Urchins stay six points clear, Blues hit six and Rooks get four

Leaders Hornchurch, six points ahead at kick-off, coasted to victory against a Bognor Regis Town side who spent most of the match with ten men. The Urchins went ahead when Liam Nash volleyed home his thirteenth goal of the season midway through the first half, and the Rocks were soon reduced in number, after Matt Burgess, already booked for a foul on Nash, picked up a second yellow for a foul on Ade Yusuff. The resulting free kick was deflected for a corner, the corner was converted by the head of Ryan Scott, and it was two-nil at half time. Soon after the restart the game was effectively over, Nash once more making the difference and making it three, but the ten men weren’t going to roll over and Calvin Davies pulled it back to three-one six minutes later. With nine minutes left the Urchins added a fourth, former Hastings man Femi Akinwande with his first Hornchurch goal adding to the eight he got on the Sussex coast, and they hold on to that six point lead rather comfortably.

The Urchins closest challengers, Chatham Town, were on the road at Concord Rangers, and they went ahead eight minutes before the break, Tommie Fagg leaping high and heading home. Rangers levelled just before the hour through Simo Mbonkwi, but they were level for just two minutes before Jamie Yila’s spot kick restored the visitors advantage. Right at the end victory was confirmed, Ben Allen making it three-one to the visitors.

Carshalton Athletic welcomed cup heroes Horsham to Colston Avenue. The Hornets had only one win in their previous eight meetings with the Robins, and it didn’t look like today would be their day when Matt Everitt put Athletic ahead after just twelve minutes. The visitors decided otherwise, however. First, with nineteen minutes left, Kadell Daniel equalised- and then with only three minutes left Lucas Rodrigues popped up to get a winner. Horsham are up to ninth, the Robins down to fifth.

Whitehawk, unbeaten in the league since opening day, welcomed Dulwich Hamlet in a Danny Mills derby- but it looked as if their unbeaten record was about to depart when Michael Chambers opened the scoring for Hamlet with just twelve minutes left. With the Din making a din, the Hawks levelled with just a minute to go, Imran Kayani earning them a point- and Hamlet finished with ten men, Ademola Shokunbi seeing red. The Hawks slip down to seventh.

Fifth place Enfield Town travelled to take on an emotional Lewes, the club waving goodbye to Chair Stuart Fuller, who was stepping down as the constitution requires after serving for twelve years. The Rooks went ahead just after the quarter hour mark, Arthur Penney heading home a corner at the back post. The hosts doubled their advantage twelve minutes after the restart, Deon Moore making it two from the edge of the area, and an own goal quickly made it three-nil. The majority of the seven hundred and fifty one watching on were in dreamland when Tommy Wood made it four with thirteen minutes left, a fine send off for Stuart, and the Rooks up to sixth.

Billericay Town, trying to put their Cup defeat at Sheppey United behind them, welcomed a Hastings United squad who were without a permanent manager and had lost a number of their team mates this week. After a goalless first half which didn’t bring a great deal of entertainment for the seven hundred and eighty two watching on, the majority of them would have been thoroughly entertained just before the hour, Matt Johnson giving the hosts the lead- and that entertainment continued as Johnson added a second nine minutes later. The goals stopped there, and the Blues are up to third.

Margate welcomed Hashtag United. The Tags Misha Djemaili had scored two goals this season, both of them in matches against Concord Rangers, but he proved he could score against somebody else when opening the scoring midway through the first half. It looked as if the three points were going to the internet darlings, but Gate levelled right at the end, Steve Cawley sending those in blue off for their fish and chips in good spirit.

Wingate & Finchley, climbing the table after victories over Hastings United and Horsham in the last seven days, welcomed Canvey Island to North London. The Gulls took only thirteen minutes to go ahead, Mason Hall with the goal, but the Blues were level by the break as Anointed Chukwu got his fourth of the season. Within four minutes of the restart the Gulls were ahead once more, Luke Deslandes with their second, but their lead lasted only seven minutes, Ruben Carvalho drawing the hosts level once more. The hosts then hit top gear, and were soon out of sight. Chukwu put them ahead for the first time just after the hour, and with fifteen minutes to go any chance of a Canvey comeback ended when Carvalho got his second of the afternoon to make it four-two. Elliot Long then got into the act, scoring for the third game in a row to get his sides fifth, and then the same player made it six-two with six minutes remaining. The Blues march on- and climb to fourth.

Kingstonian had scored two goals in both of their previous two matches, but on both occasions only got on the scoresheet after conceding three- so their fans would have been delighted to see them score first against Folkestone Invicta, and even more delighted to see them quickly double their tally, Mark Waters on nineteen minutes, Darnell Goather-Braithwaite five minutes later. Invicta were playing the first of three consecutive away matches, the other two at Hornchurch and Carshalton, and they will hope the others go better than this one, as a goal from Eddie Dsane saw them three behind with twenty minutes left. That was that, the K’s up to seventeenth.

Haringey Borough have delivered some fine results in Cup competitions this season, but travelled to Cheshunt still searching for their first league win- however they started impressively, Matt Young and Arthur Iontton putting them two up within half an hour. Keeping a clean sheet has been something of a problem for Borough this season, but they held on to that, and to their three points, to climb off the bottom.

Potters Bar Town and Cray Wanderers met at the Lantern Stadium. The Scholars took an eight match unbeaten run into this match, and they went ahead nine minutes after the break, David Hicks breaking the deadlock. Wands weren’t downhearted, and they levelled with eleven minutes to go through Ellis Brown. Could someone find a winner? It turned out that nobody could, and the sides remain locked together in nineteenth and twentieth.

Follow the Pitching In Isthmian League on Instagram. Head here or search for theisthmianleague on your app. We're also on Facebook and Twitter.