Rocking Robins end the Blues unbeaten record- whilst Dover are held at Chatham

Leaders Dover Athletic were on the road to face last season’s runners up, Chatham Town. The Chats found themselves in sixteenth at kick off, one of the chief reasons for that being their inability to turn one point into three on their own patch. They went ahead in this one on fifty one minutes, Jack Evans the scorer, and the home faithful will have hoped that their side could hold on for a rare three home points, but they couldn’t, George Nikaj levelling thirteen minutes later. That’s five draws from seven home matches for the Chats, whilst Athletic’s lead at the top is cut to three points. 

Billericay Town were our only Premier side with an unbeaten record, and they looked rather keen to hold onto that as they went ahead at Carshalton Athletic after three minutes, Moses Emmanuel keeping his cool from the spot. The Robins were level just after the quarter hour mark, however, Luke Reed with the equaliser, but the Blues led at half time. Arjanit Krasniqi on his debut restored their lead on forty one minutes, and it was to quickly get worse for the Robins as Emmanuel scored again in added time. Athletic came out fighting, and pulled a goal back eleven minutes into the second half, David Smith the scorer, before equalising with seventeen minutes to go, Luke Read with his second of the game. It looked like Billericay’s draw habit would continue, and they’d have a seventh draw in fourteen games- but five minutes into added time at the end of the match they would have been delighted with a point, as Fabio Saraiva got a winner for Athletic, that unbeaten record finally gone. Carshalton are up to ninth, whilst Billericay drop to fourth. 

Cray Valley PM are having a fine first Premier season, and the third place Millers were at home again, with Cup heroes Horsham making the trip. The hosts were five unbeaten in the league, whilst the Hornets had taken seven points from their last nine but had been far less convincing on the road than at home, with only one league win from their five away games- and on that basis perhaps it wasn’t too much of a surprise when Danny Waldren put the Millers ahead at the start of the second half. That turned out to be that, and Cray Valley climbed to second. 

Wingate and Finchley turned up their noses at any Manager of the Month curse with victory over Carshalton Athletic in midweek, and our fourth place side had won five of their last six, so won’t have been short on self belief as Hastings United came to call- particularly as they’d lost only once at home. The Blues took sixty eight minutes to go ahead, Ogo Obi’s fifteenth of the season coming from the spot- and within two minutes were two up, Ryan Lowe giving them some breathing space. They needed that breathing space as in the ninetieth minute Finley Chapman got a goal back for Hastings, but that’s how it ended, the hosts unto third. 

Former leaders Lewes travelled to take on Hendon. The Rooks had won only one of their previous six league matches (although only two of them had ended in defeat), whilst the Greens had ended a four match winless run with victory over Dulwich Hamlet in midweek, and had lost only once on their own patch. We thought this one might be close, and it turned out to be goalless, the hosts unable to take advantage of a red card for the visitors Parish Muirhead ten minutes from time. 

Dulwich Hamlet had only two wins from six, but our sixth place side were determined to bounce back from defeat at Hendon in midweek as they welcomed the side who were behind them only on goal difference, Potters Bar Town. Hamlet went ahead on the stroke of half time, Danny Mills seventh of the season- all of them coming at home. It was two-nil just before the hour, Luke Wanadio- who had gone four games without a goal- scoring for the twelfth time this season, but the Scholars quickly hit back through Ronnie Henry. The visitors looked for an equaliser, but eight minutes into added time Hamlet made the points secure, Lorenzo securing victory in front of a crowd of two thousand, eight hundred and twenty six. 

Chichester City have had a fabulous start to their first Premier campaign, and had lost only once at home, whilst visitors Hashtag United had gone four without a win, losing three of them and conceding seven goals in their last two, so a home win looked the most likely outcome as they met at Oaklands Park. So much for predictions! The goals were all saved for the second half, and all of them went to the Tags, Misha Djemaili opening the scoring on fifty four minutes, and Sakariya Hassan adding two more on sixty two and and sixty eight. They then got a fourth, Toby Aromolaran with that one, and climbed out of the bottom four. 

Image- we believe- from the lens of Neil Holmes.

Canvey Island welcomed Whitehawk to Essex for a seaside derby. The twelfth place Gulls would perhaps rather have been away from home, given they’d been pretty good on the road but had lost five of seven home matches so far, whilst the Hawks hadn’t scored in five hundred and eighty minutes, so were desperate for that run to end- and it did, Kai Jennings scoring on fourteen minutes. The hosts were quickly level, Jaxon Brown- who has been in fine form- taking his tally to six for the season, and in added time at the end of the match the Gulls took all three points, Bradley Sach getting his first League goal since his return to the club to clinch victory- and to take his side into the top ten. 

Folkestone Invicta perhaps considered themselves unlucky to lose against the leaders- in front of a record crown- in midweek, and they’ll have hoped that a substantial number would return to watch them take on Cray Wanderers. Invicta hadn’t been very successful on their own patch this season, winning only one of their previous six league matches prior to this weekend, but they went ahead just before the half hour, Daniel Smith the scorer- his eleventh of the season, delighting most of the nine hundred and sixty six in attendance. That turned out to be the only goal of the match, and it sees Invicta in eleventh, Wanderers in twentieth. 

Dartford had hit a sticky patch, a run of seven matches without a win seeing them drop down to fifteenth at kick off. They welcomed Cheshunt to Princes Park, the Ambers only one point behind them and looking upwards, particularly after hitting Bognor for four on the Sussex coast last weekend. The Darts got the opening goal from the spot nine minutes before half time, Samir Carruthers the scorer, but just after the hour the Ambers drew level, Tommy Wood with the equaliser. George Whitfield restored the Darts lead with twelve minutes left- but could they hold it? They could- and are twelfth, the Ambers in seventeenth. 

Finally, Bowers and Pitsea were at home to Bognor Regis Town. Bowers will have been pleased to be at home, as most of their victories had come at the Len Salmon, whilst the Rocks will have been rather less delighted as they hadn’t yet won a league match on the road- but they finally broke that duck. Tommy-Lee Higgs got the only goal of the game four minutes from time, and although the Rocks stayed at the bottom they are now only two points from safety.