WEEK 10 REVIEW: Round-up of Saturday's league and cup action

FENTON CUP

The second round of the Fenton Cup continued on Saturday with four sparkling ties being the focal point of the bonfire weekend action as the Road to Dagenham continued.

The shock result of the day came in Leyton where a local derby pitted Premier Division side Leyton Falcons against local rivals, Lymore Gardens, high-flyers in Division Two this season. In a tie which looked like a potential banana skin, it proved to be just that with Lymore continuing their excellent form and running out 5-2 winners. Henry Williams and Jason Anthony both netted for Falcons but two goals from Alex Osbourne added to goals from Troy Morris, Dushane Powell and Andre Graham to complete the giant-killing.

Another match in the competition which almost produced another shock result was down in Newbury Park where Division Three’s Old Esthameians Reserves played host to Division One’s Three Colts. In what transpired to be a very closely competed match, the sides finished level at ninety minutes at 1-1 with Alex Booker’s goal for E’s cancelling out Jack Luck’s goal for the Colts. And in resultant penalty shoot-out, Three Colts pulled through winning 4-2 to book a place in the third round.

Making safe progress into the last sixteen were Premier Division side West Essex Reserves who were on the road at Newham United Reserves on Saturday. In a tie that could have proven problematic on paper for the Stags, the hero of the day was Adam Norris who netted all four of his side’s goals to complete a 4-2 win. That win now takes West Essex through to a last sixteen tie away at ACD United in the next round.

ACD United’s own progress in the competition was continued with an emphatic victory on Saturday as the Division Two title-chasing outfit took on Division Three’s Frenford A in Chadwell Heath. In a battle between two of the league’s new sides this season, it was the higher placed ACD who prevailed from the tie, winning 9-0 to rocket into the last sixteen.

PREMIER DIVISION

In the Premier Division, Colebrook Royals took full advantage of the being the highest placed side in action in the league, closing the gap on leaders Jolof Sports to four points with a victory at home against Blue Marlin. Chris Stowe was once again the man to do the damage with his four goals paving the way as Richard Klein completed the scoring with the fifth goal.

The division’s other match saw a West Ham derby match take place with London Cranes facing co-tenants Lopes Tavares London at West Ham Memorial. In a competitive match, it was Cranes who secured an important victory as Shafik Walusimbi’s hat-trick performance inspired them to a 3-1 win.

DIVISION ONE

The Division One leaders, Docklands Albion, were able to extend their lead on Saturday although didn’t things all their own way as Melbourne Sports were the visitors at Douglas Eyre. Goals from Stelios Elias, Samuel Daminabo and Tiago Domingues edged a five-goal thriller late on as Albion confirmed a 3-2 win to open up a three point lead at the top.

The division’s biggest winners of the day were East Ham Inter whose improving recent form has inspired a climb up the league table of late. They travelled to Wanstead Flats on Saturday to take on Cowley Community. Ryan Thompson-Cobham scored twice for the hosts and Gabriel Onireti once but Amalraj Kakumanu’s goals for Inter helped his side secure a 6-3 win.

Ryan Reserves remain third in the Division One standings and very much in the push for promotion once again this year, aided by their latest victory away at Ferns Seniors on Saturday in Hainault. Sean Howe and Jamie Redington were were the men on target for Ferns but their goals proved mere consolation as Ryan responded with four goals to win 4-2.

DIVISION TWO

The leadership of Division Two changed hands once again this weekend with United London Reserves the beneficiaries of other sides being in cup action, scooping a sparkling victory to go top of the table. Josh Kasongo and Ugo Ibeabuchi were on target for their opponents, Forest Green Reserves, but eight goals of their own made it comfortable victory for United on the day in an 8-2 scoreline.

Chingford Athletic Reserves remain as one of two unbeaten sides in the division and made the journey down to Chadwell Heath on Saturday to take on Lionside at Warren School. Billy Harding continued his form in front of goal with another this week, adding to a Riley Bowers effort and a wonder strike from Sean Clarke from long distance to earn a 3-1 win.

The other unbeaten side in the division are Rainham Working Mens Club who had a tough assignment on their hands this weekend as they visited east London to take on Custom House at Lyle Park. Charlie Clarke scored twice for the hosts but two goals from Barry O’Donnell and another Connor Kain goal meant that Rainham edged this thriller 3-2 to move third in the standings.

DIVISION THREE

The top match in Division Three on Saturday saw the leaders, Chigwell, take on fourth placed Kitroom in a Hainault derby match in what turned out to be an important match. Rikki Sargent found the back of the net for the leaders but a Kitroom double from Lewis McCarthy accompanied goals from Justin Cummins and Denis Karmaj onto the scoresheet to complete a stunning victory for Kitroom, moving them up to joint top on goal difference.

That result presented an opportunity for other sides to close the gap as Redbridge Development played host to Custom House Community in Wanstead looking for a victory to close the gap on the sides above them. A victory was indeed completed as the hosts ran out comfortable 6-0 victors to make it three league wins from five matches.

Another goal-filled clash was witnessed in Hainault where Glendale were taking on Chingford Harriers in a mid-table derby. James Morris scored four goals in the first half to hand Harriers a 4-2 lead at the break but second half comeback goals from Leon Sterling and Johann Grant added to Khari Pobi’s first half brace to leave the sides with a point apiece in an exhilarating 4-4 draw.

And if it’s goals you were interested in, you couldn’t have gone far wrong with a trip to Seven Kings where New Star Soccer were the hosts in their clash against Gatcliffe on Saturday. Samson Ogunwole scored a hat-trick for New Star with Junior Brown netting the fourth. However, Gatcliffe’s marked improvement was in full flow with a hat-trick from Darren Potter and singles from Chris Bird, John O’Brien, Ollie Farnham and James Hobday seeing them to a 7-4 eventual victory, their third of the campaign.

DIVISION FOUR

The weekend’s Division Four action centred around the battle of the top two as Haver Town Reserves looked to stamp their authority on the league with the visit of Royal Forest to Westlands. It was a game always likely to be closely contended with both sides having excellent records this year and in the end, it took two key moments to decide the match with both going in favour of the hosts. Michael Brown and Ronnie Coules were the men on target for their side to secure a 2-0 win and move Town six points clear at the summit.

Moving up to third place were Avondale Rangers who were able to close the gap on the top two sides in an emphatic 9-0 away victory on Saturday against Wanstead Warriors. Dwayne Hutchinson scored a hat-trick, Matthew Englezou a brace and further goals from Graham Learner, Luke Hibberd and Paul Regan completing the resounding victory.

There was a seven goal thriller in the day’s remaining match which saw Debden Park get back to winning ways with a win at home to Newham Royals, overtaking their opponents in the process to move fourth in the league. Jack Dainton was the hero with a hat-trick for Park with Ben Highsted accredited with the fourth goal in a 4-3 victory.

COUNTY CUP

There was tremendous success for EAL clubs this weekend with four out of six sides made further progress in the London Junior Cup. The biggest winners were United London who travelled to north London to face Press Association in a late afternoon kick-off, returning home to Romford with a 10-1 win in the bag and a place in round three against Hilltop.

Another side finding the back of the net with regularity were FC Baresi as the Division Three side travelled south of the river to take on Baldon Sports on Saturday. They were able to run out comfortable 5-0 winners on the day securing a place in the third round against Stansfeld (Oxford & Bermondsey) Reserves.

Also scoring five goals were the impressive Forest Green who like a run in this competition and ensured they would remain involved for a while longer with a 5-1 win against Rollers Athletic. The reward for that victory is a long away trip in round three to AFC Battersea.

Securing a fine win but being push at the same time were Sporting Hackney Reserves who got back to winning ways this Saturday by beating South Kilburn SK at the Marshes. They needed the extra half an hour however as the game finished level at full time. Extra time proved beneficial for the Parrots who ran out 4-2 winners eventually.

It wasn’t such a good day for two of our sides however with Wapping’s participation in the competition being ended after a long trip to face the South Wimbledon Dazzlers, going down 7-2. St Francis’ progress was halted also, being defeated 6-0 at home to Stansfeld (Oxford & Bermondsey) Reserves.