Darts lead the way in the Cup

Bognor Regis Town were on the road to Aylesbury Dynamos, who are in mid table in the Spartan South Midlands Premier Division. That made the Rocks the favourites, and they delivered their first win of the season and their first clean sheet. We already knew that Tommy-Lee Higgs was in fine form, with four goals prior to this match, and he added three more- in the fifteenth, thirty third and fifty second minutes, as Bognor coasted to victory. 

Badshot Lea were the hosts to high-flying Premier Division side Cray Valley PM. The Millers had won four in a row, so were hot favourites, and they came through this latest challenge by three goals to one, but they had to work hard. Adam Coombes put them ahead on ten minutes, and when Arthur Lee doubled their advantage with twenty five minutes to go it looked as if that was that, but right at the end the Baggies got a goal back, Derek Luzinda the scorer. There was still time for the visitors to reestablish that two goal advantage, however, Hassan Ibrahiym making it three-one. 

We had an all-Premier tie- and a local derby- as Billericay Town hosted Bowers and Pitsea. The Blues were unbeaten so far, whilst their visitors were without win, so it was clear who the favourites were- but it was the visitors who turned the form book on its head. Rohdell Gordon gave Bowers the lead just before the half hour mark, and although Tyrell Miller-Rodney drew the hosts level with twenty one minutes to go, but their hopes departed when Valckx Fernandes got the winner ten minutes from time. Image from Nicky Hayes.

Canvey Island played host to Milton Keynes Irish, who already knew the way as they shocked the Gulls neighbours Concord Rangers in the last round. Canvey made sure that lightning didn’t hit the Island twice, coming from behind to get a late winner. Milton Keynes went ahead after just six minutes, but Conor Hubble levelled in first half added time, and in second half added time Tobi Tinubu got the winner. 

Carshalton Athletic hosted a familiar name at Colston Avenue, SCFL side Haywards Heath Town bringing an unbeaten record to South London. Heath had already taken one Isthmian scalp in the Cup, defeating Deal Town in the last round, but Athletic weren’t going to let them take a second. The Robins went ahead on eighteen minutes through Darnell Goather-Braithwaite, added a second just after the hour through Oliver Hamstead, and made sure eighteen minutes from time when Steve Gody got a third. 

Dartford were looking for a fourth consecutive victory as they welcomed Marlow, whilst their visitors hadn’t had the best of starts to their Pitching In Southern Premier South campaign, bottom of the table and still looking for a first victory of the season after losing their previous four. On that basis this looked a home win certainty, and indeed it was, the Darts scoring six to win six-two. Eddie Dsane opened the scoring three minutes before half time, with Olly Box adding a second a few minutes later, and the hosts also scored the third and fourth, Box again four minutes into the second half and Ben Allen with the next one. Marlow then tried to make a game of it, pulling two goals back, but that just spurred the hosts on and Allen and Callum Jones got a fifth and sixth before the end. Six hundred and ten watched on. 

Dulwich Hamlet took on Leatherhead at Champion Hill, and continued their unbeaten home record- but will have to travel to Fetcham Grove in midweek as the Tanners gave them an almighty scare. Hamlet went ahead ten minutes before half time, Jerome Binnom-Williams with the opener, but a second half double for Sebastian Karczewski put the visitors in control with twenty two minutes remaining. Six minutes from time the majority of the one thousand, two hundred and seventy in attendance breathed a sigh of relief, Anthony Jeffrey with the equaliser. 

League leaders Lewes were off to Harefield United, of Combined Counties Premier North, and they’ll have to play them again in midweek after failing to win for the first time this season. It looked as if they may be victims of a giant killing when United went ahead twelve minutes from time, but they earned a victory when Danny Bassett levelled five minutes later, his fourth goal of the season. 

Hashtag United were on a poor run and hoped to get back to winning ways as Stotfold headed to Parkside- and their pressure was eased with a two-nil victory. Toby Aromolaran did the damage, scoring just after the half hour and just after the hour as the Tags progressed. 

Hastings United needed to be careful as they welcomed Combined Counties Premier South promotion chasers Redhill, their visitors on a hot winning streak- but United were too strong for them in the end, although they had to work hard for victory. As usual Davide Rodari was the home hero, scoring a hat trick- including two penalties- on seventeen, twenty six and eighty three minutes, The Lobsters also scored a penalty to level at one-one, but that was as good as their afternoon got. 

We had an all-Premier tie as Hendon were the hosts for Whitehawk, and the Greens ensured they’d hang on to their one hundred percent home record with a first half goal blitz. Niko Muir opened the scoring on eight minutes, and a Fabio Sole double, on seventeen and twenty three, ensured that the rest of the match was rather straightforward. 

Horsham had Step Five opponents, Combined Counties Premier North side Virginia Water making the trip to Sussex. The visitors were three without a win but have already taken an Isthmian scalp, and a yellow scalp at that, defeating Ascot United in the last round- but they didn’t get close to repeating that feat, the Hornets far too strong, scoring two goals in each half. Daniel Ajakaiye and Reece Myles-Meekums made it two-nil at the break, and an own goal was followed by a late fourth from Chris Dickson.

Kingstonian welcomed Chichester City to Raynes Park. It still seemed rather surreal to think that a home win would have actually been a giantkilling, which perhaps exemplified the change in fortunes for both clubs of late, but the K’s lost this match in the first half, and conceded four goals for the second match in a row. Joe Clarke, Jimmy Wild and Rob Hutchins made it three-nil within twenty three minutes, Wild added another just before the break, and an Alex Kelly goal seventeen minutes from time was as good as it got for the hosts.

Cray Wanderers were on the road to Larkfield and New Hythe. The hosts had lost only one of their six matches in League and Cups prior to this one, and they went ahead twenty two minutes from time, but a penalty from Anthony Cook meant that the Wands lived to fight another day- and that day will be Tuesday. 

Our North Division champions, Lowestoft Town, have had a mixed start to life in the Southern Premier, and hoped to bounce back from being hit for six against another of our former clubs, AFC Sudbury, on Monday- and so it proved as they dumped Potters Bar Town out of the competition. The Scholars were looking for a third consecutive win, but two goals from Steve Cawley, scoring for his fifth consecutive match, were all they had to show- as their hosts scored six. 

We had a Kentish seaside battle as Ramsgate played host to Folkestone Invicta. The Rams had been scoring goals for fun- fourteen in four matches- and had won them all, with Joe Taylor in his usual fine form having already claimed two match balls this season and scored eight goals- so we expected this one to be close, but an early red card for Invicta’s Eye Ebuzoeme gave the Rams an advantage, and they took it. Lewis Gard put them ahead just before half time, and with twenty minutes to go Alfie Paxman added a second. The ten men then struck back, Dan Smith scoring with just three minutes remaining, but Invicta hope was quickly extinguished when Alfie Paxman scored again, three-one the final score. One thousand and sixteen were in attendance. 

Sittingbourne were at home to Dover Athletic, another Kentish Isthmian battle. The Brickies are highly fancied in the South East promotion race and had won three of their four matches in League and Cup so far, whilst Athletic have promotion ideas of their own, and have scored almost twice as many Premier goals as anyone else so far, nineteen of them in five matches. If the visitors were favourites, it seems that nobody had told the hosts, who went two up in the first twenty five minutes, Henry Sinai and Ryan Kingsford sending the inhabitants of Blakey’s Shed wild. The match looked won when the final minutes arrived with the score unchanged, but it wasn’t, Mitch Walker pulling a goal back three minutes into added time and Alfie Matthews getting an equaliser two minutes later. 

Wingate and Finchley were off to Thame United. The hosts, of Southern Division One Central, had won their previous three matches whilst scoring eleven goals and conceding none, but the Blues were far too strong for them. Arthur Iontton put them ahead twelve minutes before half time, and they added three more after the break, Ogo Obi with his third and fourth goals of the season on sixty five and eighty nine minutes, Andronicos Georgiou with the visitors third goal on sixty nine. 

South Central side Westfield welcomed Premier promotion hopefuls Chatham Town. The Woking side have had a fine start to the campaign, unbeaten and having scored ten goals as they’ve won their last three, so were confident- but two second half goals saw the Chats through, Bailey Akehurst and Freddie Sears on fifty and sixty minutes winning the game for the visitors,