Rooks stay top-but lose their perfect record

Leaders Lewes travelled to Carshalton Athletic and put their one hundred percent league record on the line- and they lost it, but they didn’t lose the match. Neither side could manage a goal in front of a crowd of six hundred and thirty seven- but the Rooks stay top. 

Second place at kick off, Cray Valley PM have had a fine start to their first season at Step Three, and were looking for a fifth consecutive victory as they travelled to the Sussex coast to take on Whitehawk. It was the Hawks who broke the deadlock, Charlie Lambert scoring after just seven minutes, and try as they might the Millers couldn’t find an equaliser. Two minutes from time the hosts sealed victory, Kai Jennings making it two- a result which sees the visitors down to fourth and the hosts up to thirteenth, six unbeaten against the Millers. 

Perhaps our biggest match of the day came from the Crabble, where Dover Athletic, in fourth place, welcomed third place Dartford. Athletic were looking to recover from their surprise defeat against Sittingbourne in the Cup in midweek, whilst the Darts had won their previous four matches in all competitions, and hit six in the Cup last Saturday. The last four meetings between the sides had all gone the way of the Darts, but it was Athletic who went ahead in this one, Ruben Soares-Junior with his sixth of the season- and in almost no time at all they added another, George Wilkinson making it two-nil. Luke Baptiste made it three just before the break, and on fifty minutes it was four, Alfie Matthews with that one. The Darts then awoke, Jeremiah Ponder pulling a goal back, but any thoughts of an unlikely comeback were banished when Soares-Junior added a fifth eight minutes from time. Dover climb to second, the Darts drop to fifth, one thousand and eighteen were in attendance. 

Fifth place at start of play, Hendon were on the road to Chatham Town. The Greens only defeat in any competition so far this season had arrived almost a month ago, and they’d been rather impressive since, but it was the promotion favourites Chats who broke the deadlock after just three minutes, Rowan Liburd with the opener- and forty minutes later they were two up, Freddie Sears doubling their advantage. With twenty one minutes left the Greens got back into the match, Joe White from the spot, and with fourteen minutes to go they equalised through Excellence Muhemba- and then , following a missed penalty for the Chats which could surely have won them the game, the red mist and the red cards descended. Bradley Sach and Niko Muir were dismissed, one for each side, with four minutes remaining. One minute from time the Chats went down to nine, Sid Nelson dismissed. Hendon drop to seventh, Chatham are twelfth, one thousand, seven hundred and eight were watching. 

Billericay Town are still unbeaten in the League after six matches, and they picked up their third win and went third with three goals at Folkestone Invicta. Ashley Nzala was the chief architect, goals on fifty and seventy minutes, and a red card for Tom Derry fifteen minutes from time for Invicta hardly helped their chances of a comeback. The Blues added a third just before the end, Ibrahim Jalloh with that one, adding more misery for most of the nine hundred and seventy five watching on.

Horsham were on the road to Cray Wanderers. Wands finally got a win in their new ground in midweek, and they did it in some style, scoring eight goals without reply- but perhaps they’d used up their goal ration, as this one ended without a single goal to celebrate for both sides. The Hornets ended the game with ten men, Charlie Hester-Cook dismissed in the closing stages. 

Potters Bar Town had a bad day on the road last weekend, crashing out of the cup in Lowestoft, but the Scholars were back at their temporary home of Kings Langley as Bowers and Pitsea came to call. Bowers had a morale-boosting Cup win at Billericay last weekend, but were yet to pick up a League victory and were almost immediately behind in this one, Scholars goal machine Steve Cawley scoring his eighth goal of the season- and scoring for the sixth match in a row. Anyone who arrived late would have been disappointed, as that turned out to be the only goal- Potters Bar up to sixth. 

Hashtag United, boosted by a cup win last weekend after three consecutive defeats, played host to Hastings United at Aveley FC. Hastings saw a three match winless streak come to an end as they defeated Redhil, and hoped to build on that, particularly with striker Davide Rodari in sparkling form, but they fell behind on eighteen minutes, Max Cornhill the scorer- and it was two-nil just before the break, Misha Djemaili doubling their advantage- and they were playing ten men by then, Dequane Wilson-Braithwaite send off. Djemaili added a third with twenty two minutes remaining, and the visitors responded by going down to nine men, Tom Howard the next player dismissed. In added time the Tags got a fourth, Sakariya Hassan with that one.

Canvey Island had won their previous two matches, and hoped to make it three in a row as Dulwich Hamlet came to call. Hamlet had lost every match they’d played away from Champion Hill so far this season, their latest defeat coming against South Central side Leatherhead as they left the FA Cup in midweek, but they had defeated the Gulls twice last season and they went ahead on twenty four minutes, Luke Wanadio scoring his sixth goal of the season. Canvey hit back just before half time, Jamie Salmon with the equaliser, but there was still time for Hamlet to regain their lead before the break, courtesy of an added time own goal. On sixty one minutes the Gulls were level once more, Jaxon Brown with the equaliser, but seven minutes from time Salmon saw red for the hosts, and Hamlet quickly took advantage, George Porter heading home the winner. 

Bognor Regis Town were still looking for a first league win of the season as they welcomed Wingate and Finchley, both sides boosted by away wins in the Cup last weekend. The Blues broke through on the half hour, Ogo Obi’s fifth of the season putting them ahead, but the hosts levelled on the hour, Tommy Lee-Higgs with his eighth of the season, and right at the end Callum Barlow delivered the elusive three points. By the time the winner arrived the visitors had been playing for twenty three minutes with ten men, Andronicos Georgiou dismissed.

Cheshunt and Chichester City met in North London (well, Hertfordshire technically, but so close to the London Borough of Enfield that you’d hardly notice), sixteenth v fifteenth. Both sides won on the road in the cup last weekend, and the league table saw City a point ahead at kick off- although they were still searching for a point away from home, and they fell behind in this one, Taylor Miles opening the scoring for the Ambers on twenty four minutes with what appeared to be more of a clearance than a shot, but went in anyway! City levelled nine minutes into the second half, Ben Pashley with the equaliser, but eighteen minutes from time the hosts were ahead once more, Tommy Wood scoring from the spot. City weren’t done, however, and they equaliser ten minutes from time through Emmett Dunn, and three minutes later start striker Jimmy Wild got the winner, his seventh of the season ensuring he’d scored for the fifth consecutive match.