Becks stay seven clear- whilst Rams and Brickies each get five

Leaders Beckenham Town travelled to Homelands to take on a fast improving Ashford United, and swept aside the Nuts and Bolts impressively to hold onto their seven point lead at the top.

United had come within a whisker of knocking former Premier Division leaders Lewes out of the FA Trophy on Saturday, and prior to that had won three in a row, so must have been full of confidence, but it took only six minutes for Becks to puncture that, Jamarie Brissett’s thirteenth of the season unlucky only for the hosts. On nineteen minutes Tyler Anderson made it two-nil, and any home resistance was finally snuffed out when Steve Townsend’s seventh of the campaign made it three, fifteen minutes from time. We can’t fail to mention that Town have played five games more than second place Ramsgate, but it’s also only right to mention that they’ve won four in a row during which they’ve scored eleven goals and conceded only three, and look to be genuine promotion contenders. 

Ramsgate saw their one hundred percent start to the season turn into a 92.593% start to the season as they were held by Burgess Hill Town on Saturday, but they welcomed Sevenoaks Town to the seaside hoping to lift that percentage back to a slightly more impressive 93.333- and they did just that. We’ll be using no more decimal points in this round up, and can promise that we won’t resort to fractions, either. 

The Rams have been rather superb this season, with- as usual- striker Joe Taylor in top form, eighteen goals already as they kicked off- and they hit Oaks for five, but somehow Taylor didn’t score any of them! Billy Munday opened the scoring on eleven minutes, his first for the club since signing from Deal Town, and it was two-nil twelve minutes before half time, Alfie Paxman doubling their advantage. Oaks, who of course knocked the Rams out of the Velocity Cup in September, quickly got a goal back- Jefferson Aibangbee continuing his fine form in front of goal with his ninth in his last fourteen matches, but that just spurred the hosts into quickly restoring their two goal advantage, Benny Bioletti making it three-one a minute before half time. Eight minutes into the second half Tijan Jadama effectively ended the contest with a fourth for his side, and with six minutes left Paxman got another, five-one the final score. 

Sittingbourne were full of beans after defeating league leaders Dover Athletic away from home for the second time this season, adding an FA Trophy giant killing to their earlier FA Cup shock. The Brickies welcomed Steyning Town, and made it four wins in a row and nine matches unbeaten, climbing to third place as a result. It was a comprehensive hammering of the Barrowmen, who have now lost eight in a row, this one by five goals to nil. Donvieve Jones opened the scoring on four minutes, and when Jay Beckford quickly made it two you felt it could be a long night for the visitors, but the Brickies waited until six minutes from time to score again, Codey Cosgrave making it three. Almost immediately Mitchell May added a fourth- his eighteenth of the season- and in added time Tony Martin made it five. 

Steyning remain third from bottom. 

Littlehampton Town could have climbed out of the bottom four with just a point against Deal Town, but they ended up with no points and a comprehensive defeat. Deal dealt out most of the damage in the first half, going in three-nil up at the break. Tom Chapman was chief architect of the Golds downfall, scoring on thirteen and twenty minutes, and the third arrived in added time, Jamie Kennedy with that one. 

The second half saw the hosts rouse themselves, and on sixty six minutes they had a lifeline, a penalty from Jordan Layton giving them hope. They got another back six minutes later, Kieron Pamment with that, but the hosts hopes departed two minutes from time when Ben Chapman added a fourth for the visitors, who ended the evening as they started it, in ninth place. That was Deal’s twelfth match of the season, and they’ve won as many as they’ve lost, but have yet to draw a match. 

Into the Velocity Cup, and Erith Town hoped for a giant killing to come their way as they welcomed Dartford.  The Darts made the journey desperate for a victory having been without one in their last six matches, and they progressed to the Fourth Round by scoring the only goal of the game. In the eighth minute a free kick from Samir Carruthers- which may well have been a cross- flew past everyone, including Nathan Edwards in the home goal, to put the Darts ahead. The visitors continued to have the best of the first half without adding another goal, and whilst the Dockers threatened after the break they couldn’t find a way back. 

Burgess Hill Town welcomed Broadbridge Heath for a Sussex Second Round derby. Hill were six unbeaten, whilst the Bears had lost their previous three, and both of those runs continued- but only just. The Bears went ahead just before the break, Callum Dowdell with the opener, whilst Hill levelled just after the hour through Lewis Taylor’s first goal of the season, and that was that, so off we went to penalties. Hill won four-three from the spot.