WEEK 23 REVIEW: Round-up of Saturday's league and cup action

FENTON CUP

The Fenton Cup action continues to serve up it’s fair share of cup shocks this season with two Division One sides exiting the competition on Saturday against lower league opposition. The most emphatic of those results saw Division Four’s Woodford East earn themselves a place in the last sixteen with a 4-1 win against Division One’s Tower United. Billy Barr bagged a brace with Frankie Lane and Ben Smith goals overcoming a penalty from United keeper Abdullah Jama.

Merely twenty yards away on an adjacent pitch at the Marshes, it was an equally bad day for Eastside as they slipped to a defeat against Division Two’s leaders, Sungate Reserves, in a heavily wind-affected contest. Gate raced into a 3-0 lead with the breeze behind them with Sam Scooper scoring twice and Aaron White bagging the other. Side mounted a second half comeback that saw them grab a goal back but the match ended 3-1 to see Sungate through.

Over in Chingford there was another potential banana skin tie where top-flight Lymore Gardens were visited by Division Two’s Old Esthameians with a place in round four on offer for the victors. Garden came through the tie safely as they picked up a 3-1 win to secure a fourth round berth at home against Chigwell.

SENIOR DIVISION

West Essex Reserves are fast becoming the favourites for the title in the Senior Division and are on a stunning run of form at present, aided by a late winning goal in their home clash with CSM London on Saturday. Loth Kalala had netted for CSM but West goals from Jakk Carver and Adam Norris turned the game on as Wests won 2-1 to put themselves in the driving seat.

In matters at the other end of the table, Rapid Chingford are leaving it late to mount a battle against relegation but done their hopes a power of good by picking up just their second league win of the season on Saturday with an away win against East Ham Inter in Noak Hill. Just one goal was enough in a closely fought contest, Rapid walking away with the points in a 1-0 scoreline.

DIVISION ONE

Another side who are really up against it in the battle to avoid relegation are Division One’s Forest Green but they had an afternoon to remember against Tower Hamlet Reserves as the Leyton based side picked up their second league win of the season in a 4-1 scoreline. Cole Edwards scored for the visitors but their efforts were in vain as Green walked away as winners.

DIVISION TWO

There were two big results in the race for promotion in Division Two as Cowley Community warmed up for their big county cup semi final next week by earning all three points against second placed Three Colts in Hainault. The sides combined for a five goal thriller with Cowley edging the contest 3-2.

Just a few hundred yards away, over the infamous hedge, Royal Forest continued their quest for promotion honours with an important victory against Unitey at the Rec. George Taylor scored the only goal of a very close game to give Forest a 1-0 win which sees them close to within two points of the promotion places.

DIVISION THREE

In Division Three, game of the day came from Wanstead Flats where second faced third with FC Galaxy in town to take on Newham Wanderers. Two points separated the sides prior to kick-off but Galaxy goals from Mihai Mareniuc and Pogar Daniel gave their side a 2-1 win, overcoming Fabio Jau’s goal for the hosts, a result which sees the sides swap places.

There was a ten-goal thriller over in Debden where St Francis were the visitors to take on Debden Park with plenty of attacking football on display. Leon Young came off the bench to score twice for the visitors with Steven McCormick, Carl Vernage, Daniel Tesfay and Christopher John-Lewis efforts handing Saints an entertaining 6-4 win in the end.

Goals were also the order of the day in two other games where, firstly, Avondale Rangers raced into a two goal lead against Custom House United through strikes from Paul Regan and Steven Pace. But the Dockers showed a lot of spirit to reduce and then eliminate that deficit with Glenn Levy, Shawn Pires and Matthew Guy goals handing them a 3-2 comeback win.

The final game in the division saw just the eight goals as Flyers Development made the trip to Ilford to face Frenford A at the Jack Carter Pavillion. Flyers scored twice but their efforts proved in vain as Frenford ran in six goals of their own to win 6-2 and continue a great run of form that has seen them rise to the cusp of the top half.

DIVISION FOUR

In Division Four, Loughton Lions’ excellent run of form recently, particularly in front of goal, has seen them climb up the table and are now level on points with the leaders, albeit from two games more. The Lions’ latest victims were third placed Lymore Gardens Reserves who went down to a 7-0 defeat to move further out of the promotion picture at present.

Fairlop Rovers are a side who will be harbouring outside hopes of a promotion push in the final stages of the season and they increased their chances on the back of an important away win over Dagenham United Reserves. Ruben Silva got on the scoresheet for United but Rovers responded positively to win it 3-1.

Completing the weekend’s action, at the other end of the Division Four standings, it was tenth versus eleventh as Chingford Harriers made the trip to Romford to take on Flyers B with both sides keen to increase their points tallies. Daniel Denton got himself on the Harriers scoresheet with a goal but Flyers managed to grab one themselves as the sides settled for a share of the spoils in a 1-1 draw.