Athletic two points clear as closest rivals held

Horsham hit the road in the Emirates FA Cup First Round, the Hornets and their irrepressible support- who presented a bar of lard to the opposing chairman- travelling to face League Two Play Off chasers Chesterfield.

Both sides were protecting an eight match unbeaten record, but the hosts went ahead on six minutes, doubled their advantage four minutes into the second half, and added a third with twenty four minutes to go. Horsham did get a consolation, Chris Dickson pulling it back to three-one four minutes from time, but there was to be no repeat of last season’s heroics at Barnsley and Chesterfield held on. 

In Pitching In Isthmian Premier, leaders Dover Athletic played host to sixth place Potters Bar Town- the side they defeated eight-nil on the opening day of the season. Athletic were top of the table on goal difference- and indeed had scored significantly more goals than anyone else, an average of three a game- whilst the Scholars had improved remarkably since that opening day hammering and knew that they could climb as high as third if they could get their revenge. Athletic went ahead on the quarter hour, Ruben Soares-Junior opening the scoring, and they doubled their advantage ten minutes later, Alfie Matthews with that one. Right at the end Francis Mampolo added a third, and Athletic opened up a two point lead at the summit. 

Image- Mandy Davies. 

Second place Billericay Town travelled to Whitehawk, looking to take advantage of any Dover slip up. The Blues started the day as the only unbeaten side in the Division, eleven matches without defeat, and had won three of their last four- but they’d been far better at home than on the road, four of their six league matches on their travels ending in draws. The match was still level- and indeed goalless- on sixty nine minutes when the Blues went down to ten men, Montel McKenzie sent off, and it remained goalless at the end, too- but it might have been otherwise, as Hawks keeper Will Huffer saved a penalty fifteen minutes from time. Billericay remain second, the Hawks drop to twentieth- and haven’t scored for five matches. 

Former leaders Lewes found themselves two points behind the top two at kick off, defeat against Horsham in their last league match doing the damage. That was their only defeat in five so they were hardly in poor form, but they had lost their last two on the road, and they travelled to Chatham Town looking to end that run. The Chats were five matches unbeaten in League and Cups and had won four of those, and they were soon ahead in this one, John Ufuah opening the scoring on nine minutes. The equaliser arrived with twenty five minutes left, Danny Bassett getting it from the spot and taking his tally for the season into double figures. The scoring ended there, the Rooks still third- but now four points behind the leaders. 

Wingate and Finchley took their fine form on the road, as they travelled to Dulwich Hamlet. The Blues were five unbeaten in the league, and had won three in a row on the road, defeating leaders Dover along with Dartford, and delivering a six-one thrashing to Hendon last time out. They were looking to do the double over their hosts, after defeating them three-two on opening day, and they went ahead on seventeen minutes as striker Ogo Obi scored his fourteenth of the season. Hamlet drew level eleven minutes into the second half, Jerome Binnom-Williams delighting the home fans, and they were even more delighted seven minutes into added time, as Danny Mills got the latest of late winners, sending most of the two thousand, seven hundred and fifty watching on home happy. Hamlet are sixth, their visitors down to fifth.

Cray Valley PM were perhaps unlucky to lose to Dartford on opening day, and the Millers had a chance of revenge as they head to Princes Park- but it was a chance they couldn’t take. Indeed, nobody could take a chance, as the match ended without a goal, The Millers up to fourth and the Darts in fifteenth. 

Victory in Cheshunt in midweek hoisted Canvey Island up to ninth place, and the Gulls knew that they could climb as high as sixth if they could defeat visitors Chichester City. Their league form had seen them lose only one of six, but they had been much more successful on the road than on their own patch and demonstrated that vulnerability once more as Jimmy Wild’s thirteenth goal of the season put the visitors ahead. City held that lead for only one minute before Ewan Sanchez levelled, but twelve minutes into the second half the visitors were ahead once more, Curtis Da Costa restoring their advantage. Sixteen minutes from time Wild made it three-one City, but the hosts were given a little hope when Rob Hutchings was dismissed- they had twelve minutes to capitalise. The Gulls quickly brought it back to two-three, Jaxon Brown scoring from the spot, but the visitors held on to do the double over their hosts- and to climb to eighth. 

Hendon’s win in the Velocity Cup in midweek perhaps helped banish the memory of the two thumping defeats that preceded them, and the Greens hoped to continue building back their confidence as they travelled to twentieth place Bowers and Pitsea, who they narrowly defeated on opening day. With twenty five minutes left we had no goals but a red card, as Ethan Light saw red for the visitors, but we soon had a goal, and it went to the hosts, Samir Ali opening the scoring with only eleven minutes left. Bowers held on to take all of the points, and climb to seventeenth- Hendon down to twelfth. 

Carshalton Athletic and Folkestone Invicta met at Colston Avenue in a tale of two Smiths. The Robins had lost only once at home this season, but they didn’t have the best of starts, Dan Smith putting the visitors ahead on nine minutes. The hosts drew level on sixty four minutes, Mason Saunders-Henry with the equaliser, and then completed the turnaround by going ahead nine minutes from time, David Smith with the goal. The Robins climb to tenth. 

Cheshunt had seen a three match winning streak followed by two one-nil defeats, but had won their last two on the road and were hoping to get back to winning ways as they travelled to Bognor Regis Town. Bottom side Bognor were three points further back and had lost their previous four matches, including their last two at home, and they were soon behind in this one, Vas Vasiliou opening the scoring after just four minutes. The same player added a second ten minutes later, and the game was as good as over when Alex Gibson Hammond made it three seventeen minutes from time, confirming an Ambers double over the Rocks. A minute into added time it was four, Vasiliou claiming the match ball, Cheshunt up to fourteenth. 

Second bottom Cray Wanderers were hoping to do the double over Hashtag United, the Tags one point and two places above them at kick off. Wands were three League matches unbeaten- although they’d scored only one goal in those two hundred and seventy minutes, but will prefer to focus on three consecutive clean sheets. They improved their ‘goals for’ tally by taking the lead on twenty one minutes, Charlie Edwards with the opener, and Edwards opened up a bigger gap when making it two-nil twelve minutes later. Seven minutes into the second half it was three-nil, Tom Bonner heading home, and it got worse for the visitors when Matthew Wooldridge saw red six minutes from time. Wanderers jump out of the bottom four- and record their first league win at Flamingo Park- whilst the Tags drop to twenty first.