WEEK 39 REVIEW: Round-up of all the league and cup action from the weekend

DIVISION THREE CUP FINAL

A busy week of cup final action began back on Tuesday night as Changing Lives met Glendale in the final at Dagenham & Redbridge for the Division Three Cup, both sides on this stage for the first time in a while. It took merely seconds for the game to see it’s only goal as Glendale’s Wesley Antonio applied the early pressure which allowed Ahmed Abdullai the chance to make the breakthrough, Glendale taking a 1-0 lead. Both sides worked hard in a frenetic start to the game with Changing Lives missing a couple of key chances while the Dales struck the bar twice but ultimately held on to lift the cup.

DIVISION TWO CUP FINAL

On Thursday evening, it was back to Dagenham for the next cup final action as Rainham & Barking Phoenix took on a Chingford Harriers side for the Division Two Cup in front of a big crowd. Khairee Ahmad gave Rainham the lead on the quarter of an hour and that lead was doubled by Joshus Perry just before the break. Harriers weren’t done yet however and Brandon Anthony’s excellent strike reduced the deficit shortly after half time. But late goals from Cameron Shakes and a Sean Tormey penalty made it a 4-1 result for Rainham who netted their second trophy.

DIVISION ONE CUP FINAL

On Saturday lunchtime, it was the turn of the Division One Cup to take the limelight at a sun-scorched Victoria Road, a game which saw Saint City taking on Lymore Gardens Under 23s in front of another big crowd. A fast City start saw them miss a number of early chances before Jordan Lemard scored their opener, followed by a Richard Seixas goal shortly after. But a Johnelli Lungikisa header before half-time left the door ajar for Lymore Gardens and they improved thereafter, though it took the latest of late goals from Warren Isoka to bring their team level at 2-2, the last kick of the game. And so a penalty shootout was needed and it took some time with a second cycle being needed, Lymore eventually prevailing 14-13 .

FENTON TROPHY FINAL

On Saturday evening, as the sun set over Dagenham, the final game of the day saw the Fenton Trophy up for grabs with Melbourne Sports looking to cause a cupset against Rainham & Barking Phoenix in front of a raucous crowd. Cameron Shakes got the scoring underway after nineteen minutes, heading home the opener, and that was doubled seconds later as Dillon Anderson fired in at the back post. But the Mels got one back through a Reece Kelly goal line scramble before Shakes restablished the lead for Rainham, racing through to score, before Charlie Perry’s super free-kick made it 4-1, a scoreline that confirmed that Rainham would lift a third trophy of the week.

PREMIER DIVISION EAST

In Premier Division East, it’s congratulations to Fairlop Rovers who saw results go the way they wanted on the day to put their name on the honours board, confirmed as champions following a 2-2 away draw against Soul. Nick Bell and Duke Aidoo scored for the hosts with Lewis Crowe and Jayden Francis goals enough for Rovers to complete the job. Many congratulations to all involved at Fairlop on their success this season!

The race for promotion will go on with Dagenham United moving into second place following a win in their last game of the season, a 2-0 success against Unitey. Shaquille Mathurin and Halameen Agbaje both netted for the hosts, a result which keeps their hopes alive albeit with sides below having games still to play.

At Parsloes Park, another key game saw Newbury Athletic continue their recent form with a strong performance against promotion chasing Ongar Town. Ben Newman and Mofi Tunde-Ojolowo both scored for Town but a Newbury brace from Reda El Ghaibouz plus strikes from Chris Tshimanga, Emmanuel Chukwumah and Mehdadul Kazi ended it 5-2 in favour of the hosts.

Over at Town Mead, Waltham Abbey A warmed up for their impending cup final appearance by hosting Redbridge Community in a league game, knowing a win would keep alive their promotion hopes. But it wasn’t to be as Redbridge won the game 2-0 to help their bid to beat the drop, a fourth league win of the season.

PREMIER DIVISION WEST

In the Premier Division West, just the one game completed saw Renegade continue their push for a top-two finish as they saw off the threat of London Cranes in a 5-2 scoreline to make it thirteen wins for the season. That result means that, with two league games to go, Renegade will need to win both fixtures and hope for a slip-up of their rivals.

DIVISION TWO

The Division Two fixtures reached their conclusion on Saturday with the final league game of the season seeing Dagenham United Reserves taking on Redbridge Community Reserves at Robert Clack with neither side able to impact their final position. Ciaran Innis and Cain Dash both struck for United but those efforts proved in vain as Redbridge made it a 3-2 win for themselves.

DIVISION THREE

The last action of the day came from Division Three where the division’s action was completed on the back of Changing Lives’ bounce back win against Broadway Athletic at Northbrooks. Aboubakar Mohammed scored twice for the hosts with Ismail Aziz, Ussri Badawi and Alan Valle all scoring in a 5-3 success for the cup finalists.