Moneys hit five- whilst K’s and Yellas win on the road

Second place Kingstonian travelled to Rayners Lane hoping to reduce the deficit between themselves and the leaders, Farnham Town seeing their match postponed. The K’s started the day ten points away from the top, albeit with two games in hand, but hadn’t played for two weeks- two weeks during which they’ll have been trying not to brood over their late defeat at Uxbridge last time out. Lane occupied tenth spot at kick off, but were expected to pose a test to their high-flying visitors, not only because they’d lost only one of their previous six but because they had lost only twice at home all season.

The first half was without a goal, but Lane took the lead on the hour, Elliott Buchanan with his sixth of the season. The lead lasted only eight minutes, Stan Flaherty taking his tally for the campaign to the same number as he was wearing on his shirt- seven- and eight minutes later the K’s went ahead, Bradley Wilson’s seventeenth of the season giving them something to hold on to. That holding on became rather more difficult when Mitchal Gough was dismissed three minutes from time, but the ten men managed to keep the hosts out- and are now seven points behind the leaders, still with one game in hand. 

Ascot United have been having a wonderful season, and they travelled to Ashford Town in third place, eleven matches unbeaten, and having won nine of those- including their previous three. The Tangerines saw a four match unbeaten run crash to an end at Moneyfields last weekend, but had narrowed the gap between themselves and safety to only three points and went ahead in this one after just ten minutes, George Vorster opening the scoring. Twenty three minutes from time Harvey Harry levelled for the Yellas, and, with a draw looking certain, the visitors stole the points right at the end, Ben Harris popping up with a winner. They remain third, and are seven points behind the leaders- although they have played two games more. 

Moneyfields had been in excellent form of late, with four wins in a row- and indeed seven wins from ten. That run had lifted them thirteen points away from the drop zone and got them looking upwards, first towards the top ten- which they knew that they could reach this weekend- and then perhaps at the top five, which was nine points away at kick off. The Moneys had been particularly good on their own patch, which perhaps concerned visitors Binfield- and if so they were right to be concerned, as the hosts went ahead on fourteen minutes and were two up ten minutes later, Callum Laycock and James Franklyn the scorers. Before half an hour had been played it was three-nil, Harry Thorpe with that one, and in first half stoppage time Tom Cain headed home a free kick to make it four-nil. The fifth scorer of the match added his name to the scoresheet on sixty eight minutes, Jack Lee making it five-nil, and that was the end of the torture for the Moles. The Moneys jump to tenth, Binfield are sixteenth.

Sunday sees the bottom two meet on the Channel Islands. Guernsey are four points from safety, Badshot Lea have a thirteen point deficit to make up, and this looks to be a match that neither can afford to lose. The Green Lions have been in much improved form, with only one defeat from five, whilst the Baggies have been close to collecting some points but not close enough, and have only one win all season.