A Blue day for the Blues as Athletic hit five- and Seasiders go second

Grays Athletic went into Saturday with the best defensive record in the League, and ended the day on the end of a five-two defeat. They hoped to bounce back, but had what looked like a difficult task, travelling to in-form Brentwood Town, the hosts also desperate for points as they tried to narrow the gap on the top five. Athletic went ahead after just six minutes, Danny Gould scoring his first of the season- and he must have enjoyed it, as he did it again just after the half hour to make it two-nil. Just before the hour the visitors added a third, Alejandro Machado with that one, and the torture wasn’t over for the hosts. Eight minutes from time Elliott Sartorius made it four, two minutes later Louie Remi scored a fifth, and a Kai Brown goal for Town with four minutes to go really didn’t help the home fans to feel any better about their evening. 

Maldon and Tiptree’s new boss Brett Munyard might have struggled to remember which changing room to enter, as the Jammers, unbeaten under this leadership, travelled to face his former club, Brightlingsea Regent- also unbeaten under their new boss. Samuel Kuffour put the visitors ahead midway through the first half, only for Regent to level midway through the second, Louie Kudiabor with the equaliser. Kuffour had a mixed night all told, as he was dismissed right at the end. 

Felixstowe and Walton United headed to Concord Rangers hoping to narrow the gap on leaders Bury Town, who were nine points ahead of them having played two games more. The Seasiders were seven unbeaten but had only just managed to draw their previous two, both times needing added time equalisers, but they quickly took control of this one, Charlie Warren’s opener on seventeen minutes followed only two minutes later by Jack Ainsley’s second. Warren’s goal took his tally for the season up to twenty one, whilst Ainsley was an entirely new name on the Seasiders scoresheet. Callum Harrison added a third just before the hour, and that was that. United climb to second, the gap between themselves and Bury now six points. The two sides meet on New Years Day, a match which may turn out to be significant. 

Image- Thomas Bradford.