WEEK 15 REVIEW: Round-up of Saturday's league and cup action

SENIOR DIVISION

As the festive break approaches, Chigwell will be top of the league for Christmas as the Hainault based outfit secured an eighth league win of the season on Saturday. They were 3-0 victors away at Lymore Gardens to move three points clear of the chasing pack as the race for silverware a new decade.

FC Petrocub will also have a huge say on the destination of the league winners trophy this season and they picked up a hugely important win over the weekend defeating the previous leaders, London Cranes, at Noak Hill. A goal apiece from Vitalii Chiriac, Vasilica-Cristinel Ilie, Valentin Siciov and Dorin Pascaru saw their side to an impressive 4-0 win to move second.

In the top flight’s final surviving action, there was a mid-table between FC Baresi and East Ham Inter with both sides trying to end the first halves of their season on a high note. By full time, the teams couldn’t be separated with a 1-1 draw ensuing, Esat Saiti netting the Baresi goal.

DIVISION ONE

Tower United will be top of the Division One table as we head into Christmas after they came through a closely fought Tower derby against their Tower Hamlets Reserves rivals at Hackney Marshes. Asad Yousef scored twice and Subeer Derria once for United but a pair of goals from Hamlets kept things interesting in an eventual 3-2 scoreline.

London Park City rounded off an indifferent first half of their season with a stunning victory in Seven Kings over fifth placed All Real. City were 6-0 winners on the day which saw them earn a third league win of the campaign, moving up a place to seventh in the table as a result of their victory.

The remaining clash in the division came from Leyton where fourth-placed All Prospects were up against bottom of the table Forest Green side. The two sides were certainly not goal shy with them combining for eight goals in a thrilling 4-4 draw. That outcome saw Forest Green earn a first point of the season while the visitors missed the chance to move third.

DIVISION TWO

Just two fixtures survived in Division Two with Upshire Forest being the biggest movers of the day, up a couple of places to seventh on the back of a thumping 13-1 win against Flyers. Four goals from Aaron Rich, three from both Callum Godfrey and Tom Lawn plus singles from Connor Gardner, Leighton Hughes-Franklin and Luke Robinson were more than enough to earn the points for the county cup quarter finalists.

Cowley Community appear to be another side riding off the back of excellent county cup performances and they stunned promotion chasing Royal Forest in Hainault on Saturday. Cowley were 4-3 winners in an excellent contest with Christopher Wright netting a hat-trick and Lee Luck grabbing the fourth to take the points home with them.

DIVISION THREE

There was a nine-goal contest in Dagenham over the weekend where Chadwell Heath Spartans opened up a seven-point lead at the top of the standings following their tie with Flyers Development. Jason Collins, Reggie O’Donoghue and Jack Barry all got on the Flyers scoresheet but Jeffrey Nketia’s four-goal haul in reply plus strikes from Rashid Matabaro and Elie Fanga earned Spartans the 6-3 win.

FC Galaxy’s great run of form recently extended over the weekend and they will be wishing there wasn’t a break of fixtures now, their latest victims being Custom House United once again. Jamie Wooster netted for the Dockers but his efforts were superseded by two goals from  Mihai Marenciuc and one each from Dorin-Ionut Boca, Pogar Daniel and Eduard Bica in a 5-1 scoreline.

In the division’s other action, there was little to separate St Francis and Frenford as the two sides settled for a share of the spoils in a 1-1 draw at Wanstead Flats. Frenford’s recent improved form has seen them close the gap on the sides immediately above them while St Francis are now four points off the promotion places at the top of Division Three.

DIVISION FOUR

There was just one surviving game in Division Four on Saturday due to the weather but that game served up a real treat with Together United and Brentwood United Reserves sharing six goals in a real thriller. The two sides were seven points apart at the start of the game and that remained the same as the game finished level at 3-3.