WEEK 18 REVIEW: Round-up of all the league and cup action from the weekend

Essex Alliance League - Weekly Round-Up

Saturday 9^TH December 2023

FENTON CUP

There was 3^rd round action from the Fenton Cup on Saturday where two Premier Division sides went head-to-head with Wapping at home against Newbury Athletic. It was the West division side who took the honours in this one as Wapping goals from Mohammed Ahmed, Emre Ozuaciksoz, Zakaria Rahal and Ryan Stowell won them the game 4-2, Younes Ferhani and Reda El Ghaibouz netting for Newbury in consolation.

SENIOR DIVISION

In the Senior Division, there was another three-point haul for the league leaders as FC Baresi moved onto forty-one points for the season with a 3-0 victory away at Bakers693 in Dagenham. Marvin Hamilton and Noyan Tajbakhsh were both on the scoresheet to help their side move to a thirteenth league win of the season.

Woodford East remain in third spot but have cut the gap on second to just a point, their weekend’s action seeing them make the trip to Hackney Marshes to face a Priory Park Rangers side sitting thirteen points behind their opponents going into the fixture. Callum Maltese struck a brace with Billy Barr and Luke Dimond goals completing a 4-0 win for the Peacocks by full-time.

Sitting just a couple of points further back in the standings, fourth placed Haringey Borough Under 23s made the journey to Lakeside Sports Ground on Saturday as they took on hosts Rapid Chingford in the game, only four points separating those sides before kick-off. But Borough extended that to seven by the end, winning 5-2, despite Rapid goals from Marian Buzatu and Cristian Cazacu.

Over at Parsloes Park, there was another big result affecting the promotion chase where Lymore Gardens slipped to a second consecutive defeat, going down at home against Frenford Development who produced a terrific 4-1 winning performance. Daniel Francis, Damilola Olaiya, Kishawn James and Tyler Shillingford all found the back of the net to give the visitors a vital three points.

There was plenty of entertainment in another of the fixtures between top half sides as Walthamstow Reserves faced an FC Petrocub side fresh off of a giant-killing cup win in midweek. With the fixture reversed, Stow raced into a 3-0 lead before being pegged back, leading again before Petrocub equalised in the dying embers of the game, a 4-4 draw the end result.

In matters affecting the other end of the table, it was twelfth versus fourteenth on Saturday afternoon in Beckton where Sporting Hackney were the visitors to face a CSM London side with both still flirting with danger. The Parrots did start the game with a nine-point lead over CSM but host goals from Bilal Hussain, Ramiz Mahmood and Jaydon Charles sent CSM to a 3-1 win, James Head notching the Sporting goal in reply.

PREMIER DIVISION EAST

There was a massively important game at the foot of the East division as the bottom two sides went in search of vital points, Leyton City hosting Redbridge Community in Newbury Park. And it was the winless Redbridge Community who secured a vital three points in a 5-2 win, their first victory of the season. They remain bottom but now just two points from safety.

PREMIER DIVISION WEST

In Premier Division West, there are new leaders at the summit as Newham Wanderers moved top by a point, completing a 5-3 home win against Renegade. Bradley Harris was the hero with a Wanderers hat-trick, Evaristo Mendes and Joao Mendes also on target. Anthony Ralenekov, Aamir Salah and Samuel Sisse struck with the visitors’ consolation efforts.

Also making their move up the standings were London Park City who are up into fifth following their win at the weekend, scoring the game’s only goal in a 1-0 victory at home against Wanstead in Seven Kings. That saw the hosts make it five wins for the campaign this season, taking their points tally on fifteen while Wanstead remain in ninth spot.

DIVISION ONE

In Division One, the only surviving game saw the league leaders, Woodford East Reserves in away action with the visit to an in-form Lymore Gardens Under 23s side in Dagenham. The Peacocks continued their own recent form however with a solid 2-0 win as Jordan French and Daniel Prime both scored for the leaders to win them the game and move seven points clear.

DIVISION TWO

Both of the Division Two games survived the elements and saw the leaders, Royal Forest, produce their ninth league win of the season from nine games as they saw off the threat posed by ninth placed Redbridge Community Reserves. Joe Owers struck twice for the Trees with Fifi Banin scoring the side’s other goal in a 3-1 success.

In the other game from the division, Rainham & Barking Phoenix have leapt up two spots into second place, climbing above their opponents, Collier Row Reserves, in the process after a 4-1 win in Dagenham. Cameron Shakes bagged a hat-trick, Connor Kain scoring the other off the bench, while Alex Paraskeva netted the Row goal in reply.

COUNTY CUP

There was a clean sweep for league sides in the county cup competitions this week, beginning last Wednesday night as FC Petrocub made the long journey down to Surrey to face Step 6 side Tooting Bec once again after victory against them in the final last year. And it was a similar outcome this time around as Petrocub were 1-0 winners to knock out their higher ranked opponents yet again.

Moving into the weekend’s action, in the BBC Essex Premier Cup, Kit Out London overcame Olympian opposition, May & Baker EC A, in their rearranged tie with victory in a seven-goal thriller, moving into the fourth round of the competition after a 4-3 success.

In the Essex Junior Cup, Ongar Town came from behind at Marks Hall to take a big scalp, ending the run of the Mid Essex League leaders, Sandon Royals, in the process. After an indifferent first half which saw them trail at the break, Town were improved after the break to win the tie 5-2.

The Essex Junior Trophy action saw a hat-trick of league wins with Dagenham United Reserves progressing in stunning fashion, coming out on the right side of the all-EAL Division Two derby fixture with Chingford Harriers following a 7-2 win at Peter May.

There was success for Chadwell Heath Spartans Reserves too as their clash against Springfield Development in the Trophy saw them edge their way to victory, netting the odd goal in five in a 3-2 home success at Parsloes Park.

Completing the weekend’s action, Old Barkabbeyans were in home action at South Park Drive with the visit of Rayleigh Town A in the third round. It was a goal-filled contest that ensued by the hosts ended up the winners, 5-3 the final score, to bank a place in the quarter-finals.