Monday, January 30, 2012

The top three clubs in the Ryman Premier table opened a significant gap over their pursuers on Saturday, as all three achieved hard fought, odd goal home victories.

Billericay remain two points clear after beating Met Police 2-1. Richard Halle gave the hosts a seventeenth minute lead with a penalty, after a foul on Courtney White, just back from a loan spell at Waltham Forest. The Police drew level with a header by Jack MacLeod soon after half time, but the Essex side collected three important points, with a header by Dave Collis thirteen minutes from time.

Hornchurch stay second, with a game in hand, but left it late to see off East Thurrock. Lewis Smith drilled home the only goal of the game in the second minute of added time.

Lowestoft, who beat Wealdstone 2-1, trail Urchins on goal difference, but have played two games fewer. Stones, who left out top scorer Richard Jolly, took the lead after twenty-one minutes through Britt Assombalonga. Chris Henderson levelled matters five minutes after the interval, and Joe Francis won it with a penalty on the hour, after a foul on Lubo Guentchev.

Hendon moved up to fourth place with a 2-1 home win over Hastings, but are seven points behind the teams above them. They did the damage early: Elliott Charles put them ahead after fourteen minutes, and Michael Lewis made it 2-0 three minutes later. Hastings, in danger of slipping into the bottom four, fought back strongly, but could not add to Lee Carey's fierce free kick on thirty-one minutes.

Bury are back in fifth spot, after a crushing 5-0 win at Leatherhead, who are once again in deep trouble at the wrong end of the table, after a brief revival. Goals from John Sands and Lee Smith in the last four minutes of the first half broke open what had been an even game. Sands missed a penalty soon after the interval, but Sam Nunn's weak header found its way into the net to make it 3-0 on fifty-four minutes, and Smith completed the rout, and his hat-trick, in the sixty-third and seventy-ninth minutes.

Lewes dropped out of the top five, after forfeiting a half time lead, and going down 2-1 to Canvey. It was against the run of play when Paul Booth's header put Lewes in front after twenty-four minutes. Alex Rhodes squared it six minutes after the break, and Bradley Woods-Garness hit the decider on seventy-three minutes, leaving Lewes with just three points to show from their last six outings.

Cray also fell out of the play-off places, after a 0-0 home draw with Kingstonian. Sam Clayton had a shot cleared off the Cray line, and Tommy Whitnell missed two good chances for the hosts.

In form Margate looked set to advance within two points of the play-off places, as they dominated their game at Carshalton. But home keeper Nick Hamann was again in outstanding form, as the visitors failed to add to Craig Cloke's tenth minute opener. They paid the price, when Paul Vines headed the equaliser from a corner with ten minutes left, and worse was to follow for the Kent club in added time, when Tom Davis scored with another header to steal a 2-1 victory for the Robins.

There seems no end to the misery for bottom club Horsham. Without a win since August, they are now sixteen points adrift of safety, after a 5-0 thrashing at Concord, for whom Tony Stokes hit his third hat-trick of the season to take his tally to sixteen league goals, and twenty-three in all. It was Stokes who opened the scoring in the fourteenth minute, and Sherwin Stanley added another on the stroke of half time. Stokes completed his treble with goals in the sixtieth and eighty-first minutes, before Mitch Hahn finished the scoring.

The big match at the bottom was at Aveley, and the hosts suffered a costly 3-1 defeat by Tooting, who moved above Leatherhead into nineteenth place, and to within two points of Hastings. Millers, struggling in twenty-first place, fell behind to a Connor French header after eighteen minutes, and French made it 2-0 from the spot eight minutes later, after he had been fouled. French also set up the third goal for Steve Ferguson in the sixty-fourth minute, and a late Dave Knight penalty was slim consolation for the home side.

Wingate eased their relegation fears, and increased Harrow's worries, with a 3-1 win at Earlsmead. Leon Smith opened the scoring on seven minutes, and Gaz Dauti, another player recently with Waltham Forest, headed his first goal for Wingate in the eighteenth minute. Long serving Wayne Walters gave Harrow new hope, when he headed home in the seventy-fifth minute, but the hosts had Wilson Gonowe sent off three minutes later, and Wingate clinched the points with a goal by Jon Douglas in added time.