Yellows hit the top!

AFC Sudbury were our only unbeaten side as they welcomed Grays Athletic, and they remain unbeaten and take over at the top after defeating the Essex side three-one, a victory they delivered despite playing the last half an hour with ten men. An own goal gave the Yellows an early lead, and they doubled it just before the break, Josh Stokes taking the wind out of the visitors sails and souring their half time oranges. A red card just before the hour for Reece Harris was, however, followed by a penalty conversion from Anointed Chukwu, his eleventh of the season bringing Athletic firmly back into the match. Nine minutes later, however, there was another penalty- this time at the other end- and Nnamdi Nwachuku stepped up to make it twenty three goals in twenty matches, a statistic even more remarkable when you consider that he didn’t score in his first three! That was that, and the Yellows have a point advantage and a game in hand.

Image from Clive Pearson, more here.

Our- now former- leaders Lowestoft Town had begun to look almost human in recent weeks, losing their unbeaten record at Hashtag United a fortnight ago before needing a stoppage time penalty to defeat ten man Felixstowe and Walton United last time out. The Trawler Boys were human once more as they travelled to North London to take on New Salamis, who were three matches unbeaten and having a fine first Isthmian campaign and capped it all by going in two goals to the good at half time, Louie Remy and Derek Asamoah- his twelfth of the season- doing the damage. Adam Hipperson got one back from the spot midway through the second half, but that was that.

A contender for match of the day came at Stowmarket, where Town took on another Town, that of Brentwood. Third place Stow were on a long unbeaten run in the League stretching back nearly three months, whilst their visitors hoped to stave off any Manager of the Month curse, an award earned by a six match winning streak- but that curse struck in the seventeenth minute, when Tevan Allen got the only goal of the game for the hosts. That’s ten games unbeaten for the hosts, who are five points behind the leaders in third place.

Felixstowe & Walton United will consider themselves unlucky to have lost at Lowestoft last weekend, and a late, late goal maintained their one hundred percent League home record as Tilbury took a turn to be unlucky, leaving the Goldstar Ground with nothing. The Dockers went ahead after just five minutes through Martin Tuohy, and it took almost an hour for the hosts to equalise, but equalise they did, Sam Ford with that one. Right at the end Charlie Warren stepped up to ensure that all the points stayed at home, and his side are fourth.

Hashtag United are back in the top five courtesy of a narrow win against Wroxham. All the goals came in the first half- indeed, they all came in the first half hour. Harry Haysom put the Tags ahead on eleven minutes, Ryan Hawkins quickly equalised from the spot, and Max Hornhill got what proved to be the winner on thirty minutes. That’s five without a win for the Yachtsmen, who slip to eighteenth.

Heybridge Swifts, who have only one league defeat all season, won their match against Hullbridge Sports in the first half- Ross Wall, Darren Phillips and Ben Sartain giving them an unassailable half time lead. Sports did get one back ten minutes after the restart, Joe Gardner with that, but a later Wall goal made it four and sees Swifts a point behind the fifth place Tags, with a game in hand.

East Thurrock United have been in superb form of late, and had won their last five league matches and were unbeaten in eight. That run, however, crashed and burned in a big way at Rookery Hill, as Maldon & Tiptree, who picked up their first win of the season last weekend, suddenly found top gear. All the goals came in the first half, but there were four of them, and they all went to the Jammers. Laste Dombaxe, Roman Campbell and Sam Coombes made it three-nil after fifteen minutes, Sam Kemp getting the fourth just before the break. That was that, and the Jammers move up to seventeenth.

Bury Town played host to Witham Town. The Ram Meadow faithful had seen striker Cemal Ramadan in his usual fine form, fourteen goals already this season- and he added two more as his side defeated the visitors by three goals to nil to move his personal tally on to sixteen. The other goal of the trio- the second- went to Alfie Cutbush.

Gorleston welcomed Great Wakering Rovers to Lowestoft. Rovers had gone five matches in League and Cup without a victory, whilst Gorleston had one win and four defeats from their last five, so we expected it to be close, and so it was, each side taking a point in a two-two draw. The hosts almost left with nothing despite taking the lead after just five minutes through Jeremiah Dasaolu, as Callum Boylan quickly equalised. The visitors went down to ten men with more than half an hour left, Archie McFadden seeing red, but went ahead on seventy four minutes as Boylan scored again. Right at the end, Sam Knock earned the hosts a point.

Basildon United got back to winning ways against still-winless bottom side Coggeshall Town, despite ending the match with ten men. Michael Salako put the hosts ahead from the spot on fourteen minutes, and twelve minutes from time Callum Fitzer made it two. The red card went to Shane Temple, but it came so late it made no difference to the outcome.

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