(Photo by Philip Lindhurst)
Saturday 29th January
Premier Division
Cockfosters 1 Little Oakley 2
Enfield 1 Stansted 0
FC Clacton 2 Redbridge 0
Saffron Walden Town 2 Athletic Newham 2
Sawbridgeworth Town 1 Woodford Town 3
Sporting Bengal United P St Margaretsbury P
Stanway Rovers 0 Ilford 0
Takeley 2 Walthamstow 2
West Essex 4 Southend Manor 0
White Ensign 2 Hoddesdon Town 1
Walthamstow picked up a point at Takeley, which at it turns out was enough to see them extend their lead at the top to eleven points as only one of the three teams making the top four where able to pic up a point. Stow got down to business early on, with Callum Ibe handing the leaders a 1st minute lead, and when Charlie Edwards doubled it before the quarter hour mark the game looked as good as won. But the adage ‘game of two halves’ came into play as the hosts were able to snatch back a point by scoring twice in the second period. Kieran Southgate pulled one back via a 51st minute penalty, with Elliott Long notching the equaliser in the closing stages. Just across the border and 2nd-placed Stansted were defeated by a solitary Kieran Bishop goal that won the game 1-0 for Enfield; while Redbridge slipped down to 4th after a 2-0 reverse at FC Clacton. The visitors gifted their hosts the opening goal on six minute, before Jordan Lartey added another six minutes from time. Stanway Rovers picked up a point against Ilford in a 0-0 draw which was enough to lift Stanway one place up to 3rd. Sawbridgeworth Town secured a midweek 4-1 Errington Challenge Cup win over Woodford Town in midweek, but there were league points at stake on Saturday and all of those went to the Woods who won the encounter 3-1. Jack Yates, Riwan Hussein and Samuel Dodoo were the Woodford scorers, with Dan Jones notching the Sawbridgeworth reply, with the result keeping the Robins 19th. Southend Manor picked up an away win at St Margaretsbury on Tuesday, but their away day on Saturday didn’t bring in any further points. Hosts West Essex handed them a 4-0 beating with a David Bell brace, alongside goals from Cameron Gray and Sam McNally doing the damage. Craig Calver also scored a brace for Saffron Walden Town, but visitors Athletic Newham claimed a point as they were able to score twice themselves via Jailson Seidi and Joel Appiah. Harry Mann was another marksman that was able to score twice, and his goals on 63 and 84 minutes helped Little Oakley pick up a 2-1 away win at Cockfosters, who had managed to draw level on 82 minutes when George Constanti fired home the equaliser. White Ensign won their game against Hoddesdon Town by the same 2-1 scoreline, with Charlie Adams and Jason Reynolds-Blanche putting the hosts 2-0 up after 52 minutes, with the visitors going on to pull one back on 77 minute via Harry Andic. White Ensign are 8th and will be aiming for a top six finish as the season comes to a finale.
