Becks held- whilst Bears batter Bay as Goldson gets a treble

In Pitching In Isthmian South East, fourth place Beckenham Town knew that they could climb back to third with victory over East Grinstead Town at Eden Park, however the Wasps had other ideas. Becks made an early breakthrough, Steven Townsend opening the scoring after just eight minutes, and despite a Connor Tighe leveller for the visitors two minutes before half time there was still time for Townsend to restore home advantage before the sides trooped off for a half time Jaffa cake (other cakes that aren’t biscuits and contain a squidgy centre are available, but they are nowhere near as nice). 

Becks had slipped down the table due to a run of four matches without a win- and that became five as the visitors levelled eight minutes into the second half, Charlie Harris with the equaliser. Try as they might, neither side could find a winner- but the point did send the hosts up to third, whilst their visitors are fourteenth but in perhaps their best form of the campaign. 

Broadbridge Heath, in eleventh, welcomed a Herne Bay side five places and six points further back- and that gap is now nine points after the Bears gave their visitors a mauling. Mark Goldson was the man showing both teeth and claws, as he delivered all of the goals in a three-nil win, and took away a match ball as a reward. His first arrived in first half added time, and he made it two-nil on the hour, before putting the match out of sight with a third seventeen minutes from time. 

That’s five unbeaten, four wins from five and four clean sheets for the Bears- four defeats in a row for Bay. 

Onto the Velocity Cup Fourth Round, and holders Chatham Town, in fourth place in Pitching In Isthmian Premier as we kicked off, welcomed Burgess Hill Town, who are in fifth place in our South East Division. The Chats were unbeaten in the league since October 1st, and indeed had lost only one of their last fifteen in all competitions- and that stretched to one in sixteen as a Kareem Isiaka masterclass gave them victory. 

Hill were never likely to be pushovers, as indeed they also had only one defeat in all competitions since October 1st- and they held their hosts at bay for the first forty nine minutes, before being hit by Isiaka’s first goal a minute later. The Chats number sixteen reacted quickly to a cross and deftly headed the ball across keeper Slav Huk into the corner of the net. The visitors weren’t about to lay down and be walked on, and they did their best to find an equaliser, but three minutes into added time a Chats break and there was Isiaka again, securing victory and a place in the Quarter Finals.