Enfield Town with a game in hand.

Ajakaiye was chosen as the away fans man of the match, and accordingly awarded a set of Spiderman children’s wellingtons and umbrella from the Lardy Army! Pictured courtesy of Lardy Army.

Title winners Hornchurch got the chance to celebrate all over again, as Cray Wanderers arrived at Bridge Avenue. The Urchins had five matches left to reach one hundred points, and indeed started the match with the same number of points as they had goals, eighty eight, so that gave them a double target. They’d added another goal to that tally by the nineteenth minute, the ever-reliable Liam Nash giving them the lead with his twenty second goal of the season, and victory was confirmed eight minutes from time, Thomas Avgoustidis making quite sure after meeting a cross from Sean Scannell. The Urchins are now sixteen points clear of second place Chatham Town.

Whitehawk welcomed Concord Rangers to the seaside, the visitors aware that anything other than a win would confirm their relegation. The Hawks went ahead ten minutes before the break, Charlie Lambert with his fourteenth of the campaign, and they doubled their lead six minutes into the second half, Joey Taylor giving them a cushion with what appeared to be a cross, but they all count! Five minutes later the Hawks had a third, Charlie Walker from the spot for his twenty first of the season, and four minutes from time Joel Daly added a fourth as the Beachboys second relegation in a row was confirmed with a whimper.

Finally, Canvey Island and Lewes edged closer to the end of rather disappointing seasons- although of course the Rooks could yet win a European prize having reached the final stages of the Fenix Trophy! The match reached ninety minutes goalless, so how it ended two-nil heaven only knows, but two-nil was the final score, the Rooks scoring on ninety+one through Walter Figueira and added a second on ninety+three through Bradley Pritchard (although the Rooks Supporters feed gave it to Kalvin Lumbombo-Kalala). The Rooks are eleventh, the Gulls seventeenth- and not quite mathematically safe.

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