Gulls take the points- whilst Chats, Greens, Tags and Darts progress in the Cup

Pitching In isthmian Premier

Cheshunt played their second home match in four days under new boss Mel Gwinnett, and as it turned out it had a rather unfortunate similarity to the first one for the Ambers. On Saturday a goal in the last twenty minutes of the match gave a slender victory to Cray Wanderers, and against Canvey Island the same thing happened again. Elliott Ronto was the scorer for the Gulls, his first of the campaign. It was very much a stumbling, scrambled finish, but that shouldn’t take away from the fine work and cross from Jaxon Brown that set it up. Canvey climb into the top ten, their fine away form continuing, whilst the Ambers seem to have developed something of a home hoodoo- they’ve managed only one win on their own patch in seven attempts. 

We also had a number of Pitching In Isthmian Premier sides entering the Velocity Cup at the Third Round stage.

Holders Chatham Town were off to Pitching In Isthmian South Central side Ascot United, and whilst they didn’t have it all their own way they did just enough to make it through to round four. The match had only one goal, and it arrived in the twenty third minute, Kareem Isiaka scoring for the first time since his return to the club. The Yellas fought hard, and saw a penalty saved by Joe Wright in the first half and hit the woodwork twice in the second, but the Chats held on.

Dartford travelled to Erith Town 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. 

Hashtag United hosted Grays Athletic at Parkside, and delivered something of a second half demolition job. The Tags opened the scoring on four minutes through Camilo Restrepo, and added another on twenty six minutes, Jermaine Anderson giving them a two-nil lead at the break. Athletic were quickly on the scoresheet in the second half, Louie Remi pulling a goal back, but that was the cue for the Tags to take control. Sakariya Hassan got his third of the season on sixty two minutes, Max Cornhill added a fourth thirteen minutes from time, and in the closing stages Darren Foxley added a fifth and Misha Djemaili a sixth to send the Tags sailing through. 

Hendon hoped to quickly banish last week to the memory banks as they welcomed Newmarket Town. Two heavy defeats had left the Greens feeling rather blue, but they managed to inflict a rather heavy defeat of their own on the travelling Jockeys. They went ahead on eight minutes, new arrival Lonit Talla with the opening goal in his second match for the club, and Billie Busari’s third in four matches made it two-nil just after the break. A Niko Muir spot kick quickly delivered the third, and although the next spot kick was at the other end, Jacob Mingay pulling it back to three-one for Town, Muir was quickly on hand to score a fourth. Right at the end Shaun Lucien made it five, and finally that was that.