Leyton Royal – survivor16b

Guest Blog: Essex Alliance League Round-up (Wk 17 – Sat 11 Dec) [EAL 21-22 13.11.21]

Hello and welcome to the latest action from the Essex Alliance League, which continues on this blog this season under the “Guest Blog” strand. This edition looks at the action across the League divisions and action in the Fenton Cup on Saturday 11 December. My thanks to the EAL’s Rob Parker. This round-up is posted with the author’s permission. Also includes the Fixtures set for Saturday 18th December in the top two divisions, the last action of 2021 in the EAL before the Festive break. Thanks for reading.

Guest Blog written by Rob Parker for EAL [EAL Twitter: @EssexAllianceFL]

With additional reporting by Scott W

Essex Alliance League Round-up- Sat 11 December

FENTON CUP

There was just the one cup tie played involving our clubs and it produced one of the shocks of the season as Division One’s Barkingside A overcame a two division deficit to send Senior side Chadwell Heath Spartans out of the competition. The teams couldn’t be separated during the game with the match finishing 0 – 0. It was ‘Side who then held their nerve from the spot to win the shootout 4 – 3, bagging a place in the quarter-finals.

SENIOR DIVISION

The Senior Division has new leaders approaching the midway point in the season as DTFC’s unbeaten start continued with a 3 – 1 win on the road, beating Blue Marlin to move a point clear of the chasing pack. Billy Golledge scored twice to continue his form with Kieran Hipgrave netting the other to see the Harlow based side move top for the first time this season. Triston Foster responded for Marlin but they remain third-bottom. Lymore Gardens sit just two points behind the leaders, albeit from more games, and they made it a double this season over rivals FC Baresi, earning a 1 – 0 win at the County Ground on Saturday afternoon. Andre Rashford scored the only goal of a close game to earn an eighth win of a solid campaign thus far.

Moving up to fifth place are Leyton Royal who are in a rich vein of form themselves presently and made it six wins for the season from eleven, coming out 3 – 2 winners from their trip to Hackney to face Tower United. That result saw them remain healthily placed in the top half while Tower United remain five points adrift from safety at the foot of the table. That scoreline was reflected over in Noak Hill where CSM London were the visitors to take on FC Petrocub with the two teams starting the day just two points apart in the race to avoid the drop. By full-time however, FC Petrocub had picked up a fourth league victory, winning 3 – 2 despite a goal apiece from Achina Esekiel and Leon Barnard.

The two remaining games saw a pair of draws, firstly as Woodford East and Kit Out London shared the spoils in a 2 – 2 draw at the Marshes which saw East drop a spot in the race for the title. Frank Glock and Andrew Rowe netted for the hosts with Marlon Ortiz and Mario Iazaris striking in reply for Kit Out as they took a vital point. The final game came from Lakeside where Rapid Chingford were at home against Jolof Sports, six points separating those teams as they started the match. And that was how it remained by full time as neither side could find the back of the net in a rare 0 – 0 draw, a result which really doesn’t help either team’s respective causes.

PREMIER DIVISION

In the Premier Division, there was no change at the top of the table where Frenford A made it to twenty five points for the season with a big 6 – 0 win on the day against mid-table Eastside over in Walthamstow. Frenford’s scorers were led by a treble for Keenan Gravillis alongside strikes by Damilola Olaiya, Rafay Khan and Wisley Baltazar. That was an eighth league win for the promotion hopefuls and kept them three points clear of the chasing pack. That pack is headed by Dagenham United who remain well in the mix after they picked up a hard fought 2 – 0 victory at home against London Park City at Castle Green to make it seven wins for the season. Fabio Cunha and David Olanipekun both netted for the hosts to ensure they kept apace at the top of the table.

Crookz United’s form has been very consistent and they sit fourth having only suffered a single reverse in the league so far this season and that record was extended with a home win on Saturday against London Cranes. Muhammad Mutesasira netted for the visitors but his efforts proved not quite enough as Anselmo Gomes, Khalid Madey and Luke Stewart goals handed United a 3 – 1 win. It was a good weekend for the Athletic Newham club as a whole and the Under 23s followed their first team’s lead in picking up an important win, running out 4 – 0 victors from their home game against North East Lions over at Flanders. Christopher Barbosa netted twice for the U23’s here, with further goals by James Runham and Leon Hasani which enabled Newham to jump up a place to seventh, moving above their opponents in the standings.

DIVISION ONE

There were some big results in the race for the title in Division One which remains led by RCXI by two points after they edged a close game against Forest Green, eventually winning 2 – 1 at Belhus Park. Michael Temitayo and Abimbola Ojo both struck the back of the net to give their side a vital three points. The local derby fixture from the Flats saw fourth placed Wanstead take on previously second placed Cowley Community with both sides knowing that a win was vital to continue their quests. And it was the lower placed Wanstead side who ran out winners, sending Cowley to a 3-2 defeat as Zoltan Balogh scored twice and Jake Nicolas once.

And those results ensured that Belfry remain in pole position assuming they take advantage of their games in hand after they made it seven wins in seven to continue their perfect start in the league. They were 4-1 winners at home to Renegade in Dagenham to sit just two points behind the leaders with four games in hand. There was a tremendous performance by Ilford Reserves who closed the gap on the sides above after a terrific 6-1 win on the road on Saturday, defeating Newham Wanderers. Robertson Morais scored for Newham but two Abdul Cheratia goals plus strikes from Jack Newbury-Neale, Mario Lipetz, Joseph Sulola and Raymond Obe ensure the points headed Ilford’s way.

The division’s final game was a real six-pointer at the bottom end of the table as Francis Luke made the trip to Beckton to take on Kwanzas London Sport with both sides knowing the value of a victory. An entertaining game saw the sides combine for eight goals with Kwanzas walking away with a 5-3 win under their belts, Ramar Robert, Lemuel Da Silva and Kennerly Cassius striking the Luke consolation goals.

DIVISION TWO

The big result in Division Two came from Loughton where Fairlop Rovers’ perfect start to the season came to an abrupt end as they were beaten by now second placed Unitey, the sides now level on points at the top. Mohammed Abaker, David Otley and Bubintende Masadi scored the Unitey goals to edge the clash in a 3-2 scoreline. Two of the mid-table sides met as fifth placed Rainham Working Mens Club entertained sixth placed Emerson & Upminster Reserves. The sides started level on points and it was therefore perhaps unsurprising that they could not be separated on the day with the game ending 1-1. Matt Humphreys scored the hosts with Ross Braybrooke notching the Emerson’s effort.

Two sides were able to move away from imminent danger firstly as Ryan Under 23s picked up all three points with a terrific home win against an in-form FHN Athletic side who suffered just a second league defeat. Ryan were 2-1 winners on the day to move level on the points with the side above and further away from relegation worries. There was also a big result for Loughton Lions who moved away from danger themselves with a vital home win against Redbridge Community, coming out on the right side of a 5-4 nine goal thriller. Tom Osmond was the hero with four goals, Owen McKelvey scoring the other to earn the win. Akiljo Balliu scored a hat-trick in reply and Melanijus Butkus one but their efforts proved in vain.

DIVISION THREE

There’s no change at the top of the Division Three standings where FC Baresi Under 23s continue to lead the way by a couple of points after a solid 4-1 win away at their Flyers counterparts. Zach Aliane scored twice along with Mak Delkic and Hamza Hafesji also netting to render a Joshua Adu strike as just consolation for the hosts. With two games in hand, Royal Forest Reserves remain the likeliest threat to the present leaders and they made light work of their trip to ASA, returning home from their trip to Hackney with all three points in a 5-0 scoreline. That result game the Trees a seventh league win in eight this year, remaining unbeaten also heading towards the festive break.

Melbourne Sports’ resurgence in form in the last few weeks has positioned them just outside of the promotion places on goal difference and they extended their form with a 5-2 home victory on Saturday against Together United over at Fairlop Oak. That was the seventh Mels win of the campaign as they reached the twenty-two points mark. Sitting just a point further back, Old Barkabbeyans Reserves kept themselves in the mix with another win under their belts but they had a real battle on their hands as they edged a nine goal thriller against Harlow Inter. Michael Ryder scored a hat-trick with Klodian Meta and Jay Elliott goals rounding off an important 5-4 win for the visitors.

Glendale are up into seventh place, jumping up a couple of places after a third straight win, coming from behind to beat Terin 6 – 2 at Oaks Park High School. Suheil Shekh and Fahad Abdallah goals had given the strugglers a 2-0 early lead but Mouhamed Gueye was in great form with a hat-trick, alongside further Dales goals from Valter Correia, Maryis Shamku and Attila Szabo.

DIVISION FOUR

Dagenham United Reserves took advantage of results around them to cut the gap at the top of the table as they ran out 5-1 winners at home against Newham Royals at Castle Green. Cain Dash scored a hat-trick with Allim Jalloh and Mamdou Soumare efforts making up the remainder of the scoresheet to move United into the top two.

That outcome was made possible as Sporting Pillars made the trip to Chingford Harriers for their return fixture, both sides dropping points in their battles for promotion as they settled for a very rare 0-0 scoreline, both sides unable to breach the defences. That saw Chingford remain unbeaten in the league while Sporting extended their short winless run to three games.

The final game came from Loughton where an in-form Avondale Rangers side were looking to add to their points tally as they faced up to a West Essex Under 23s side. And West will have been the happier of the sides as four Javen Cole goals saw them win 5-3, leaping above Rangers in the process. James Whitbread and Phillip Heinen both struck for Avondale with their consolation efforts.

Fixtures – Saturday December 18th (top two tiers only)

EAL Senior Division

Chigwell Town P – P Chadwell Heath Spartans |

CSM London v Tower Utd | West Ham Community Ground 3G, Beckton

FC Baresi v FC Petrocub | Britannia Sports Ground, Walthamstow

Jolof Sports P – P DT FC |

Jolof Sports v Chadwell Heath Spartans | Flanders Playing Fields, East Ham

Kit Out London v Rapid Chingford | Noak Hill 3G

Leyton Royal v Woodford East | Fairlop Oak Playing Fields

EAL Premier Division

All Prospects v Dagenham Utd | Fairlop Oak Playing Fields

London Cranes v Oakside | Flanders Playing Fields

London Park City P – P Crookz Utd |

Guest Blog: Essex Alliance League Round-up (Wk 14 – Sat 20 Nov) [EAL 21-22 22.11.21]

Hello and welcome to the latest action from the Essex Alliance League, which continues on this blog this season under the “Guest Blog” strand. This edition looks at the action across the League divisions and action in the Fenton Cup & Fenton Trophy on Saturday 20 November. My thanks to the EAL’s Rob Parker. This round-up is posted with the author’s permission. Thanks for reading.

Guest Blog written by Rob Parker for EAL [EAL Twitter: @EssexAllianceFL]

With additional reporting by Scott W

Essex Alliance League Round-up- Sat 20 November

FENTON CUP

There was further Fenton Cup action this weekend as the first round action came to a close with Jolof Sports at home to Kit Out London, both seeking a place in the last sixteen. A close game saw the two teams finish level at 2 – 2 at full-time, forcing the game into a shootout in which Jolof held their nerve to win it 4 – 2. They now head on to face FC Petrocub in the next round.

In the day’s second round action on an adjoining pitch, two of the league’s Premier Division sides met in East Ham with hosts London Cranes taking on Oakside with a place in the quarter finals the reward for the winner. In an eleven goal thriller, it was ‘Side who eventually prevailed by the odd goal, winning 6 – 5 to confirm a home quarter-final against DTFC. Oakside’s scorers were Brandon Burgess, Kieren Huddart, Jed Ofori, Luke Caston, Demi Elegushi and Mussa Jamanca.

FENTON TROPHY

In the Fenton Trophy, there were four further ties completed with Royal Forest Reserves’ perfect record put to the test as the Division Three leaders faced Division Two St Francis. A very closely fought contest was won by a youthful Saints side as Ross Basunda’s goal proved the pivotal moment in the game in a 1 – 0 victory.

Division Two’s Loughton Lions also had a stern test ahead of them as they welcomed an in-form Melbourne Sports side to Debden for their second round clash. Lions have been in some decent form themselves in recent weeks and progressed with 3 – 1 home victory thanks to strikes by Thomas Osmond, Lucas Maxwell and Jordan French to ensure their run in the cup continued.

Another Division Two side safely through are Rainham Working Mens Club as they navigated what proved to be another very competitive game against Division Three’s Glendale. An own goal midway through the first half of the game in Rainham’s favour proved to be the only scoring moment of the game as the Dales couldn’t convert second half pressure into chances, Rainham winning 1 – 0.

The final game from this competition saw six goals as Together United looked to cause a surprise as they were paid a visit by Division Two’s Unitey at Peter May. But it was the higher placed side who made their advantage count with Bubintende Masadi’s hat-trick doing the damage with Mohammed Abaker and Jordan Vib also finding the back of the net in a 5 – 1 win.

SENIOR DIVISION

There was plenty of Senior Division action too over the weekend, despite some sides being involved in cup action, and Chadwell Heath Spartans opened up a five point lead at the top of the table after coming out on the right side of a 2 – 1 win at FC Baresi. Abdirahman Sabriye struck for the hosts but Jack Evans and Aaron Hunwicks replies for Spartans gave them a crucial three points. Lymore Gardens also took advantage of others being out of action to move into the top four, earning themselves a solid win away at FC Petrocub in Noak Hill. Another close game was settled by the odd goal with Andre Rashford and Dylan Roberts efforts the difference as Garden won 2 – 1, their fifth win of the season so far.

Moving into mid-table, Leyton Royal have joined a cluster of clubs sitting on thirteen points following a terrific win on Saturday, defeating Tower United in a 4 – 0 scoreline at Fairlop Oak. That result saw Royal confirm a fourth league win and with games in hand, could still be pushing for a solid top half finish. For Tower, they remain in the bottom three, four points adrift of safety approaching the half way mark. Not far behind Leyton Royal are CSM London who moved to the cusp of mid-table themselves after a hugely important win at Lakeside, beating Rapid Chingford 5-2 to pick up three points. Munnir Saad scored twice with Kamran Khan, Ramone Senior and Leon Barnard goals completing the win in favour of the visitors.

Just a point behind CSM lie Blue Marlin who moved themselves out of the relegation zone on Saturday with a local derby victory against Chigwell Town in Hainault. The journey of just a few yards proved a fruitful one for Marlin, overcoming a John Lye goal for Town with strikes of their own from Nile Laidlaw and Lindsey Marsh to win it 2 – 1.

PREMIER DIVISION

In the Premier Division, there was a huge result affecting the top end of the table as Wapping produced a top performance to send leaders Frenford A to their first defeat of the season. Meeshaq Malone scored twice and Shahid Ali grabbed the other to overturn the only goal in response by Damilola Olaiya for the visitors and give Wapping a 3 – 1 victory to move second, albeit eight points behind the leaders. The top goal scorers in the division are Eastside with thirty-five so far this campaign and they now sit third after coming through an entertaining game against All Prospects. Michael Dager and Abid Haque scored twice each and Basekou Gassama netted the other to overcome a Prospects fight back to win it 6 – 4. It was also a winning Saturday for another side sitting on thirteen points as Dagenham United continued their promotion push with a solid performance on the road away at London Park City. Iaia Jau netted a brace and Shaquille Mathurin grabbed the other to win 3 – 1, United’s fourth league win and placing them just goal difference away from a spot in the promotion places.

With games in hand, Crookz United are one of the sides who could still spoil the party in the promotion places and presently sit eighth in the table from five games after defeating North East Lions in a 2 – 1 scoreline at Peter May. Ben Joao and John Afrane-Kesey goals were the difference between the side, Mace Johnson striking the Lions consolation off the bench.

DIVISION ONE

Belfry have moved to the cusp of the promotion places once again in Division One as they secured a big win at the Marshes, defeating Francis Luke in a 9 – 0 scoreline. Kieran James was in fine fettle with a five-goal haul for his side with Victor Davis, Warren James, Gabriel Ogunwomoju and Luke MacDonald also scoring to confirm a fifth league win on the spin. Second placed RCXI moved a point closer to the leaders but missed the chance to go top as they were held to a 2 – 2 draw away at Something From Nothing. Despite the eleven point gap between the sides going into the game, SFN put in a solid performance against their promotion chasing opponents to earn a big point.

Wanstead remain well placed to make a charge for promotion, sitting fourth and on the back of another league win, having defeated Barkingside A 5 – 0 at the Flats on Saturday. That win saw the in-form Wanstead move to twelve points, five adrift of the promotion places as Edson Lami’s tremendous form continued with another four goals, adding to Suhaib Abeid’s strike. Just a few goals behind Wanstead sit their local rivals Newham Wanderers who are fifth in the table after seven games following their weekend’s efforts, defeating Forest Green 5 – 1 at Leyton Sixth Form College. Nuno Dentampol netted twice off the bench with Seco Embalo, Robertson Morais and Macane Caleir goals rounding off the scoring.

It was also a good afternoon’s work for Kwanzas London Sport who will hope to build on an excellent result as they defeated Ilford Reserves 2 – 1 in Hainault to pick up their first points of the season. Despite a difficult start, that will give Kwanzas plenty of confidence and saw them move off the bottom, just a point adrift from safety.

DIVISION TWO

The high-scoring Old Esthameians have pushed themselves up into the promotion places following the weekend’s results as they earned a local derby victory at home to strugglers Newbury East, winning the game 5 – 0. That confirmed a fifth win in seven this season and became one of four teams level on fifteen points. Another side in the fifteen point club are Emerson & Upminster Reserves who reached that mark with a home win on Saturday as ninth placed Ryan Under 23s were the visitors to Hall Lane. Tobi Onafeko and Danny Gillham were the scorers in the game for Emerson to edge the game 2 – 1, netting their own fifth league victory in the process. Mekhi Charles-Armstrong got the only goal for the Ryan side here.

There was a five goal thriller in the division’s final game where Redbridge Community were the hosts to an FHN Athletic side, the teams beginning the game just three points apart. But that had increased to six by full time as FHN came through a five goal thriller, winning 3 – 2 thanks to goals from Carl Gbolade, Merrill Appiah and Kieran McKoy.

DIVISION THREE

With the leaders out of action in Division Three, FC Baresi Under 23 took full advantage of that situation by recording maximum points at home to Harlow Inter to go top, edging a tight game 4 – 3. Akins Subair scored twice and Jamal Harvey once for Harlow but two Kii Jean-Baptiste efforts plus goals from Harrez Aliane and Hanza Hafesji gave the points to Baresi.

Lymore Gardens Reserves also took advantage of other sides being out of action to move third in the standings following the weekend’s results as they came through 5-3 winners with Flyers Under 23s. Rob Small struck twice and Warren Isoka, Marcel Destouche and Omani Green one each to render Flyers goals from Kai Eaton, Ethan Sowonola and Aaron Weymouth as just consolation. There was an impressive win for ASA too who made home advantage count with a big 6 – 1 victory against Old Barkabbeyans Reserves at the Marshes, leapfrogging their opponents into the top half of the table. A hat-trick of braces done the damage with Jubayed Miah, Atif Haider and Arun Jeyashankar goals proving the difference, Klodian Meta netting the Old Barks reply.

Also in the top half, Buckhurst Way sit fifth in the standings approaching the half way point in the season, aided by their most recent success as they defeated Terin 3 – 0 at Oaks Park High School. Andrei Rizea, Dolapo Gbadamosi and Segun Dickson struck for the visitors to made it five wins from ten so far this campaign.

DIVISION FOUR

In Division Four, Dagenham United Reserves have moved to within three points of the promotion places after an entertaining away victory on Saturday against sixth placed Emerson & Upminster A where the teams share seven goals. Dagenham came out on the right side of a 4 – 3 win with two Cain Dash goals and one each from Mamadou Soumare and Tyler Leon handing their side the win, despite two Robert McKnight efforts and a Bradlee Birch goal for Emerson.

There was also an impressive win for the division’s third highest scoring side, Avondale Rangers, who picked up their third win of the season with a 4 – 2 win at Newham Royals to move their points tally onto nine. Daniel Bordman, Chris Harper, Mark Hayden and Harry Callagher were the scorers to render Gary Adams and Ashley Evett efforts as just consolation in the end. The remaining league game came from Romford where top half Flyers Under 21s were in action against an in-form Newham & Havering Borough side. The sides starting the day just two points apart and that was how it ended also with the teams sharing the spoils in a 1 – 1 draw. Andrew Elie scored for Newham to add another point to their tally, with Alex Grant responding for Flyers.

COUNTY CUP

Woodford East are into the hat for the next round of the BBC Essex Saturday Premier Cup as they came through a competitive game against May & Baker EC A over in Dagenham. East were 5 – 3 winners on the day, thanks to a brace from Billy Barr and one each for Ben Smith, Lucio Uare and Adam Tabbani. Halil Hassan’s side now face a trip to Dunmow Town in the fourth round in January.

It wasn’t such a successful afternoon for DT FC who saw their unbeaten run come to an end this season with a defeat away at Colne Athletic. They were beaten 4 – 1 against the Essex & Suffolk Border League side to end their run in the competition. In the Essex Saturday Junior Trophy, the delayed tie between Felsted Rovers and Fairlop Rovers finally got played and it was the Mid Essex League hosts who took the honours with a solid 2 – 1 win against a previously unbeaten Fairlop Rovers side.

Fixtures – Saturday November 27th (top two tiers only)

EAL Senior Division

Chadwell Heath Spartans v Jolof Sports | Chigwell Hall

DT FC v FC Baresi | Harlow Arena 3G

Kit Out London v Lymore Gardens | Noak Hill 3G

Rapid Chingford v Leyton Royal | Lakeside Sports Ground

Woodford East v Chigwell Town | Hackney Marshes

EAL Premier Division

Crookz Utd v London Park City | Peter May Centre, Walthamstow

Dagenham Utd v London Cranes | Castle Green Leisure Centre 3G

Eastside v North East Lions | Peter May Centre, W’stow

Oakside v Athletic Newham U23 | Fairlop Oak Playing Fields

Wapping v All Prospects | Victoria Park, E9

Guest Blog: Essex Alliance League Round-up (Wk 11 – Sat 30 Oct) [EAL 21-22 1.11.21]

Emergency ‘keeper (& player-boss) Aaron Hunwicks pulls off good save for Spartans in Fenton Cup this weekend

Hello and welcome to the latest action from the Essex Alliance League, which continues on this blog this season under the “Guest Blog” strand. This edition looks at the action across the League divisions and action in the Fenton Cup & Fenton Trophy on an rain-affected day of action on Saturday 30 October. My thanks to the EAL’s Rob Parker. This round-up is posted with the author’s permission with additional reporting by Scott W. Thanks for reading.

Image by Chadwell Heath Spartans FC (@CH_SpartansFC)

Guest Blog written by Rob Parker for EAL [EAL Twitter: @EssexAllianceFL]

Essex Alliance League Round-up- Sat 30 October

FENTON CUP

Despite the incessant rainfall on Saturday morning, most football survived at the weekend with the day’s only Fenton Cup action seeing Chadwell Heath Spartans make the trip over to Hainault to take on Blue Marlin in first round action. A hard fought game saw Spartans edge through, winning 2 – 1 thanks to goals from Harry Amoah and Thomas Callagher.

FENTON TROPHY

There was also one Fenton Trophy tie too over the weekend as Royal Forest hosted FHN Athletic over at Roding Valley High School as the two sides fought for a place in round two. Tom Osmond is a regular feature on the Forest scoresheet and he scored four for his team which, combined with Joe Owers’ brace, was enough for Royal Forest to win the tie 6 – 2.

SENIOR DIVISION

It was a busy afternoon in the Senior Division which has new joint leaders after Woodford East moved top of the table following their solid home win, defeating CSM London 3 – 0 to go clear on goal difference. Adam Tabbani scored twice and Lucio Uare grabbed the other to keep them well in contention though the chasing teams do have a game in hand. One of those also well in contention is DTFC who trail by just goal difference on East and remain one of only two unbeaten sides in the division after they came through a tough test at home against Lymore Gardens. Jake Kissiedu and Billy Golledge goals proved the difference in the end to win the match 2 – 0, continuing their unbeaten run.

It was a good afternoon for Kit Out London who were made to work hard for their latest win with FC Baresi the visitors to Noak Hill, the sides starting level on points before the game. Mark Matthews and Hadi Osman both got on the Baresi scoresheet but three Kit Out goals from Amalraj Kakumanu, Alex Solomon and Yasin Zougui saw them take the points late on in a 3 – 2 victory. There were two big results at the other end of the table where Rapid Chingford picked up just their second league win of the campaign, edging a close game with relegation threatened Tower United, winning 2 – 1. Abubakar Maxamed’s goal had given Tower a chance in the game but the two Rapid goals saw them over the line, shifting them up to ninth place.

It was a similarly big result for Rapid’s rivals, Leyton Royal, who had a trip to Chigwell Town to contend with as the sides met over at Fairlop Oak. Mark Howe struck for Town but Royal goals from Muresan Razvan and Vlad Farcas were the difference to help their team record a narrow 2 – 1 win, their third success of the campaign.

PREMIER DIVISION

It was the battle of the top two sides in the Premier Division over the weekend with Frenford A making the trip to Castle Green to take on Dagenham United, both sides going into the game sporting unbeaten records. Shaquille Mathurin grabbed a United goal but his efforts proved in vain as Frenford recorded an important 4 – 2 win that saw them move nine points clear of the rest. It’s been a season of mixed successes for Eastside so far but they had a day to remember on Saturday with a huge win against All Prospects to move themselves clear of danger. Five goal performances from Joshua Duyile and Michael Morgan set the tone, Abid Haque and Ifeanyi Umeh netted twice each with Junior Mandeng-Fotabong and Johnathan Odutulu goals completing a 16 – 0 win.

Oakside moved up a number of places, taking advantage of results around them to gain territory on the sides above following an emphatic 5 – 0 home win against one of the other promotion chasing sides in the division, North East Lions. Mussa Jamanca scored twice while Freddie Anderson, Demi Elegushi and Luke Caston all struck to take ‘Side to the win. The division’s other fixture saw Athletic Newham Under 23s seeking to improve their indifferent start to the season as they were paid a visit by promotion chasing Wapping in East Ham. Athletic struck through Rodney Botuli and Christopher Barbosa goals but two Wapping efforts off the bench from debutant Josh Morris saw the game end level at 2 – 2.

DIVISION ONE

Division One has new leaders this week as Cowley Community made the most of others being out of action to move two points clear at the top, taking maximum points in a 3 – 0 home win against Renegade. Chris Wright, Michael Taylor and Lekan Bakare efforts took them to victory in Newbury Park, their fifth success of the season. There was also a shift up the table for RCXI who moved up to second as they came away victorious from their trip to Kwanzas London Sport, edging the game 3 – 2. Michael Temitayo scored twice and Ayo Matthews also netted to give their side an important win, taking their points tally to thirteen for the campaign.

DIVISION TWO

Division Two was a goal-fest at the weekend with some big scorelines with one of the most important results coming from Debden where tenth placed Loughton Lions had a tough looking game against Rainham Working Mens Club who had won every game this season. But football proved it can throw up a few surprises and the Lions roared to an incredible 4 – 0 win.

If that performance was miraculous enough, you’d go far to beat an incredible Ryan Under 23s comeback on Saturday which had seen them trail 6 – 2 to Redbridge Community with Akiljo Balliu (3), Frankie Francis (2) and Tevini French all striking for the visitors. But that wasn’t the end of the game by any means as a stirring fightback thanks to a four-goal haul by William Amoah plus one goal each for Ryan Washington, Luke Hillier and Leon Humphrey then win it for Ryan 7 – 6. Incredible.

With their rivals dropping points, Fairlop Rovers had the chance to give themselves a bit of daylight at the top and they duly obliged with a stunning win away at Old Esthameians, scoring nine in a 9 – 2 victory in Newbury Park. Jack Kibblewhite scored a hat-trick, Harry Oliver netted twice and one apiece from Logan Simmonds, Dylan Scutt, Harry Rouse and Bailey White finished things off. The remaining game in the division came from Loughton where Emerson & Upminster Reserves were the visitors to face Unitey, the sides locked on nine points each going into the game. Emerson will be pleased with their efforts on the day though as they came through 2 – 0 with goals from Ross Brabrooke and Reece Martin.

DIVISION THREE

Old Barkabbeyans Reserves are up to fifth in the table in Division Three as they closed the gap on sides above with a solid 7 – 3 home win against Flyers Under 23s. Robbie Osborne scored a hat-trick with further efforts from Kacper Kasprzycki, Alex Donkor and Mehdi Ahorbi. Two debut goals from Joshua Adu and an Ethan Sowonola effort accounted for the Flyers efforts in reply.

It was also a seven-goal day for ASA over at the Marshes where Terin were the visitors and looking to open their points account for the season. Miran Miran and Fahad Abdallah both got on the Terin scoresheet but an ASA hat-trick for Mithurn Vijayarajah, two from Atif Haider and singles from David Rigby and Irfan Bahadur made it a comfortable 7 – 2 win for their side. There was also victory for now sixth placed Melbourne Sports as they saw the visit of high-flying Buckhurst Way to Hainault on Saturday. The Mels were in fine form however and turned the tables on their head with a good performance to win 4 – 0, picking up a third league win and move to nine points in the process.

There was plenty of entertainment in the division’s remaining game where Glendale were the visitors to Lymore Gardens Reserves and led early through a Wesley Kangi strike. But Lymore battled hard and were 3 – 1 up at the break and well in control. A stirring fightback from the Dales earned a point however as Wesley Kangi struck again and Was Lawal’s close range effort finished it 3 – 3.

DIVISION FOUR

Chingford Harriers remain top of Division Four but have seen their lead cut in recent weeks, including a disappointing draw against strugglers Newham & Havering Borough on Saturday. Nick Shawyer struck twice and in-form Darlington Ojo once but three Borough goals led to this one finishing 3 – 3 in the end. It will feel like an important milestone for Flyers Under 21s who opened their points account for the season on Saturday with a terrific win against fourth placed West Essex Under 23s down at King George’s Park. They were 2 – 0 winners on the day to ensure they closed the gaps on the sides above, though they remain bottom for now.

The early season form for Sporting Pillars suggests they will be there or thereabouts by the end of the season and they maintained their unbeaten run in the league with a 2 – 0 win against Emerson & Upminster A. Emanuel Jacob scored twice off the bench for this side and proved the difference between the two teams in the end. Meanwhile, Dagenham United Reserves joined the six point club in Division Four as they record a second win of the season with a 2-0 home victory against Collier Row A, closing the gap on their opponents to just goal difference. Cain Dash and substitute Mamadou Soumare were the men on the scoresheet to complete United’s victory.

COUNTY CUP

It was a mostly disappointing afternoon the London Junior Cup although last year’s finalists, FC Petrocub, did continue their run in the competition with a win against their semi final opponents last season, Jolof Sports. Petrocub were 3 – 1 winners on Saturday to see them through into the next round. There was a narrow defeat for Together United who faced a trip to south London to take on Standard Ballers in a nine-goal thriller. That contest was edged by Ballers who netted late on to take a 5 – 4 win.

Fixtures – Saturday November 6th (top two tiers only)

EAL Senior Division

CSM London v FC Petrocub | West Ham Community Ground 3G, Beckton

DT FC v Blue Marlin | Harlow Arena 3G

FC Baresi v Chigwell Town | Britannia Sports Ground

Jolof Sports v Leyton Royal | Flanders Playing Fields, East Ham

Kit Out London v Woodford East | Noak Hill 3G

Rapid Chingford v Lymore Gardens | Lakeside Spts Grd (2.30pm KO)

Tower Utd v Chadwell Heath Spartans | Mabley Green 3G

EAL Premier Division

All Prospects v London Park City | Fairlop Oak Playing Fields, Hainault

London Cranes v Eastside | Flanders Playing Fields

North East Lions v Athletic Newham U23 | Peter May Centre

Wapping v Oakside | Victoria Park, E9

Guest Blog: Essex Alliance League Round-up (Wk 10 – Sat 23 Oct) [EAL 21-22 25.10.21]

Hello and welcome to the latest action from the Essex Alliance League, which continues on this blog this season under the “Guest Blog” strand. This edition looks at the action across the League divisions and action in the Fenton Cup & Fenton Trophy on Saturday 23 October. My thanks to the EAL’s Rob Parker. This round-up is posted with the author’s permission with additional reporting by Scott W. Thanks for reading.

Guest Blog written by Rob Parker for EAL [EAL Twitter: @EssexAllianceFL]

Essex Alliance League Round-up- Sat 23 October

FENTON CUP

It was a busy cup weekend in the Essex Alliance League on Saturday with the Fenton Cup and Trophy taking centre stage and, although there were no big cup shocks, some near misses did occur. Unbeaten Senior Division side, Jolof Sports, almost endured a big shock as Ilford Reserves from Division One held them to a 2 – 2 draw through Rhys Clements and Seghei Scupoi efforts. But Jolof held their nerve in the shootout to win 3 – 0.

There was a similarly close game over in Hackney where Division One’s Renegade were facing Senior opposition in the shape of Tower United. The game saw a five goal thriller with Tower edging through into the second round with a 3 – 2 win. Bashir Ali scored a hat-trick and proved the match winner on the day.

Another Division One side, Kwanzas London Sport, were also facing up to a two division deficit as they travelled to Lakeside to take on another Senior Division side in the shape of Rapid Chingford. It was the higher ranked side who prevailed from the tie, winning 5 – 2 to take their spot in round two of the competition.

Oakside were the highest scorers of the day as they faced fellow Premier Division side, All Prospects, over at Fairlop Oak. ‘Side were in fine form in front of goal with Luke Caston striking five goals, Darnyl Stanley scored a hat-trick, Mussa Jamanca scored twice and one apiece from Jack Swaby, Demi Elegushi, Kieren Huddart and Sam Blackholly confirmed a thumping 14 – 0 win.

Leyton Royal were also in goal scoring form on Saturday facing up to third tier opposition in Hainault with Forest Green the visitors to Fairlop Oak seeking to cause a surprise. But Royal were too clinical on the day with Bogdan Toana and George Mirea scoring twice and singles from Florin Porceanu, Vlad Farcas, Tamer-Andrei Bogdan and Marian Nedelea completing an 8 – 1 victory.

Premier Division leaders, Frenford A, are into the hat for the second round themselves, extending their great start into the cup competitions with a hard fought victory at home against Wapping in Ilford. Kingsley Morris netted for Wapping but Frenford goals from Isima Iguisi and Adam Andrade were the difference for the hosts who won it 2 – 1.

FC Baresi were in Preliminary Round action on Saturday with a tough looking tie ahead of them against one of the Premier Division high-flyers, North East Lions, in the Crooked Billet derby match. The Senior Division side made no mistake however and were comfortable 3 – 0 victors on the day as Tyreece Robinson continued his form with two more goals and Abdirahman Sabriye netted also.

Also in First Round action were Woodford East who comfortably defeated Chigwell Town 7 – 2 at Hackney Marshes. Lucio Uare led the way for Halil Hassan’s side with a treble, with the support on the goalscorers’ sheet coming from Keiran Bruns, Ben Smith, Frank Glock and John Gilley. Chigwell responded therough strikes from Leon Harris and Wesley Adeyemi but exited the competition.

Also into the hat for round two are London Cranes who faced familiar opposition again, taking on Athletic Newham Under 23s for the second time in as many weeks, following up their big league win last time out with a 4-1 victory on Saturday. The experienced Mathius Sendawula struck twice with Dennis Mahadha and Muhammad Mutesasira also on target to render Luis Reinoso’s effort as just consolation.

FENTON TROPHY

In the Fenton Trophy, there were again no shocks based on league position aside from narrow victories. Division Two’s Loughton Lions put themselves into the second round as they faced a tricky trip to Division Three’s Old Barkabbeyans Reserves. Barks’ goals from Jarode Mbungu and Robbie Osborne made the game competitive but Lions squeezed through 3-2 to continue their run.

It was a similar story for Division Four’s Fairlop Rovers Reserves who went into their clash at Division Three Glendale with confidence after a strong league start but found themselves three down through Dales goals from Mouhamed Gueye, Attila Szabo and an own goal. But Rovers rallied well, scoring twice to make the ending nervous but it proved not quite enough with the game ending 3 – 2.

The Fairlop Rovers first team had a far more routine afternoon but didn’t have everything their way, taking on Division Four’s Avondale Rangers in Hainault. Two Rangers’ goals from William Cloakley and one each from Johnson Santos and Jake Clarke made things interesting but a Rovers hat-trick in reply from Jack Kibblewhite, two from Sam Beaman and one each from Ellis Simmonds, Kian Millward-Burton, Harry Oliver and Dylan Scutt ended the game 10 – 4 in the hosts’ favour.

The theme of goals continued over in Newbury Park where Old Esthameians ensured themselves of a place in the second round of the competition as they secured a big 9 – 3 home win over Emerson & Upminster A. Carl Holroyd’s brace and a Bradlee Birch effort accounted for the Emerson goals but those efforts were not enough as E’s struck regularly to win it. It was a good day for all of the other Division Two sides also as Ryan Under 23s made safe passage through to the next round themselves, returning home from their trip to Rainham with a 7-3 win under their belts against Newham Royals. They now play host to Old E’s in the last sixteen in the coming weeks.

After a difficult last couple of weeks for the club, Newbury East showed some improved form in the cup on Saturday but were eventually knocked out of the competition with defeat at home to Unitey in Newbury Park despite a Mohammed Janneh goal. Mohammed Abaker and Brandon Fulton goals for the visitors in reply edged the game 2-1 to see Unitey through safely in the end.

Division Two’s Redbridge Community had to overcome lower division opposition on Saturday with the visit of Flyers Under 23s to Castle Green with Redbridge starting to show some real form this season. They were able to confirm a solid 7-2 win as Akiljo Balliu bagged a hat-trick while Tevini French scored twice and singles form Suny Jadeja and Frankie Francis completed a good showing.

There was also a really strong performance from the new Saints of St Francis who made their competitive bow this term with a home fixture against Newham & Havering Borough at the Flats and were emphatic 8-0 winners. Codey Cosgrave, Godwill Kumpana and Jaiden Belfon all scored braces with Chavez Rose-Sterling and Peter Luvualu efforts rounding off a positive performance.

The sole Preliminary Round action was an action packed affair as Together United made the short trip around the Crooked Billet roundabout to take on FC Baresi Under 23s at the Britannia. A seven goal thriller ensued with Maamoon Khan, Harrez Aliane and Ronnie Kabongo all finding the back of the net for FC Baresi but those efforts proved not quite enough as United edged it 4-3 themselves.

SENIOR DIVISION

Aside from the cup football action, there was a sprinkling of league football also with two big results in the Senior Division affecting top and bottom. CSM London picked up a hugely important win in their quest to move away from danger, winning at title chasing Lymore Gardens in a 3-1 scoreline. Goals from Ayodeji Adelekan, Munnir Saad and Chris Anele proved enough to take a second win. And if that result wasn’t exciting enough for you, the game over at Noak Hill produced a ten-goal thriller as hosts FC Petrocub were paid a visit by struggling Blue Marlin, both sides showing some improved form of late. The game ended in an incredible 5 – 5 draw as Lindsey Marsh struck a hat-trick for Marlin, Triston Foster and Scott Campbell netting the others to take a vital point.

PREMIER DIVISION

With others around them in cup action, Crookz United used that to their advantage, moving up a number of places in the Premier Division to fifth following a solid 4 -2 win away at Eastside in familiar surroundings. That was United’s second win of the season and positions them well in the race for promotion into the National League System.

DIVISION ONE

In Division One, the gap at the top is down to just goal difference once again as Cowley Community moved level with the leaders on points after scooping their fourth league win of the campaign, defeating Newham Wanderers 4 – 0 in Newbury Park. Chris Wright scored twice for the hosts with Aiden Gentle and Lekan Bakare also one the scoresheet. Two of the division’s in-form sides also secured important wins with RCXI just two points off the pace and sitting third after defeating Francis Luke in a close game at the Marshes. RCXI overcame two Jahvarn Steward goals for Luke with a Oluwaseun Koya brace and one apiece from Derek Feyi and Omololu Onabolu to win it 4 – 2.

Wanstead’s impressive start shows no end anytime soon and they had Edson Lami to thank once again as he scored a hat-trick in a 5-2 win away at Something From Nothing. Zoltan Balogh also got in on the act with a brace as their side confirmed a third league win from three this season and sit in fourth, well in sight of those above. Giovanni Alberto got both goals for SfN.

DIVISION TWO

There were two thrillers in the fourth tier with Emerson & Upminster Reserves combined with Royal Forest for a game of nine goals, the teams beginning the day level on six points in mid-table. But by the end, Emerson had moved three points clear, confirming a third league win through goals from Ross Braybrooke, Aaron Costello, Sonny scott, Tobi Onafeko and Joshua Gibbins to edge it 5 – 4.

Two unbeaten sides went head to head in the division’s other fixture with FHN Athletic’s solid start put to the test against leaders Rainham Working Mens Club on Saturday. Another close game saw Kieran McKoy on target for FHN but that goal was not quite enough as Cameron Shakes and Sean Tormey efforts turned the match in favour of the Workies who won it 2 – 1 to stay top.

DIVISION THREE

The six-point club gained another member in Division Three on Saturday where Melbourne Sports were able to secure their second win of the season, defeating ASA 3-1 at the Marshes and moving above their opponents to move into eighth in the process.

DIVISION FOUR

There was just the one game in Division Four over the weekend where the leaders, Chingford Harriers, were in action with a home fixture against Sporting Pillars, both sides having made perfect starts to their seasons – something had to give. The two sides were well matched and couldn’t be separated, finishing 2-2 with Darlington Ojo’s brace ensuring Harriers stay top while Pillars enhanced their credentials for a title tilt.

Fixtures for Saturday 30 October (Top Two tiers only)

In Senior Division

Chigwell Town v Leyton Royal | London Marathon Spts Grd

DT FC v Lymore Gardens | Harlow Arena 3G

Kit Out London v FC Baresi | Noak Hill 3G

Tower Utd v Rapid Chingford | Mabley Green 3G

Wodford East v CSM London | Hackney Marshes

In Premier Division

Athletic Newham U23 v Wapping | Flanders Playing Fields

Dagenham Utd v Frenford A | Castle Green Leisure Green

Eastside v All Prospects | Peter May Sports Centre, Walthamstow

London Park City v London Cranes | Seven Kings Sch 3G

Oakside v North East Lions | Fairlop Oak Playing Fields

Guest Blog: Essex Alliance League & EPC Round-up (Wk 9 – Sat 16 Oct) [EAL 21-22 18.10.21]

Hello and welcome to the latest action from the Essex Alliance League, which continues on this blog this season under the “Guest Blog” strand. This edition looks at the action across the League divisions and the Essex Premier Cup as EAL sides joined sides from EOFL & ESBL as well as other divisions on Saturday 16 October. My thanks to the EAL’s Rob Parker. This round-up is posted with the author’s permission with additional reporting by Scott W. Thanks for reading.

Guest Blog written by Rob Parker for EAL [EAL Twitter: @EssexAllianceFL]

Essex Alliance League Round-up- Sat 16 October

SENIOR DIVISION

FC Baresi were the weekend’s biggest movers in the Senior Division as they took advantage of results around them to move sixth in the standings, earning a 4 – 2 away win at Blue Marlin in Hainault. Tyreece Robinson bagged two for the visitors with Abdisamad Mohamed and Raymond Pok goals completing the victory.

There were two close games in the other fixtures completed where Jolof Sports saw their perfect start come to an end with the points shared in their trip to Lymore Gardens, Jolof conceding their first goals of the season in the process. The Lymore scorers were Braley O’Donovan and Tyrique Peters in a 2 – 2 result that saw Lymore move level with two other teams on fourteen points while Jolof sit a point further back in fifth position.

The Noak Hill derby match also saw a very closely fought contest as the two tenants of the ground, FC Petrocub and Kit Out London, faced off with both seeking to break into the top half of the table. The game ended in another score draw with the sides settling for a share of the spoils, finishing 2 – 2, to stay ninth and seventh respectively.

PREMIER DIVISION

The league leaders were back in action at the weekend and Frenford A extended their advantage at the top to six points on the back of a 2 – 0 win at home against North East Lions. Damilola Olaiya struck both of the goals for the hosts which saw them record a fifth league win in six, keeping them as the favourites for the title at present.

It was a good afternoon for Dagenham United who took advantage of results around them to move second on goal difference though they did have a real battle on their hands facing fellow promotion chasing Wapping. Debutant Jordan Mills-Smith struck twice for Wapping but his efforts were in vain as Lewis Bennett, Shaquille Mathurin and Iaia Jau all netted to edge it 3 – 2 in favour of United.

Oakside remain unbeaten following their second league fixture of the season on Saturday as they completed a solid victory at home against London Park City in Hainault. They added a 3 – 1 win here, with Mussa Jamanca and Demi Elegushi among their scorers to take a place in the top half of the table while City remain eleventh and without a point so far.

There was a local derby game in East Ham over the weekend where London Cranes took on Athletic Newham Under 23s at Flanders. And it was London Cranes who turned the tables on it head, ending Newham’s unbeaten start as they completed a 5 – 1 win to open their points account. Bruno Mwasnje was the hero with a hat-trick while Dennis Mahadha and Mathius Sendawula also struck the net.

DIVISION ONE

The top game of the day in Division One came from Dagenham where the division’s top two faced off with Cowley Community the visitors to take on Belfry, renewing old acquaintances. Kieron James was the difference between the two sides, netting both goals for the hosts to take their perfect start to four games in a 2 – 1 scoreline. Chris Wright grabbed the Cowley consolation effort.

Wanstead’s recent run of form has not gone unnoticed and they made the most of sides around them dropping points on Saturday with to move fifth as they ran out winners by the odd goal in seven, beating Ilford Reserves 4 – 3. Edson Lami scored a hat-trick with Zoltan Balogh also netting to render Foxes efforts from Jack Newbury-Neale, Mario Lipetz and Rhys Clements as consolation.

Barkingside A’s league form so far this term has brought them two wins from two and they are up to sixth, coming out on the right side of a ten-goal thriller at Nutter Lane, defeating Kwanzas London Sport 6 – 4. Maximillion Murariu led the way with a treble for the hosts, with Harry Nicholson, Mohamed Sheikhnor and Joshua Fagbohun also on target. That result keeps ‘Side in touch with the sides above them with games in hand while Kwanzas stay rooted to the bottom from their three games.

With games in hand, Newham Wanderers are another side who will another with a big say in the promotion race this season and they moved to six points from three games following a 5 – 3 home win against Forest Green at the Flats. Robertson Morais is a man who knows where the goal is and he scored twice with Amir Gurji, Miranda Silva and Otto Bolton finishing things off.

It’s been a good couple of weeks for Francis Luke who have picked up a couple of handy wins now across league and cup competitions, their latest at the weekend earning them a first league victory, beating a high-flying Renegade side in the Hackney derby. Jose da Silva scored twice and Abser Abdul once to give the visitors a 3 – 1 win.

Completing the action in the third tier, Something From Nothing made the journey to Aveley to take on RCXI seeking to improve on their league form so far this season, the teams starting five points apart in tenth and fourth respectively. And that gap remained by full time as the teams finished level at 1 – 1, securing a point apiece.

DIVISION TWO

It’s as you were at the top of Division Two where Fairlop Rovers have continued their title tilt with a fifth win from five in the league, returning home from Walthamstow with all three points in a 4 – 1 scoreline against Ryan Under 23s. Dylan Scutt scored twice with Toby Stephens and Harry Oliver efforts extending their great start.

The leaders are closely trailed by Rainham Working Mens Club who themselves have made a terrific start in the division, winning all four of their games to date. Unitey were the visitors on Saturday and saw Mohammed Abaker net for them but two Sean Tormey goals for the Workies did the damage to edge a close game 2 – 1.

With the sides above them dropping points, mid-table FHN Athletic and Redbridge Community both had the chance to cut the gap and that was exactly what they both did though had to settle for a point each in a 2 – 2 draw. Amos Agyei and Kieran McKoy both scored for unbeaten FHN while Akiljo Balliu and Samuel Oramadike struck in reply for Redbridge to level it.

Emerson and Upminster Reserves made ground on a number of sides above with the only win amongst the sides placed third to seventh and it was a terrific result to boot as they ended Old Esthameians unbeaten start with a 6 – 3 victory. Braces from Tobi Onafeko and Dan Lane plus singles from Harry Wilkins and Reece Martin did the damage to make it two wins from three.

There was a crucial clash at the bottom end of the table also where Loughton Lions and Newbury East were up against each other in Debden seeking their first points of the season. Both will be relatively satisfied to have fixed that by full time after an incredible game ended in a 4 – 4 draw. Sehraan Hussain scored twice with Bhajandip Purewal and Connor Goom also striking for East.

DIVISION THREE

Two sides sit locked on twelve points at the top of Division Three where Royal Forest Reserves presently lead the way on goal difference after confirming a fourth league win on Saturday, beating Flyers Under 23s 3 – 0 over in Romford. Jamie Cooper, Will Casasola and Will Asenso all found the back of the net to hand their side another win.

The side keeping close track on the leaders are Buckhurst Way who also sit on twelve points though from a couple of games more than Forest. Way were 2 – 0 winners on Saturday are putting in a good performance at home against Lymore Gardens Reserves. Goals from Benjamin Noonan and Andrei Rizea secured their fourth league win in six this season while Lymore drop a place to fourth.

FC Baresi Under 23s took advantage of that result also as they moved up to third in place of Lymore, coming through a closely fought game against an improving Terin. Leo Siki scored twice for Baresi with Zack Aliane also netting to render Terin goals form Ahmed Abdulrahman and Ali Swamad as just consolation on the day in a 3 – 2 scoreline.

Moving up into the top half of the table, Harlow Inter have joined a group of clubs all on six points as they entertained Glendale at Chigwell School over the weekend in an entertaining fixture for the neutral. Glendale lead early through Sam Izaini but Inter led themselves by the break. Was Lawal scored to level it again for the Dales but two further Inter goals won it 4 – 2 in their favour.

Together United are up to seventh now in the table with two wins on the bounce as they joined the six point club with a six goal performance on the road away at ASA in Hackney. Jubayed Miah struck twice for the hosts and Atif Haider once but United got it ‘Together’ in the end with six goals of their own to take a 6 – 3 win.

DIVISION FOUR

Things are incredibly tight still at the top of Division Four where Chingford Harriers continue to lead the way after scooping an impressive fifth win with a local derby victory away to West Essex Under 23s. Goals from Darlington Ojo and substitute Cedric Onchuru were enough to earn a 2 – 1 win in the E4 derby and stay clear at the top on goal difference.

Second placed Fairlop Rovers Reserves are certainly doing their bit to make this an enthralling title race and will hope to be in the mix in a few months time still. Their hopes were further improved with an away victory of their own, defeating Dagenham United Reserves 4 – 1 at Castle Green despite an Amran El-Kaouny goal for the hosts.

There was a terrific win for Emerson & Upminster A on Saturday as they replicated the reserve team performance in taking a 6 – 3 win of their own as they entertained Collier Row A at Hall Lane with both sides having started well. Emerson goals however from Bradlee Birch (2), Ryan Whitton, Ryan Cook, Ronnie Bryan and Elliot Kaye were too much in the end as their side won the contest.

Avondale Rangers will be pleased with their efforts also over the weekend as they moved to the cusp of the top half with a win by the odd goal as they edged past Flyers Under 21s. Debut goals from Dylan Fagan, Liam Cole and Johnson Santos were supplemented by a Phillip Heinen goal to win the game 4 – 3.

The final league game of the day saw Sporting Pillars make their competitive debut as they entertained Newham Royals over in Leyton seeking to make a positive start. And that was what they did as two goals apiece from Rayan Allam and Ousmany Dibaga earned a 5 – 0 win and a first ever win for the club.

COUNTY CUP

In the BBC Essex Premier Cup, it was a great afternoon for Woodford East who made the trip down the A127 on Saturday to the Len Forge Centre as they took on Essex Senior Reserve League side White Ensign Reserves and returned home to east London with a 2-1 win under their belts, thanks to goals from Frank Glock and Adam Tabbani. Zach Somerset-Butler responded for Jack Caten’s side. They will now face Essex Olympian League Division Two side May & Baker A in the next round in November.

There was a terrific contest in Chigwell where Chadwell Heath Spartans were up against a highly-rated EOFL Division One side in Leigh Town with the sides finishing 3 – 3 by the end of extra time. Leigh’s scorers were Dan Driscoll, Shane Cooper and Junior Lawrence though Spartans commendably levelled through strikes by Ray Hunwicks, Samir Aboulainaf and Jonathan Evans. In the ensuing shoot-out, Town held their nerve, winning it 3-2 to secure their passage into round three.

Leyton Royal’s run in the competition came to an end as they made the trek up the A12 to face another Essex & Suffolk Border League side with Tiptree Heath the hosts. Heath ran out comfortable 5 – 1 winners thanks to a brace from Charlie Green and goals by Joe Chester, Ryan Knill-Jones and Cameron Ward to end Royal’s cup hopes in this competition. There were also some away day blues for CSM London who also ventured east to take on Olympian League Division Two side Rayleigh Town Reserves. A 4 – 1 winning performance from Town thanks to a treble for Byron Down and one from Matthew Oaten was more than enough to counteract Munnir Saad’s goal in response and end CSM’s participation for another year.

Guest Blog: Essex Alliance League Round-ups (Wk 4 – Sat 11 Sept) [EAL 21-22 14.9.21]

Hello and welcome to the latest action from the Essex Alliance League, which continues on this blog under the “Guest Blog” strand. This edition looks at the action across the divisions from Saturday 11 September. My thanks to the EAL’s Rob Parker. This round-up is posted with the author’s permission. Thanks for reading.

Guest Blog written by Rob Parker for EAL [EAL Twitter: @EssexAllianceFL]

Essex Alliance League Round-up- Saturday 11 September

SENIOR DIVISION

It’s as you were at the summit of the Senior Division where Chadwell Heath Spartans continue to lead the way after securing a third league win in four with victory in Chigwell against FC Baresi. Raymond Pok got on the visitors scoresheet once again but Spartan strikes from Samir Aboulainaf and Thomas Callagher were enough to see their side to a 2-1 win and maximum points.

Sitting in second and with a perfect record thus far, Jolof Sports continued a spirited start to the season as they recorded a solid 3-0 win against FC Petrocub at Lakeside, putting the memories of their county cup defeat in June behind them. Mody Gaye, Serigne Samb and Bogdan Ursica notched the goals as they also extended their cleansheet run to three matches.

Woodford East’s start since promotion has also shown their potential and the Peacocks are in third place after the first four weeks of the season with two wins and a draw to their name thus far. Their most recent victory came from the Marshes where they ended Lymore Garden’s unbeaten start as Billy Barr’s hat-trick and an Adam Tabbani effort proved decisive in a 4-2 scoreline.

Trailing just behind East by a single goal scored are Leyton Royal who themselves have made the step up in level with aplomb and extended their unbeaten start to a third game with a comprehensive 7-1 home win against Blue Marlin in Chingford. Tamer-Andrei Bozgan scored four of the goals with Catalin Gavril, Marian Nedelea and Bogdan Toana efforts completing a Royal win.

Kit Out London are another of the division’s seven sides to yet be defeated and after a couple of opening draws, they finally got their wins account into the plus as they defeated Tower United 4-1 at Noak Hill. Yasin Zougui, Oliver Holmes, Marlon Ortiz and substitute Abbas Yassin were all on the scoresheet for the hosts to continue their good start.

Two of the sides having made indifferent starts met in Beckton as Chigwell Town made the short trip down the A406 to face CSM London, both sides beginning the game without a point. Despite a Ross Chimes goals for Town, it was Ramone Senior’s brace for CSM that made the difference in the end as the hosts won 2-1 to take their first points of the campaign.

PREMIER DIVISION

In the Premier Division, Frenford A have opened up a two point gap at the top after two rounds of fixtures as they made it two wins from two, coming away victors in their clash against London Cranes on Saturday. Moses Kazibwe scored for the visitors but two Nesar Torkamani efforts off the bench and strikes from Isima Oguisi and Damilola Olaiya gave Frenfor d a 4-1 win at The Drive.

Marcelona just behind the leaders in the chasing pack after they followed up an opening day draw with a first victory in the competition to remain unbeaten so far. They were up against Wapping at Paringdon and came away winners by the odd goal in five, edging a close game to take their points tally to four.

In similar fashion, third placed North East Lions also made it four points from six in their opening two games and sit just one point off of the top two after recording an impressive 2-1 win at London Park City, one of the sides expected to challenge at the top this year. Shane Thomas and Tashan Benjamin had other ideas however as their Lions side edged to a narrow but crucial win in Seven Kings.

DIVISION ONE

The Division One table sees two of the league’s new member clubs leading the way as RCXI made it two wins from two in their opening fixtures to move three points clear of the rest. They were visitors to Newham Wanderers on Saturday and edged to a close 2-1 win through goals from Hassan Sesay and Jide Lewis. Robertson Morais was on the scoresheet for Wanderers with his customary goal.

Sitting in second, Ilford Reserves made their debut in the competition with a solid home win against Francis Luke, winning 5-1 in Dagenham. Luke Newbury-Neale scored twice with Joseph Sulola, Serghei Scupoi and Abdulrahman Cheraitia efforts finishing things off. Jose Da Silva grabbed the Luke consolation goal in response.

Cowley Community are a side who will be seeking to convert cup success from the last two seasons into a league title and they made a terrific start in new surrounds, defeating Forest Green 4-1 on Saturday in Newbury Park. Josh Coulson scored a hat-trick for Cowley with Ryan Thompson-Cobham also netting to earn all three points for their club.

The division’s final game came from Hackney where two of the league’s new members met with Renegade up against debutants Something From Nothing. After their opening day defeat, Renegade got a point on the board in a 1-1 draw as SFN netted late on to share the spoils, the sides sitting fourth and fifth in the table.

DIVISION TWO

Two sides presently sit atop of the standings in Division Two with a pair of opening victories and Rainham Working Mens Club lead the way on goal difference after securing a second win, seeing off the efforts of Royal Forest. Sean Tormey scored twice with Connor Kain and Odo Osei-Tutu efforts finishing things off in a 4-2 win.

Just behind Rainham sit Old Esthameians who followed up their opening day success with a hard fought win against new side Redbridge Community after the sides met in Dagenham. E’s were 2-1 winners on the day to confirm maximum points and sit just a few goals off top spot so far.

Fairlop Rovers started the new season how they ended the last with a solid opening win on the road, picking up all three points in a win against Newbury East. George Montgomery scored twice for East but Rovers goals from Sam Beaman (2), Sam Balmforth, Brandon Dillon, Dylan Scutt and Joe Reynolds finished the job in a 6-2 scoreline.

The last game of the day in the top division came from Walthamstow where Ryan Under 23s were up against Unitey in both sides’ second fixtures after opening day defeats. It will be the visitors, Unitey, who left the happier of the clubs as Ahmed Dousa’s brace and a Matthew Pitchford effort were sufficient to see their team to a 3-1 win on the road.

DIVISION THREE

FC Baresi Under 23s made a great start to their first season in the competition as they returned home with all three points from their trip to fellow new side, Buckhurst Way. Zach Aliane scored twice while Leo Siki and Kii Jean-Baptiste also netted as Baresi ran out 4-1 victors to move third in the standings.

There was an eight goal thriller over in Barking where Melbourne Sports were the visitors to face Old Barkabbeyans Reserves at Barking Abbey. Jarode Mbungu, Callum Elliott and Robbie Osborne all struck the net for Old Barks but those efforts proved in vain as the Mels scored five of their own to win 5-3 on the day.

DIVISION FOUR

It’s been a great start to the campaign for Fairlop Rovers Reserves who head up the Division Four standings after two weeks, earning themselves a 2-0 win on Saturday to follow up their opening win last time out. Their opponents this week were Emerson & Upminster A who made a good start themselves but two Joe Head goals on debut were the difference for his Rovers outfit.

Collier Row A sit second in the table as they started their second season with the league with a thumping win away at Newham Royals in Rainham. Row ran in nine goals with the Royals only able to respond with three of their own as the visitors returned home the happier of the two teams.

It was a better second week of the season for West Essex Under 23s who responded to an opening day defeat to win 3-2 against Avondale Rangers who remain winless thus far. Anthony Adeoba and Phillip Heinen both got on the score-sheet for Rangers but West goals from Javen Cole, Amari Dixon and Daniel Mincer provided the platform for a hard fought victory.

The day’s final action came at King George’s Park in Romford where Flyers Under 21s made their competitive debut as hosts to Dagenham United Reserves. Lewis Bennett scored twice for Dagenham with Shaquille Mathurin netting the other as the visitors went away with the points in a 3-1 scoreline, that result moving them up to sixth in the standings.

Guest Blog: Essex Alliance League Round-up (Wk 1 – Sat 21 August) [EAL 21-22 23.8.21]

Hello and welcome to the first of th season’s round-ups of the Essex Alliance League, which continues on this blog under the “Guest Blog” strand. This shortened edition looks at the first-ever weekend of the new Step 7 (or Regional Feeder League) that took place n Saturday 21 August. My thanks to the EAL’s Rob Parker. This round-up is posted with the author’s permission. Thanks for reading.

Guest Blog written by Rob Parker for EAL [EAL Twitter: @EssexAllianceFL]

Essex Alliance League Senior Division – Saturday 21 August

Following what was the shortest summer break in league history, the new Essex Alliance League started for our Senior Division clubs on Saturday as the country’s newest Regional Feeder League commenced with five fixtures.

The early league leaders after the opening fixtures are promoted Woodford East who made their bow in the top flight with an impressive 5 – 0 away victory at Tower United at Mabley Green to move top. Callum Maltese scored twice for East with Frank Glock, Sonny Feltwell and Matthew Stacey goals rounding off a top draw performance.

Sitting second on goal difference are another of the promoted sides as Chadwell Heath Spartans made a spirited start to top flight football edging a tight contest against Blue Marlin 2 – 1. Michael Ramsey and Samir Aboulainaf got the all important goals to win the game on their competitive debut at their new home in Chigwell.

It’s merely alphabetical order separating the sides in third and fourth respectively as DT FC opened their new campaign as they finished the last with a victory in a close contest with CSM London, the two sides meeting for the first time. And it was just an own goal that was the difference between the sides, DT the beneficiaries of that key moment to win 1 – 0 at the Harlow Arena.

It was another good day for a promoted side as Leyton Royal became of the third such side to record an opening day victory as they made the trip to Noak Hill to face last season’s London Junior Cup finalists, FC Petrocub. Florin Porceanu was on target with the only goal as another close game ended 1 – 0.

The final fixture on Saturday came from Walthamstow where the division’s fourth promoted side, Kit Out London, made the journey to east London to take on Rapid Chingford who were themselves looking for a positive start to the campaign. There was little between the sides in the end with the game ending in a 1 – 1 draw, both sides earning a hard fought point.

Fixtures – EAL Senior Division

Mon 23rd August – FC Baresi v Lymore Gardens | at Mayesbrook Park 3G (8pm KO)

Saturday 28th August (2pm KO’s I understand)

Chadwell Heath Spartans v Chigwell Town | Chigwell Hall Spts Grd

CSM London v Jolof Sports | West Ham Community Grd 3G, Beckton

Kit Out London v DT FC | Noak Hill 3G

Leyton Royal v Lymore Gardens | Salisbury Hall Spts Grd

S20-21 Round-ups: Essex Alliance League (Wk 9 – Sat 31 Oct) [EAL 20-21 3.11.20]

Hello and welcome to a guest blog, going through the action in the five Essex Alliance League divisions on Saturday 31st October (the last weekend of action before the Lockdown-enforced break of all Grassroots action in England), along with the Olympian League action, it is good to have guest content on other Grassroots Leagues, thank you Rob. This updated round-up is posted with the author’s permission, with thanks. Thanks for reading.

Guest Blog written by Rob Parker for EAL [EAL Twitter: @EssexAllianceFL]

Essex Alliance League – Saturday 31st October

SENIOR DIVISION

The October action was rounded off this weekend amidst the speculation of an impending suspension of the sport. FC Baresi will go into the break as the leaders, extending their advantage to four points with a 3-1 home win against FC Petrocub. Zachery Leitch scored twice and Mark Matthews once to render Pavel Stirbu’s goal as consolation for the visitors.

After the disappointment of their first defeat last weekend, West Essex Reserves bounced back in positive fashion with a thumping 5-1 home win in Hainault against London Cranes. Callum Bloss scored twice adding to strikes from Josh Flood, Abiola Balogun and Adam Norris to keep them well in the frame in third spot. Shadrack Sibasa netted for Cranes who remain in the bottom two.

Moving up to fourth position were Lymore Gardens who picked up a fifth league win with victory at home in Loughton where they edged past Blue Marlin a 3-2 win. James Rufus and Tyreese Robinson got on the score-sheet for Marlin but two Dylan Roberts efforts plus an Andrew Rashford goal handed the points to Lymore.

Tower United will also have been pleased with their afternoon’s work as they met another of the division’s promoted outfits with a trip to Hainault to face All Prospects. Abdullah Jama scored twice and Abubakar Maxamed once to help their Tower side record a 3 – 0 win, their third victory of the campaign.

CSM London were also able to pick up a third league win of the season as they took on an in-form Rapid Chingford team in Beckton with the two sides keen to move clear of any relegation difficulties. CSM had to come from behind to edge the game 2-1 with Lewis McCarthy and debutant Joshua Izu goals seeing them to maximum points. Andrei Boga netted for Rapid who remain third-bottom.

DIVISION ONE

In Division One, Leyton Royal’s first two months of the season have been productive as they moved into a seven-point lead at the top of the standings after they came through a close game against fellow promotion contenders, Woodford East, in their clash in Debden. Leyton were 2 – 1 winners on the day to remain the only unbeaten side in the second tier. Billy Barr struck for Woodford East in this match.

Kit Out London made ground on the promotion chasing sides as they defeated third placed Eastside which helped Kit Out move fourth in the standings. Goals from Darnell Kitambo, Erik Rusnak and debutant Aourid Ismael were enough to carry their side to a 3 – 1 victory, moving within a point of their opponents, who netted thanks to Johnathan Odutolu..

There was a hugely important result for one of the struggling sides at the bottom as Frenford A record their first points of the season with a terrific 4 – 1 win away at Chadwell Heath Spartans. Ricky Reid scored for Spartans but a Gouly Djikalou hat-trick plus a Malachi Hercules effort confirmed the win for Frenford, moving off the bottom in the process.

Sixth-placed Wapping sit on the cusp of the top half of the table with three wins from six so far this season which was aided by their 5-2 home win on Saturday against Kwanzas London Sport. Abderrahmane Berri scored a hat-trick for the hosts with Charlie Ayes and Yusuf Nasir rounding things off, rendering Antonio Semedo’s brace as just consolation.

Completing the weekend’s action in Division One, London Park City were able to pick up a third league win of their season as they made the trip to Hackney to take on Francis Luke at the Marshes. Paulo Luke scored for the hosts but City goals from George Montgomery and Meelad Hamdard got their side over the line in a 2-1 win.

DIVISION TWO

There were plenty of goals in Division Two where the leaders, Belfry, made it seven wins from seven with a 6 – 2 victory at home against Chingford Athletic A in Dagenham. Eric Kelly scored twice for Athletic but goals from Sam Paterson (2), Aaron Rich, Jamie Redington, Mujib Ayoola and Patrick Macdonald were sufficient to extend their good start.

Remaining three points behind are Cowley Community who now have six wins from their opening eight matches this season and they took home all three points from their trip to Rainham Working Mens Club. Chris Wright grabbed his customary goal with Aiden Gentle’s effort rounding off a 2 – 1 victory. Cameron Shakes scored for the Workies in this one.

Third-placed Dagenham United got their season back on track with a really important win as they were paid a visit by fourth placed Newham Wanderers who were sitting just a point behind as the game began. United extended that lead to four points however with two goals from Jordan Akinpelu plus one each from Ruben Silva, Brandon Johnson and Rodeny Varela to win 5 – 2. Malam Injai and Marcelino Rodrigues grabbed the Newham goals in reply.

There was a massive result also at the other end of the table where promoted St Francis got their wins account underway for the season as they took on fellow strugglers Unitey at the Flats. Shaquille Mathurin scored twice and Jorginho Gomes once to earn the Saints a 3 – 0 win and a move off the bottom.

And there was just the nine goals in the final game in Division Two where the Forest Green hosted Old Esthameians at Leyton Sixth Form College, the E’s trailing their opponents by five points going into the game. This was slashed to just two by full time, coming out on the right side of a 5 – 4 thriller.

DIVISION THREE

In Division Three, FHN Athletic have opened up a five point gap at the top after they returned home with all three points in their clash away at Old Barkabbeyans Reserves in Barking. Faraz Khan scored for the hosts but it proved not quite enough as FHN scored twice themselves to win it 2-1.

Fairlop Rovers are up to third in the standings, level on points with just four goals separating them from Melbourne Sports as they took home the points with a 2-0 win in the Forest Road derby. Jack Kibblewhite’s brace was the difference on the day as Rovers continued a great patch of form which has seen climb into promotion contention.

There was a second league win of the season for Lymore Gardens Reserves who made it seven points from six games with a 3-1 away victory in Harlow against Epping United. Stefan Willis scored two and Eugene Goumou once to pave the way for a Garden victory which moved them seventh in the standings.

The division’s two draw specialists completed the action in Division Three where ASA, with three draws in four, met Glendale with four draws in eight this season. The outcome was expectedly… a draw. Mithurn Vijayarajah opened the scoring for ASA but Paul Oriakhi’s leveller just a minute later made it 1 – 1 and the sides shared the spoils once again.

DIVISION FOUR

Weather curtailed much of the Division Four action but in the two remaining games, there were seventeen goals with Newham Royals’ home 7-4 win against Together United getting that started. The Royals had an ensemble cast of scorers, led by Anthony Adade’s hat-trick with Ronald Asante getting a brace plus one each for Philip Norman and Richard Smith ending the goal-scoring credits. On the back of a big defeat, that saw Royals move up to third in the standings while Together United remain sixth.

There were six goals in the final game of the day in Dagenham where Brentwood United Reserves were the visitors to face Dagenham United Reserves. Giovanni Morgan (2), and Diego Sotelo grabbed the Dagenham goals but Brentwood efforts from Bradley Jackson, Connor Goom and Christian Pankui levelled it up at 3-3 to share the points.

S20-21 Round-ups: Essex Alliance League & Cups (Wk 6 – Sat 10 Oct) [EAL 20-21 12.10.20]

Hello and welcome to a guest blog, going through the action in the five Essex Alliance League divisions plus action from the Cups on Saturday 10th October, along with the Olympian League & ESBL action, it is good to have guest content on other Grassroots Leagues, thank you Rob. This round-up is posted with the author’s permission, with thanks. Thanks for reading.

Guest Blog written by Rob Parker for EAL [EAL Twitter: @EssexAllianceFL]

Essex Alliance League – Saturday 10th October

SENIOR DIVISION

With a number of sides in county cup action this weekend, FC Baresi took full advantage of that to move four points clear at the top of the table, returning home from their trip to Newbury Park with all three points in a 2-0 win against Blue Marlin. Alfie Hatch and Denzel Conteh grabbed the all important goals to secure a fifth league win.

Over in Hainault, there was a second league win of the season for Chigwell Town who entertained Tower United. Abubakar Maxamed scored twice and Abdirahman Sabriye once for the visitors but braces from Ross Chimes and John Lye paved the way to Chigwell victory, with Joel Donnelly scoring the other goal in a 5-3 scoreline.

It was also a great afternoon for Rapid Chingford who picked up a crucial first win of the season to move them away from the bottom, seeing FC Petrocub slide to a second successive defeat after a perfect start. Bogdan Galan double and strikes from Dragos Aenasoaie and Andrei Boga were enough for Rapid, overcoming visitor goals from Vitalii Chiriac, Nicolai Gutu and Maxim Volosin in a 4-3 win.

DIVISION ONE

The title race remains interestingly poised in Division One with the top two sides both having won all five games so far. Leyton Royal extended their record but had to come through a tough contest away at Kwanzas London Sport as goals from George State and Bogdan Toana overcame an Antonio Semedo strike from the hosts in a 2-1 scoreline.

Remaining top on goal difference, Woodford East maintained their own great start as they took maximum points from their trip to London Park City. Callum Drummond, Matthew Stacey and James Collier goals proved enough on the day as they ended with a 3-1 win under their belts.

Moving up to fourth place are Eastside who made it two wins and a draw from their opening fixtures as they secured an important 6 – 2 home win against Francis Luke in a local derby. A brace apiece for Lawrence Amadi, Michael Dager and Junior Mandeng-Fotabong were sufficient for Side with Saico Djop and Joseph Mcnroe goals just consolation for FL.

North East Lions will be pleased with their efforts also as they scooped a second league win of the campaign with a victory at another local side in Wapping. A 4 – 3 win was secured by a Rweal Azizur hat-trick with Aaron Abbott grabbing the other to render strikes from Ashraf Ameer, Gracia Muhemba and Shamsun Noor as just consolation.

DIVISION TWO

Dagenham United remain top of Division Two but had to settle for a share of the spoils as they were held at 2 – 2 by previously bottom of the table Royal Forest. Ruben Silva and Lewis Bennett both got on the United scoresheet but Forest will have been pleased to secure a first point of the season to get their account underway.

Belfry are ominously poised to strike, just a point back from the leaders, and they made light work of their trip to Leyton to take on Forest Green. There were hat-tricks galore including one for debutant Jeremy Lynch, with Daniel Osborne and Sam Paterson equalling that effort. Luke Macdonald and Mujib Ayoola goals completed the scoring in a thumping 11 – 0 victory.

Sitting in third place, Cowley Community kept up their decent start to the new campaign with a closely fought home win against Unitey in Leyton. Aiden Gentle and Kyle Cargill goals were enough in the end to edge this encounter 2-1 with the visitors slipping to the bottom by full-time as they go in search of their first points.

Newham Wanderers are also sitting pretty with three wins from four so far after promotion and they took maximum points from their local derby game against St Francis, running out 3-0 winners at the Flats. Hamido Jalo, Marcelino Rodrigues and Bradley Harris found the back of the net for Wanderers to keep them in the hunt at the top end of the table.

It was also a good afternoon for Chingford Athletic A who have moved up to fifth in the table following a big 5-0 home win against Old Esthameians as the sides met at Town Mead. Eric Kelly’s rich vein of form continued with a hat-trick as Harry Miller and Shazad Edwards goals completed a deserved victory.

DIVISION THREE

In Division Three, it’s as you were at the top end of the table as FHN Athletic stay two points clear of the rest but had to come through a tough battle at home to Bailey Football Academy to take the points. Mustafa Burkhari and Fahd Umar goals kept Bailey interested but Athletic scored three times themselves to edge this one 3-2.

Over in Romford, Old Barkabbeyans Reserves kept up with the leaders but had to overcome a tough test themselves as they edged a five goal thriller against bottom of the table Flyers Under 23s. Klodian Meta scored twice and Sam Thompson once to help their side to an eventual 3 – 2 win in what was an improved Flyers performance.

Melbourne Sports remain third as they held off a comeback from Glendale, scoring twice late on to win it 5 – 3 after the hosts had fought back to 3 – 3. Alex Armah netted a Mels hat-trick with Jordan Green and Adnan Nuralt getting the other to render strikes from Enoch Apraku, Mohammed Gueye and Valter Correia as just consolation for the Dales.

Loughton Lions got back to winning ways this weekend as they put six goals passed a visiting Lymore Gardens Reserves side to secure a second league win in three. Will Osmond and George Bird swooped in with braces, Charlie Harper and Ryan Hazell scoring the others in a 6-1 scoreline.

ASA made their long awaited debut in the competition on Saturday as they made the trip to Barkingside to take on Fairlop Rangers. In the end, the two sides had to share the points as Saigeethan Senthan and Irfan Bahadur goals helped ASA to take a point in an eventual 2-2 draw, a result which was enough for Rovers to move sixth in the standings.

DIVISION FOUR

Royal Forest Reserves’ return to league action was a successful one as they moved three points clear at the top of the table following a hard fought 2 – 0 home win against Dagenham United Reserves. Anayo Ukwunnah and Josh Trainor scored the two goals for Forest to keep their side unbeaten in the league so far.

Moving second in the standings, Together United picked up a second league win on Saturday, overcoming Brentwood United Reserves in Chadwell Heath in a 5 – 3 scoreline. Jake Southam, Connor Goom and Sam Bentley all found the net for Brentwood but a Stanley Kweya hat-trick and Fifi Banin brace brought it all Together for the visitors to take the points.

Collier Row A will have been pleased with their afternoon’s work as they made it two wins for the season over the weekend with a 4-1 win against Newham Royals. After such a difficult start, Row are now up to fifth in the table with Royal dropping to seventh as a result of that performance.

Completing the league action from Saturday, Emerson United Reserves were the hosts as Avondale Rangers visited Upminster in a mid-table battle. The game was closely fought and the teams had to settle for a point apiece with Adam Friend’s goal for Rangers equalled by a Sonny Scott goal for Emerson.

COUNTY CUP

It was a big county cup weekend for Essex clubs and in the Essex Junior Cup, three of our sides made safe passage into round two with West Essex Reserves proving comfortable 4 – 0 winners in their game against Toby Reserves and will now face fellow Senior Division side, Chigwell Town, next month.

Also making it through in impressive fashion were Jolof Sports who took on CSM London in the East Ham derby game and picked up a 4 – 1 win to book a second round clash away at Manford Way Reserves in November.

And they will be joined in the second round hat by Lymore Gardens who also had a home tie with Olympian League Dvision Five side Collier Row Reserves, with the visitors taking on an in-form Lymore side. They were 3-1 winners and secured a spot in round two against Leytonstone United. There was just the one defeat for our clubs as DTFC were edged out by Essex & Suffolk Border League Division One side Dunmow Town with Town winning 2-1 on the day to make the draw for the next round.

In the Essex Junior Trophy, there were two all-EAL ties completed as Division One side Chadwell Heath Spartans overcame Custom House United 7-2 to go through to the next round where they will face Harold Wood Athletic A next month. The other clash came from Ilford where, in the battle of the borough’s “A” sides, it was Barkingside A who came out on top, beating Frenford A 4-2 to book a clash at home to Glendale in the next round.

S20-21 Round-ups: Essex Alliance Lge (Wk 5 – Sat 3 Oct) [EAL 5.10.20]

Hello and welcome to a guest blog, going through the action in the five Essex Alliance League divisions on Saturday 3rd October, along with the other Grassroots divisions, it is good to have guest content on these Leagues, thank you Rob. This round-up is posted with the author’s permission, with thanks. Thanks for reading.

Guest Blog written by Rob Parker for EAL [EAL Twitter: @EssexAllianceFL]

SENIOR DIVISION

Just a point separates the top three sides in the Senior Division with FC Baresi still leading the way, assisted by their enthralling victory over the weekend in a nine-goal thriller against Chigwell Town. Ali Shikeey scored twice and one apiece from Amais Khan, Marvin Smith and Denzel Conteh sent the hosts to a 5-4 win.

It’s as you were just behind the leaders with DTFC putting in a comprehensive performance against one of their rivals for the title as they saw off FC Petrocub 7-0 at the Harlow Arena. Jake Kissiedu’s hat-trick was accompanied by Billy Golledge and Kieran Hipgrave braces to extend their perfect record so far.

Another side sporting a perfect record so far are third placed West Essex Reserves who are also sporting four wins from four so far and maintained that start to the season with a hard fought 2-1 win away at Lymore Gardens in their contest in Loughton. Mitchell Arthur and Mason Iley netted the West goals as they returned home with the points.

Jolof Sports are the sitting fourth in the table, the last of the four unbeaten sides in the top flight after they made it three wins from three so far on the back of their most recent performance which saw them beat All Prospects 5-1 in East Ham. Mussa Jamanca scored twice with Abib Diop, Papa Ndiaye and Mamadou Sene also netting for Jolof. Prince Esanbor got the consolation for Prospects here.

Moving up the table are London Cranes who recorded their first victory of the new season on Saturday with a stunning 5-2 home win over Tower United in West Ham. Mohamed Hassan and Asad Yousef had netted for Tower but a home brace for Mathius Sendawula plus strikes from Fred Karyngo, Shadrack Sibasa and Valentine Djeikuyi gave victory to the hosts.

It was also a pleasing afternoon’s work for Blue Marlin who also picked up their first win of the campaign as they returned home from CSM London with the points. Radostin Danchev got on the scoresheet for the hosts but his efforts proved in vain as Marlin scored four goals of their own to earn a 4-1 victory, thanks largely to a Jordan Mills-Smith hat-trick and one for Tyreese Robinson.

DIVISION ONE

The race for promotion in Division One continues to offer much promise with the top two sides separated by just goal difference. Woodford East stay top with a fourth win, courtesy of a 3-1 home victory against Frenford A. Ben Smith, Callum Maltese and Billy Barr all got on the score-sheet to help their side to a fourth consecutive win.

Leyton Royal trail in second place by just a few goals with games between those sides likely to be interesting. Leyton’s 2-1 home win on Saturday came at the expense of London Park City with Cosmin Capatina and Bogdan Toana efforts earning maximum points for the hosts to keep their winning record going.

There was an impressive victory for Kit Out London who made light work of their home fixture against Francis Luke, earning themselves a 7-1 win. Amalraj Kakmanu was in good form once again with a brace adding to goals from Olajide Akala, Lewis Jacobs, Darnell Kitambo, Massi Rahimi and debutant Erik Rusnack.

Moving up third place in the standings, Chadwell Heath Spartans recorded a second league victory and remain unbeaten after they were also 7-1 winners following their match with North East Lions. Ricky Reid scored twice and there were also efforts from Caleb Roberts, Rob Hodgson, Niru Hunwicks, Miguel Martins and Tom Callagher to round off an impressive performance.

Rounding off the action in the second tier, there was a seven goal thriller in Walthamstow as Kwanzas London Sport took on Eastside with the latter recording their first win of the season. They were victors by the odd goal in seven thanks to a double from Michael Dager plus strikes by Wenbi Ghenda and Lawrence Amadi in a result which saw them move up to seventh in the table.

DIVISION TWO

There was just the one completed game in Division Two and it couldn’t have been a more exciting one with top of the table Dagenham United and Forest Green sharing nine goals between them. Rodeny Varela scored twice and one apiece from Brandon Johnson, Ola Ogunjobi and George Martin ended the game 5-4 in favour for United, a result which brought Green’s perfect start to an end.

DIVISION THREE

The big game in Division Three came from Fairlop Oak where previously top of the table Melbourne Sports took on third placed FHN Athletic, both sides sporting excellent starts. Athletic ended the day having swapped places with the Mels as Dillon Ashford-Quaye, Oluwatunmida Adebayo, Ose Egbejale and Daniel Ohuruogu all netted to win it 4-2, rendering Ross Barker and Kinsley Tatham goals as just consolation for the Mels.

Old Barkabbeyans Reserves extended their unbeaten start to the season but did drop points for the first time as they were held to a rare goalless draw at home against Lymore Garden Reserves in Barking. That result saw them go second, two points off the new leaders, while Lymore move sixth.

Moving fourth in the standings are Glendale who, after two recent draws, tasted victory this weekend as they ended Loughton Lions’ perfect start in a closely fought 1-0 victory in the Hainault battle of the hedge. Mohammed Gueye came oft the bench to net in some style from distance to help his Dales side to the win.

There was also an important first victory of the season for Fairlop Rovers who took maximum points and moved away from the bottom of the table after a 4-0 win away at Flyers Under 23s. That result moves them seventh in the standings while Flyers will seek an upturn in form after a pointless start so far.

DIVISION FOUR

Avondale Rangers have cut the gap at the top of the table in Division Four as they moved third on Saturday following a 4-2 home win against Newham Royals in Loughton. Jake Clarke scored a hat-trick for Rangers with James Whitbread grabbing the other to move their side to within one point of the leaders.

There was an impressive performance from Dagenham United’s reserve side too where the previously winless side grabbed their first win of the season as they took down Together United at Castle Green. Hans Dodoo scored twice with Amran El-Kaouny grabbing the other to win it 3-1 and end the day as the happier of the sides.

End