Seasiders hit the summit!

Onto Saturday now, and leaders Bury Town were back at their own Ram Meadow to face ninth place Brightlingsea Regent. The Blues started the day two points clear at the top, and searching for a seventh successive victory, and they had a fabulous start, Cemal Ramadan- always reliable in front of goal- putting them ahead on six minutes with his seventeenth goal of the season. Regent levelled midway through the first half, Teddy Collis with his eighth goal in fourteen matches, and on sixty four minutes the visitors silenced the home crowd once more, Jake Clowsley giving them the lead. Despite the best efforts of their hosts, Regent would not be moved- and climb to eighth with three points, whilst Bury slip to second. Image from Neil Payne. 

Felixstowe were on the road to a different seaside, Great Yarmouth, where they took on Gorleston. The Seasiders had last lost a league match on October 12th, so were looking to take their unbeaten run up to thirteen matches, but they fell behind on eleven minutes, Christy Finch taking his tally for the season to eighth. The visitors drew level in the early stages of the second half, Willie Clemont with the equaliser- his third goal in four matches- and just after the hour Charlie Warren did what he does best, taking his tally to twenty four for the season and putting the Seasiders two-one up. They held onto their lead, and now we shall have to see if they can hold onto the summit, as they climbed above Bury Town by one point, albeit having played one game more. Headline image from Stefan Peck. 

Witham Town were also on the road, our third place side making what looked like a tricky trip to face seventh place Waltham Abbey. It looked even more tricky when Lewwis Spence put the Abbotts ahead on twelve minutes, and trickier still when Aaron Eyoma made it two on the half hour. Immediately after the start of the second half the visitors got a goal back, Andrew Sesay scoring it, but the Abbotts soon reestablished their two goal lead, Nathan Koranteng making it three-one just after the hour, and right at the end they added a fourth, Eyoma sealing a fine victory. The Abbotts climbed to sixth, Town remain third. 

Brentwood Town kicked off our Pitching In Isthmian North weekend against Maldon and Tiptree on Friday evening, and the Blues main man, Daniel Ogunleye, put them ahead on twelve minutes- his twenty second goal of the season. Brentwood had won five in a row and hoped to make it six, but the Jammers were also in good form, six unbeaten, and earned a point when Josh Lee levelled five minutes after the break. Brentwood are fourth, the Jammers thirteenth. 

Heybridge Swifts were at home, worst luck. Our fifth place side have been magnificent on the road, and indeed only they and league leaders Dover Athletic were still unbeaten away from home as we kicked off- but at Scraley Road had a record which matched that of second bottom Newmarket Town, only two wins from ten. It looked like the visit of Basildon United might provide more of the same when Reon Smith-Kouassi put the Bees ahead after just seven minutes, but two minutes before half time Mark Chidi put Swifts ahead and in added time just three minutes later they got a penalty, Andrew Fennell converting. What they had, they held- a rare home victory clinched, and perhaps that might end their home hoodoo! Swifts remain fifth, two points above Waltham Abbey having played an extra match. 

The Bees haven’t defeated Swifts in eight attempts. 

Wroxham welcomed Tilbury to the Norfolk Broads. The Yachtsmen started the day in nineteenth, four points from safety, and lost narrowly in Brightlingsea last time out, but were three unbeaten prior to that and had looked much improved of late- and they looked likely to continue that improvement when Josh Harvey put them ahead eleven minutes before half time. The second half saw no further goals- although it did have a Dockers penalty which hit the post- a result which takes Wroxham to within a point of safety and sees the Dockers slip to seventh.

Grays Athletic saw Walthamstow arrive at Chadfields- and they probably wish that the East Londoners had stayed away. Athletic had slipped to eighth after losing their previous two matches, whilst Stow had only one defeat from seven and three wins from four- so perhaps it was no surprise when Bilal Sayoud Tayo Oyebola put the visitors ahead midway through the first half. Tayo Oyebola almost immediately added a second, and twenty minutes from time it was three-nil, Jordan Peart with that one. Callum Ibe made it four-nil two minutes from time, and finally the Athletic agony stopped, their visitors now only one point and one place behind them. 

Redbridge welcomed Cambridge City to East London. The Motormen started the day in tenth, only four points away from the top five, and took an early lead in this one as they looked to climb closer to a play off place, Oscar Shelvey-Negus the scorer on fourteen minutes. City delivered an equaliser just after the hour, Samrai Gebrai the scorer, and right at the end the visitors grabbed a winer, George Smith making it two wins from two and lifting his side to fourteenth. 

Bottom side Ipswich Wanderers found themselves eight points from safety at kick off against Concord Rangers, and, although they had been showing improvement, had not been able to pick up many points- indeed, their previous nine matches had brought only one. After a goalless first half it looked as if we were going to have a goalless second half, too, but there was another hammer blow for the hosts thirteen minutes from time, Thomas Stagg putting the Beachboys ahead. They tried for an equaliser, but a minute from time Stagg struck again, Rangers climbing to twelfth, the gap between Wanderers and safety now up to nine. 

Mile End found Sporting Bengal United, in eighteenth, facing the side who were above them only on goal difference, Mildenhall Town. United had picked up one point from their previous five matches, Hall were looking to avoid a third consecutive defeat, and they traded early goals, Ben Nolan putting the visitors ahead on fourteen minutes only for Joe Gregory to immediately equalise. The scoring, as it turned out, stopped there. 

Haringey Borough welcomed the side one place and one point behind them in the bottom four, Newmarket Town. Borough went ahead on twelve minutes, Bobson Bawling the scorer, and in the early stages of the second half added a second through Derek Asamoah, but the nerves will have set in amongst the home faithful when Ryan Cole got a goal back with twenty two minutes left, such has been their inability to protect a lead this season. On this occasion, however, the Coles Park faithful were allowed to celebrate, as the lead was maintained- Borough now two points from safety.