WEEK 7 REVIEW: Divisional leaders all win to maintain leads over chasing pack
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Game of the weekend goes to Cranes United and Chingford Town who between them conjured up a nine-goal thriller with Chingford prevailing by the odd goal, winning 5-4. Melbourne Sports ended Chingford Athletic’s unbeaten start with a 2-1 home win courtesy of a brace from debutant Frankie Merrifield. That result lifts Melbourne up to fifth position with Chingford dropping to third. New signing John Bricknell bagged a debut hat-trick for Chingford with a Joseph Johnson double securing maximum points to lift them to second in the Premier Division table. Chingford Harriers secured a first win of the season in beating fellow strugglers AAH Romford 2-0 with goals from Paul Shawyer and Edwin Jabbari. Also securing a first win of the campaign were Eastside Rangers who saw off the efforts of Newham Res in a 3-1 home win to climb to ninth place. Leaders May & Baker EC A hosted eighth placed St Francis and extended their lead at the top to six points in a 5-1 victory. In the final game in the division, Jolof Sports Club travelled to Rainham Working Mens Club and returned victorious in a 3-0 scoreline to keep them in the higher echelons of the division.
Top of the table Blue Marlin continue their fine season in Division One with a 5-1 home win against Glendale to maintain an unbeaten start to the season and the early bookies favourites to be playing Premier Division football next season. Glendale’s goal came courtesy of a strike from Andrejs Nosikovs. Forest Green move up to fourth in the table with a 4-1 win against London Bari Res courtesy of goals from Romelle Pile, Wesley Allen, Tashan Benjamin and Rudeen February. Second placed Vittoriosa Falcons keep pressure on Blue Marlin at the top of the table with a closely fought 2-1 win against struggling Chingford Town Res with goals from Nathan Scarborough and Faybian Dawson cancelling out a Jason Francis strike for Town. In the other Division One clash, Northend and Three Colts shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw with David Watson netting for Colts to cancel out Kristian Katzarov’s strike for the hosts.
Leyton Green took advantage of teams above them dropping points to climb to second in the table courtesy of a 3-1 away win at St Francis Res. Wyndell Foster bagged a double for Green with Carlos Da Silva also on target to bag maximum points for the visiting side. Grove United and West Essex Res both drop a place following a rare goalless draw in the clash between previously second and third placed sides in the table. Northend Res picked up a second win of the season with goals from Edmund Adade, Aristos-el Amara and Abayomi Ogumtoye securing the win, 3-2, against Custom House for whom Ritchie Weeks and Tim Mason were on target. Top of the table Cowley Community maintain a one-point lead at the top following a closely fought 2-0 win at Canio with Jamie Kavaz and Izynna Ogedi-Uzokwe netting. The final game saw Kristopher Griffin and Lewis Stichbury find the target for Newham Royals but not enough to prevent their side sliding to a 4-2 defeat on the road at Dagenham United.
Next weekend the attention turns to those sides representing the league in outside competitions with no fewer than nine county and national cup ties taking place. Good luck to all of those clubs involved in those matches.