Goals, goals and more goals- and a six point lead for Bury

Our Pitching In Isthmian North sides defeated the weather, so they only had to worry about doing the same to their opponents- and they celebrated by scoring goal after goal.  

Leaders Bury Town had a three point advantage over second place Witham Town, so would stay top if they could take just one point from visitors Haringey Borough- but of course wanted all three, and were overwhelming favourites. The Blues had lost only one of their previous ten, won eight, and were looking for a fifth successive victory; whilst Borough have resembled Dr Jekyll, one win in eight, brilliant one minute and woeful the next, and accordingly rather difficult to predict. They’d perhaps have struggled to predict that they’d fall behind in the very first minute, but that’s exactly what happened, Cemal Ramadan scoring his fourteenth of the season to give the Blues a perfect start.

Borough didn’t lie down and surrender, and they levelled twenty two minutes from time, Matthew Young keeping his cool from the spot, but with fourteen minutes to go Ollie Canfer restored the Bury lead, and this time, they held it- to open a six point lead at the top of the table. The home fans- pictured- were overjoyed despite the wind and rain. 

Second place Witham Town were protecting a seven match unbeaten run as they welcomed Cambridge City, and indeed had won the first six of those. City, meanwhile, had lost four of their previous five, and were quickly behind, Oliver Bell putting the hosts in front on eleven minutes. The visitors levelled in first half added time, George Smith with the equaliser, but within a minute of the second half starting Witham were ahead once more, Shakeel Morris with the goal. Once more City hit back, Aaron Greene levelling seven minutes later, and it really went wrong for the hosts on sixty five minutes, Archie McFadden dismissed and Smith immediately putting City three-two up. Alex Warman made it four-two with nineteen minutes remaining, and six minutes from time the hosts were reduced to nine, Reumu Abutoh also sent off as their unbeaten run unravelled. City are fifteenth, and have the opening of their new ground to look forward to next weekend. We’ll have a report from that one, M25 willing. 

Felixstowe and Walton United were lucky to escape with a point from Wroxham in midweek, but our third place side had been ruthless on their own patch, and expected that to continue as they welcomed Brightlingsea Regent. The Seasiders had previously played fourteen home matches in all competitions, won them all, and scored forty six goals in doing so, which perhaps summed up the size of Regent’s challenge. The visitors went ahead, however, Teddy Collis scoring on twenty three minutes, but they were ahead for just three minutes before Josh Hitter levelled. United went ahead on sixty four minutes, Cameron Forde-Brown giving them the lead, but Regent weren’t about to surrender and Collis quickly drew them level- and then, with only eleven minutes left, an own goal put the visitors ahead once more? Could they hold on? They’d have to do it with ten men, as substitute Jake Clowsley was dismissed only five minutes after coming on, but it looked like they’d take a famous victory- only for Josh Hitter to equalise four minutes into added time. The Seasiders are third, nine points behind the leaders with two games in hand. Regent will be rather disappointed, but are three unbeaten under their new boss and outside the top five only on goal difference. Image- Stefan Peck. 

Fourth place Tilbury made the trip to Waltham Abbey, but they’ll probably wish they hadn’t bothered. The Dockers had gone two league matches without a win, which had seen them fall to eight points behind the leaders with one game in hand. Their hosts were eight points and three places further back, and hoping to get back to winning ways after three matches which had brought two draws and a defeat. 

Tilbury hammered the Abbotts four-one at the end of September, so the home crowd were hoping for a little revenge, and they’d have been delighted by the first half, as their side charged into a three-nil lead, two goals from Prince Domafriyie, his eighth and ninth of the season, followed by a goal from Nicholas Brown- all three goals coming during a twelve minute purple patch. They weren’t done, and got another in first half added time, Nicholas Brown making it four-nil. 

Into the second half, and whilst Tilbury have been good at coming from behind this season they weren’t going to manage it from five-nil down, and the fifth arrived on sixty three minutes, Luke Deslandes the scorer of that one. Eight minutes later it was six-nil, Kymani Thomas getting in on the act, but the Dockers then finally got going, Sam Bantick pulling a goal back- his eleventh of the season. A minute from time Lindell Stewart added a second for the visitors, but the Abbotts weren’t finished, and in added time Thomas scored again to make the final score SEVEN-two. Abbey climb into the top five. 

Grays Athletic had the best defence in the League at kick off. Thirteen games before this weekend had seen only eight goals conceded, they welcomed Wroxham to Chadfields hoping to hold onto their place in the top five and narrow the gap on the sides above them- but they started the match by conceding a rare goal, the Yachtsmen going ahead on fourteen minutes, Ryan Miles the scorer. That started a rather incredible first half, as Athletic levelled and went ahead- Alejandro Machado and Michael Finneran with the goals- only for the visitors to roar back and reestablish their supremacy, Ryan Hawkins and Harvey Peters taking them from two-one down to three-two up! The visitors added a fourth ten minutes into the second half, Hawkins scoring from the spot, and that Athletic defensive record truly departed when Ollie Sutton made it five with a quarter of an hour left- Sid Walker sent off for the hosts. Wroxham are up to nineteenth, Athletic down to seventh. 

Eighth place Basildon United travelled to Mildenhall Town, trying to end a poor run which had seen them lose five of their last six. Hall hadn’t been too much better, taking five points from their last six matches, but they went ahead midway through the first half, Ryan Swift keeping his cool from the spot. The Bees levelled nine minutes into the second half, Kye Jude with the equaliser, but seven minutes from time Ben Nolan got a home winner. Hall are sixteenth, the Bees down to twelfth. 

Heybridge Swifts travelled to Sporting Bengal United hoping to get last weekend’s hammering against Grays quickly out of their system. Swifts have been better on the road than on their own patch this season, and they made the breakthrough on thirteen minutes, Eddie Carrington-Alberdi opening the scoring. The lead lasted until the hour, Rian Patel levelling for United, but three minutes from time Andy Fennell made it two-one to the visitors seven minutes after emerging from the bench, and they held on for three points, climbing to eighth. 

Trophy heroes Brentwood Town were home to Gorleston. The Blues started the day four points away from the top five, albeit with games in hand over all of the sides ahead of them, but their league form over the last ten matches had resembled a Margherita pizza with added green pepper, four wins, four defeats and two draws- and they needed to bringing their cup game into the League. After a goalless first half they went ahead within three minutes of the restart, Kai Brown the scorer- and Brown quickly made it two on the hour. Daniel Ogunleye’s fourteenth of the season made it three-nil, and Brown had a hat trick seven minutes from time, making it four-nil. The Blues are ninth. 

Walthamstow welcomed Newmarket Town to East London, eleventh v twentieth. Stow were looking to go five unbeaten, whilst the Jockeys got their first win in seven when hitting Cambridge City for four in midweek and then saw two of their attackers depart. Those departures didn’t seem to matter too much in the opening stages, as Ally Conway put the visitors ahead after only eight minutes, but Stow were soon level, Ali Njie taking only two minutes to draw them level. On thirty four minutes the hosts went ahead, Bilal Sayoud the scorer, and just after the hour Sayoud added a third. It was four-one six minutes from time, Tayo Oyebola making sure of victory, and the scoring didn’t end there, Stan Leech pulling it back to four-two in the seventh added minute only for Tayo Oyebola to get a fifth for the hosts and complete a fine double over these opponents and climb to tenth. 

Redbridge knew that their 3G pitch would be ready for the visit of Ipswich Wanderers, the visitors under new management and hoping to begin closing the six point gap between themselves and safety. Wanderers had lost their previous four, and had gone ten league matches without a win, whilst the Motormen had only two wins from ten- but only three defeats, having become something of draw specialists on the road. Redbridge went ahead after just eight minutes, Joseph Elliott with the opener, but Wanderers quickly hit back, two of their new arrivals conducting the turnaround, Rhys Henry levelling on twenty eight minutes and Teon Leggett putting them ahead from the spot four minutes later. The Motormen equalised nine minutes after the break, Tendi Quamina taking his tally for the season up to nine in eighteen matches, and then they went ahead, Mekael Williams with the fifth goal of the afternoon and a third for the hosts. The sixth goal wasn’t long in coming, and again it went to the Motormen, Malachi Napa the scorer, and three minutes into added time a Charlie Stimson spot kick made it five-two. Redbridge are eleventh, Wanderers are eight points from safety.

Maldon and Tiptree had won their previous two matches, a new manager bounce bouncing them up to seventeenth. The Jammers hosted a Concord Rangers side three points and three places better off, the Beachboys having got back to winning ways last weekend after a six match winless run. They’d already defeated the Jammers three-nil this season, and they were quickly ahead in this one, Billy Knott scoring for the visitors after just six minutes, but the hosts were level nine minutes into the second half, Sammy Kuffour the scorer. They weren’t level for long, however, Tommy Stagg quickly making it two-one to the visitors, and that looked to have won the match- but it hadn’t, as six minutes into added time Jack Manly found a last-gasp leveller.