Vale get back to winning ways- as Southall’s top spot hopes are dashed by the boys in blue

Southall hoped to go top of Pitching In Isthmian South Central last night, and indeed only a point would have done it- but rather surprisingly they ended the night with nothing to show for their efforts, as Met Police got back to winning ways and rather surprised the title chasers.

The All had won seven consecutive matches prior to last night, and only goal difference kept them off the top, whilst the Boys in Blue travelled on the back of three consecutive defeats- but it was the visitors who went ahead, Ryan Davey opening the scoring after twenty seven minutes. They weren’t ahead for long, the hosts responding through Brendan Matthew- his fifth goal for his new side, his twenty sixth of the season- but just after the hour mark the visitors were in front once more, Alex Body delivering the- ahem- body blow to take all three points back to Imber Court.

Met climb to fourteenth, whilst their hosts remain in second place, level on points with leaders Chertsey Town but having played two games more.

Raynes Park Vale had seen some inconsistent form force them down the table into fifth place, and our former leaders had gone six without a win and lost their previous three as they headed to Guernsey last night. On eighty seven minutes it looked as if they’d fallen to defeat again, a Ross Allen penalty putting the hosts ahead for the first time, but somehow the visitors found the time and the guile to turn defeat into victory.

Guernsey went ahead on twenty four minutes, Charlton Gauvain delighting most of those watching on and scoring in his third consecutive match, but the visitors were quickly level, Jordan Gallagher taking his tally for the season to seventeen. That looked to be that until that Allen penalty with three minutes to go, and it turned out that anyone who had left early missed most of the action! With one minute left on the clock Charlie Penny stepped up to equalise, and then, two minutes into added time, Gallagher scored a fine goal from distance to give the visitors what had seemed an unlikely three points.

Vale remain fifth, but have opened up a four point gap between themselves and sixth place Hartley Wintney and are eight points behind the leaders. The Green Lions are back in eighteenth, eight points clear of the bottom two.

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