Blues win a top two battle- and the Hornets get six

Dover Athletic are four points clear at the top of Pitching In Isthmian Premier, but if they could transfer their away form to Crabble they would be out of sight. Athletic have been magnificent and remain unbeaten on the road, but Billericay Town became the fourth side to travel to the Kent coast and come away with three points- and if ever there was a home match not to lose, this would have been it. The Blues are now seven unbeaten, and these three points will be the sweetest yet, Montel McKenzie scoring the only goal of the game in first half stoppage time ti ensure that they held onto second spot- and reduced the gap between themselves and their hosts.

Cray Valley PM are two points further back in third place- six points away from top spot with a game in hand. The Millers travelled to Cheshunt, and took part in one of the craziest matches you’ll ever see, an incredible four-four draw. Dan Bowry took only three minutes to give Cray the lead, but Tommy Wood took only nine more to level for the Ambers. Eleven minutes before half time Freddie Parker’s sixteenth of the season restored away advantage, but once more the hosts hit back, Vas Vasiliou’s spot kick ensuring it was level at half time. It wasn’t level for long, as Denzel Gayle made it three-two Millers immediately after the restart, but again the hosts hot back, and Tobias Braney took only five minutes to make it three-three. On fifty four minutes Tom Beere made it three-four, and this time it looked as if that was that- but it most certainly wasn’t. In added time the visitors saw Mohammed Idris Oshilaja dismissed, and the ten men held out only one minute, Wood levelling for Cheshunt to make it four-four.

Cheshunt are outside the bottom four on goal difference, the Millers unbeaten since September 28th- fourteen matches.

Dartford are a point behind Cray Valley in fourth place. The Darts travelled to Canvey Island, and they scored the only goal of the game in first half stoppage time, Eddie Dsane earning them three points and taking their unbeaten run up to thirteen matches. The Gulls slip to sixteenth and make it three defeats in a row- each of them without scoring.

Chatham Town hold onto fifth place on goal difference after a three-one win over Bowers and Pitsea. The Chats goals all came before the break, John Ufuah taking his tally for the season up to seven on seven minutes, Rowan Liburd also scoring his seventh of the season twenty minutes later, and Simon Cooper making it three in added time. Managerless Bowers got a consolation twenty minutes from time, Alex Teniola with it, but the result leaves them six points from safety.

Potters Bar Town had only one defeat from six before Horsham came to call, but they were rather outclassed by the Hornets, who made it three wins in a row and moved to the cusp of the top five, only goal difference keeping them out. Chris Dickson continued his fine scoring form with a hat trick- the visitors second, third and fifth goals his fourteenth, fifteenth and sixteenth of the season. Horsham had gone ahead as early as the seventh minute, Ola Ogunwamide with the opener, and Charlie Hester-Cook on seventy minutes and James Hammond right at the end were the other scorers in a six-nil triumph.

Carshalton Athletic have been very difficult to defeat at home, but Chichester City managed that feat. City went ahead just before half time through Rob Hutchings, and although it seemed as if the Robins had saved a point when Fabio Saraiva levelled seven minutes before the end it turned out that Ethan Pritchard had other ideas, scoring a City winner three minutes later. City are ninth, behind their seventh place hosts only on goal difference.

Lewes are level on points with Carshalton and Chichester, and find themselves in between the two in eighth place after a run of two wins from ten. The latest side to stop the Rooks was Hashtag United, the Tags turning defeat into victory in the last five minutes of the match at Parkside. An Eddie Allsopp goal midway through the first half saw Lewes take the lead, but the home fans were given something to celebrate five minutes from time, Harrison Day with the equaliser. In the very last minute those celebrations were able to begin in earnest, as substitute Josh Osude got his fourth Tags goal of the season to deliver all three points. The Tags are only a point behind their visitors, in tenth place.

Wingate and Finchley’s woes continued, the Blues suffering their sixth defeat in eight winless matches as Folkestone Invicta triumphed at the seaside. Invicta’s Evans Kouassi, back with the club after some time away on loan, put them ahead in the very first minute, only for Wingate to level thirteen minutes later, Zack Newton the scorer. Twenty minutes into the second half Invicta were ahead once more, skipper Ian Gayle scoring against the North Londoners for the third time this season (and this was only his fourth of the campaign!), and five minutes from time Tom Derry made it three-one. Substitute Ben Ward-Cochrane got a goal back for the visitors in added time, but they were unable to stop a stripy celebration. Invicta are twelfth, behind their opponents only on goal difference.

Cray Wanderers are up to fourteenth after a one-nil win over Hendon, who lost for the sixth match in a row. Wands have been in good form of late, but it looked like they’d get only a point until, five minutes into added time, Josh Williams popped up with a winner. Wands were down to ten men by then, Later Adaja dismissed eight minutes earlier. Hendon slip to seventeenth, only three points above the drop zone, and have failed to find the net in their last four matches.

Whitehawk’s improvement continues, the Hawks inside the bottom four only on goal difference after victory over Dulwich Hamlet in Brighton. The Hawks certainly had to win the hard way- they had keeper Jasper Sheik dismissed six minutes before the break, and went quickly behind, Luke Wanadio scoring from the spot with forward Rob O’Toole (pictured, Kyle Hemsley) in goal. The ten men levelled from the spot just after the hour, Andrew Briggs the scorer, and six minutes later substitute Luke Robinson gave them the lead- and subsequently all of the points. Hamlet are six points better off in fifteenth, but have played one match more, whilst the Hawks are five unbeaten.

Finally, Hastings United got only their second win in ten- and in so doing heaped more agony on bottom side Bognor Regis Town. The match at Nyewood Lane had but one goal, and it went to United’s Tommie Fagg five minutes into the second half, ensuring nine without a win for the Rocks and a ten point gap between them and safety. For Hastings, in twentieth, only goal difference keeps them in the bottom four- but that could have been slightly improved had not striker David Rodari hit the post with a first half penalty.